Director, Development Operations

Winrock International•Arlington, VA

1d•$155,000 - $170,000

About The Position

The Director of Development Operations leads the operations and operating strategy for Winrock’s Development team, building an integrated, scalable revenue operation. Reporting to the Vice President of Development, the Director enables senior fundraising leaders to build donor and partner relationships, grow and diversify revenue, lead solicitations and negotiations, engage stakeholders, and set fundraising strategy. The role oversees competitive and non-competitive proposal operations and ensures the systems, processes, capacity, and quality standards needed to convert qualified pipeline opportunities into competitive submissions and new awards. The Director owns the operational systems, processes, data, forecasting, and execution disciplines supporting sustained fundraising performance across Winrock’s funding streams. Responsibilities include annual planning, pipeline management and forecasting, proposal and capture operations, philanthropy and individual fundraising operations, standard operating procedures and performance standards, training, and capability building. The position manages day-to-day Development operations, supervises operations across diverse funder portfolios, and oversees broader fundraising operations as the organization scales. The position may be based in Arlington, Virginia, or elsewhere in the United States as a hybrid or remote employee; in-office or hybrid work is preferred. Travel is up to 15% domestically, with occasional international travel for team meetings and organizational events.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field.
At least 10 years of Development Operations experience.
At least 6 years of demonstrated success managing and leading high-performing Development Operations teams supporting individual giving, institutional philanthropy, and business development functions.
Experience supporting individual giving, including major giving, annual giving, gift processing, stewardship, and events.
Experience supporting institutional philanthropy, including corporate and foundation grants.
Experience with business development functions, including resource management and quality oversight for RFP-driven contracting.
Proven track record managing a Development or Fundraising Operations function and team.
Strong analytical and research skills and strategic thinking.
Experience establishing and continually improving proposal-management systems, processes, tools, templates, and quality standards.
Experience managing department-level and opportunity-specific budgets and external services.
Ability to manage proposal workloads and surge capacity, determine staffing needs, and deploy employees, consultants, and technical resources across concurrent opportunities.
Strong project, time, and priority management in a fast-paced environment.
Experience partnering with technical, finance, awards management, and senior leadership teams to resolve proposal risks and ensure technically responsive, financially sound, and compliant submissions.
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present complex information in clear, compelling narratives.
Strong relationship-building skills with diverse internal and external stakeholders.
High level of professionalism, creativity, and diplomatic interpersonal skills.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office, including Copilot.
Experience with a CRM platform.
English proficiency.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree in business or nonprofit administration, or another relevant field.
Experience with Salesforce.

Responsibilities

Oversee Development systems, data, and technology so the team can focus on appropriate funders, relationships, and engagement strategies.
Oversee the Salesforce CRM technology stack, administration, and data governance, along with fundraising platforms, prospect research software, and integrations in partnership with IT and other functional teams.
Oversee event platforms, event data, and event analytics to inform donor stewardship and cultivation.
Set data quality standards and oversee gift and donor data management.
Establish and maintain knowledge management systems and document and proposal repositories, including a knowledge library, bid calendars, cases for support, core fundraising materials, and pipeline resource allocation.
Oversee Development standard operating procedures for fundraising, business development, and stewardship across government, Official Development Assistance, major donor, corporate, and foundation funding.
Design and maintain fundraising and business development workflows and procedures, covering competitive RFPs from pre-positioning through negotiation and implementation handoff, as well as philanthropic and individual giving processes.
Lead continuous process improvement across the competitive RFP lifecycle, fundraising moves management, and portfolio management.
Lead team project management and workflow coordination across Development operations.
Manage pipeline and revenue forecasting across revenue streams; maintain pipeline reporting, KPI dashboards, regular revenue updates, and board- and executive-level fundraising performance reporting.
Oversee Development budgeting, procurement, and financial reconciliation in partnership with Finance.
Coordinate cross-functional collaboration among Development, Programs, Finance, Awards Management, and Compliance.
Supervise and mentor Development operations staff, lead change management, system adoption, and training, and foster continuous learning and excellence.
Oversee prospect research and qualification, including wealth screening, portfolio analytics, and relationship mapping to inform portfolio assignments and pipeline strategy.
Oversee gift processing.
Oversee shared staff and consultant services providing surge capacity for capture and proposal development for USG, ODA, and philanthropy opportunities.
For philanthropy opportunities, oversee grant production, editing, stewardship reporting support, and proposal coordination, and provide these services directly when needed.
Manage full-time staff and consultants supporting fundraising data and technology and proposal management.
Provide Development team approval for all Go/No-Go and Bid/No-Bid decisions.
Approve pursuit and proposal resourcing plans, overseeing proposal managers, coordinators, writers and editors, graphics and production support, and the consultant network.
Support capture activities with the Directors of USG Portfolio and Philanthropy Portfolio, including partner identification and vetting and qualification of high-level individual and institutional funders.
Oversee development of cost-competitive budgets, budget narratives, and financial projections aligned with technical approaches.
Lead team reviews and ensure proposal quality, responsiveness, and compliance.
Support negotiation of donor contract terms, conditions, and modifications; review solicitation requirements and translate them into actionable pursuit strategies.
Support award start-up planning and implementation, conduct team briefings, and maintain institutional knowledge of donor requirements, regulations, and emerging priorities.