Chief Development Officer of Major and Leadership Gifts

The Kennedy Center • Washington, DC

1d • $130,000 - $150,000 • Onsite

About The Position

The Chief Development Officer of Major and Leadership Gifts of the Trump Kennedy Center reports to the SVP of Development and works collaboratively with senior Development staff across The Trump Kennedy Center, which includes the Washington National Opera, members of the Board of Trustees, Government Affairs, and key internal partners across departments. This role serves as a senior fundraising leader within a highly matrixed institutional environment. The Director is responsible for a significant portion of the Trump Kennedy Center, individual contributed revenue goals, while also supporting Washington National Opera’s and The Trump Kennedy Centers broader institutional fundraising priorities including leadership-level, cross-programmatic, and endowment giving efforts. The position requires a strategic and innovative approach to building new fundraising strategies and donor relationships, while thoughtfully maintaining and advancing existing major and leadership giving programs. The incumbent manages time, resources, and workload to maximize productivity and financial results; exercises sound judgment and discretion; evaluates complex internal and external relationships; and proactively advances the objectives of multiple concurrent campaigns. The Director oversees a team of Major Gift Officers and works in close partnership with the Managing Director of Advancement to successfully execute established fundraising priorities and drive portfolio growth across The Trump Kennedy Center, which includes WNO and institutional initiatives. This position plays a key role in fostering a collaborative, high-performing team culture, while actively supporting professional development, coaching, and growth opportunities for staff in alignment with departmental and institutional goals.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or applicable professional experience.
• Minimum of 7 years in development, with a minimum of 3 of those years in a supervisory capacity managing development team members that are responsible for identifying, securing, and stewarding a portfolio of donors.
• Experience managing a high-performing team that met or exceeded goals, through effective goal setting, prioritization, delegation, and team-building.
• Ability to collaborate across a matrixed organization to leverage the expertise of other departments, work together to effect change and achieve shared goals.
• Knowledge and training in fundraising principles, development trends, and non-profit management or Board engagement.
• Experience developing and implementing specific fundraising strategies with timeliness and success while maintaining flexibility as the needs of donors and the priorities of Washington National Opera changes.
• Careful attention to detail and knowledge of standard accounting procedures
• Possession of these competencies would indicate strong potential for success in this role: growth mindset, self-aware, disciplined, results-driven and accountable.
• Sensitive, inclusive of others.
• Ability to foresee development needs, anticipate the needs of superiors, and multitask efficiently.
• A clear understanding of the Kennedy Center mission, and a nuanced understanding of the ways in which a fundraising operation works within a large and complex institution.
• Ability to deftly manage many relationships and personality types, both internal among staff members, and external among constituents.
• Ability and confidence to work without close supervision.
• Candidate must be local or willing to relocate to the DMV area.
• Candidate must be willing to work onsite.

Nice To Haves

• Understanding of large cultural institutions is beneficial.
• Experience with Tessitura or nonprofit experience with a CRM database is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Oversee and actively manage a portfolio of Trustees and high-level donors, leading their philanthropic engagement, solicitation, and stewardship in support of The Trump Kennedy Center.
• Partner with the team to create and advance opportunities for undesignated giving, as well as designated funding opportunities when aligned with donor interests and when they demonstrate strong potential to attract major and leadership gifts.
• Collaborate with peer fundraising teams, including Membership, Corporate Development, Circles, and other advancement functions, to deepen donor relationships, align strategies, and identify cross-programmatic engagement and solicitation opportunities.
• Provide clear leadership, coaching, and performance management for the team through regular feedback, goal alignment, and thoughtful delegation, fostering a high-performing culture that consistently meets or exceeds revenue and engagement targets.
• Manage and continuously strengthen team best practices across all aspects of fundraising, including written and verbal communications, prospect research, proposal development, donor meetings, events, and relationship management.
• Steward assigned donors and prospects through major institutional events across The Trump Kennedy Center, which includes The Washington National Opera, and the National Symphony Orchestra, leveraging programming and experiences to deepen engagement and advance philanthropic goals.
• Support and help manage select one-off cultivation and stewardship events hosted by Trustees and major donors, in coordination with Development and Special Events colleagues.
• In partnership with the Managing Director of Advancement, co-lead weekly staff meetings, strategic planning retreats, staff training sessions, and professional development workshops to advance team effectiveness and shared priorities.
• Work closely with the Managing Director of Advancement and the Director of Individual Giving and Operations to implement, evaluate, and refine long-term goals and strategies for the team, fostering a culture grounded in clarity, collaboration, and people-first leadership.
• Actively promote and model collegial, collaborative working relationships with colleagues across The Trump Kennedy Center, contributing to a unified, institution-wide advancement effort.
• Other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Staff offers for discount tickets
• Retirement plan with organization matching (after 1 year of employment)
• Qualifying employer for the Public Student Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF)
• Commuter programs including pre-tax options for discounted parking and SmartBenefits (WMATA)
• Annual Leave, Sick Leave, and Personal Days available immediately upon hire
• 13 paid holidays per year
• Medical, Dental, and Vision benefits with FSA and HSA options, and paid FMLA

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Number of Employees: 1,001-5,000 employees