Senior Managing Director, Development

ROLE TITLE: Senior Managing Director, Development (Dallas-Fort Worth)

POSITION REPORTS TO: Vice President, Field Fundraising

PRIORITY APPLICATION DEADLINE: October 21, 2025

LOCATION: Must be located in DFW area

WHAT YOU’LL DO

All Prospect & Donor Management roles on our Field Fundraising teams are responsible for cultivating, stewarding, and managing a portfolio of donors within our local communities who share our commitment to ensuring that all children have access to an excellent and equitable education.

As a member of the Field Fundraising team, you will contribute to a collaborative, team-based effort to develop and execute a long-term vision and strategy for achieving our private fundraising goals. 

In this role, you will partner closely with the DFW Executive Director, regional advisory board members from both our Dallas and Fort Worth boards, and other frontline fundraisers to maximize giving—playing a key role in donor strategy, cultivation, and acquisition over the next three to five years.

Reporting to the Vice President, Field Fundraising, you will be responsible for raising $5–10 million or more from a complex portfolio of high-potential donors across multiple funding streams, typically individuals or institutions capable of giving major gifts. You will serve as the primary relationship manager, working directly with the Executive Director to cultivate, solicit, and steward these donors. In addition, as a senior portfolio manager, you will also oversee a select portfolio of statewide donors whose partnerships advance our broader regional and statewide impact.

We are seeking a seasoned, senior-level development professional who can independently design and implement long-term strategies to acquire, cultivate, retain, and diversify our local funding base. As a subject-matter expert in fundraising and development, you may also mentor or manage other development staff, providing coaching, strategic guidance, and collaborative problem-solving in partnership with the Vice President, Field Fundraising.

WHAT YOU’LL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR

• 20% - Build a comprehensive, multi-year vision and plan for cultivating complex, high giving potential donors in local contexts with the goal of maximizing revenue to the organization as a whole 

• 40% - Directly manage, cultivate, steward, and solicit (a portfolio of high-potential donors across a variety of funding streams

• 20% - Work in close partnership with the local Executive Director(s) to build the long-term strategy, develop and maintain a keen understanding of the political landscape and its relationship to public and private donors and funding opportunities, and build and maintain critical relationships in the public and private sphere necessary to advance fundraising efforts, including local advisory board members 

• 10% - Depending on the size and scope of your portfolio, EITHER mentor other development staff members, providing knowledge, problem solving support, and advising in both formal and informal ways OR manage a team of 2+ development staff members, holding accountability for their individual fundraising in addition to the goals for the portfolio you manage

• 5% - Consistently maintain donor, prospect, and fundraising activity information in our customer relationship management system (currently SalesForce) and leverage this information in tracking progress, monitoring gaps, and adjusting strategy and approach 

• 5% - Steward team and organizational initiatives

YOUR EXPERIENCE

Your areas of knowledge and expertise that matter most for this role (minimum qualifications): 

• Relationship Building and Management

  • Exceptional relationship builder, particularly with external stakeholders 

  • Orientation and desire to seek out and develop new relationships and partnerships

  • Experience cultivating executive level donors and partners   

  • Influence others by uniquely tailoring approaches that appeal to the motivations and perspectives and executing sophisticated relationship management of a diverse group of donors  

  • Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, particularly when working with external audiences

• Fundraising and Development Strategy 

  • Subject matter expert in advanced de