Development Director

Footprint Project • New Orleans, LA

7d • Hybrid

About The Position

Footprint Project is seeking a Development Director to lead and grow the resource development side of the organization. This role is both strategic and hands-on, reporting to the CEO as a key member of the senior leadership team. The Development Director will design and implement a holistic development strategy covering foundation grants, government funding, corporate sponsorships, earned revenue, in-kind donations, and individual gifts. The role involves managing the pipeline and calendar, writing and submitting proposals, and stewarding funder relationships. The organization has experienced significant year-over-year growth and is seeking someone to take it to the next level. This is a player-coach role, requiring the individual to set direction, build a team, and remain hands-on. The ideal candidate is passionate about clean energy and sustainable disaster response, and has a proven track record of securing and retaining funding.

Requirements

• At least 3 years of nonprofit development experience with a demonstrated track record of securing funding, including success winning five- and six-figure grants from foundations, corporations, and/or government sources.
• Experience supervising and developing staff.
• Budget literacy: comfortable building, reading, and managing grant and program budgets.
• Exceptional writing and verbal communication skills, including the ability to produce persuasive proposals and high-impact funder materials.
• Strong project management skills and adept at working within CRM systems.
• Skilled in critical thinking, decision-making, and problem-solving.
• Proactive, organized, adaptable, and detail-oriented.
• Associate's or Bachelor's degree.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with federal, state, or local government grants and contracts.
• Experience building or managing corporate partnership or sponsorship programs.
• Experience with individual giving or major donor programs.
• Salesforce or other CRM software proficiency.
• Experience in disaster response, climate, clean energy, or related sectors.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and lead a comprehensive development strategy spanning foundation grants, government grants/contracts, and corporate partnerships/sponsorships.
• Serve on the senior leadership team and contribute a development perspective to organization-wide strategy and planning.
• Set annual revenue and funder engagement goals in partnership with the CEO; track progress and report regularly to leadership.
• Supervise the Communications Coordinator, aligning storytelling, digital presence, and donor-facing communications with development goals.
• Help build the development team as the organization grows, including hiring and supervising future development staff.
• Own the foundation grants portfolio end-to-end: prospect research, cultivation, LOIs, proposal writing and submission, renewals, and funder relationships.
• Manage the organization-wide grants calendar of deadlines and deliverables.
• Support existing government grants/contracts and own new government funding opportunities end-to-end.
• Collaborate closely with the Grants Accounting Manager on grant budgets, restricted-spending compliance, and timely submission of financial reports.
• Coordinate the cross-team grant reporting effort.
• Own corporate partnerships and sponsorships end-to-end: identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward corporate funders and sponsors.
• Play a lead development role in events involving corporate sponsors and partners.
• Support fee-for-service revenue development.
• Support CEO in securing social impact loans, PRIs and other blended finance solutions.
• Partner with the CEO on strategy and outreach for high-net-worth donors.
• Develop the organization's first individual giving strategy.
• Support in-kind equipment donation.
• Oversee timely donation receipts and thank-you communications.
• Support impact measurement (M&E) systems and reporting that demonstrate our results to funders and donors.
• Fill gaps and perform other job-related duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Monthly stipends for healthcare, mental healthcare, and technology
• 31 days per calendar year for vacations and holidays
• Paid Sick Leave
• Paid Bereavement Leave for the death of humans and pets, pregnancy loss, failed adoption, and failed fertility treatment
• Paid Parental Leave
• Unpaid Family and Medical Leave
• Professional development financial assistance
• Career growth opportunities within a small, lean nonprofit organization

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager
• Education Level: Associate degree