Director, Development Operations

Jazz at Lincoln Center • New York, NY

3d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Director, Development Operations is responsible for JALC’s fundraising infrastructure and overseeing its fundraising-related operations. As a key strategic partner, the Director will help set and execute fundraising strategies alongside the senior Development team. The individual oversees financial and budgetary reporting and analysis needs for senior leadership to help drive decision making around fundraising activities and ensure new systems and business practices are implemented, on par with leading industry standards, to enable JALC’s fundraising goals to be efficiently and effectively met. In close collaboration with the Chief Development Officer, the Director, Development Operations works closely with the Finance department on all matters related to Development income and expense budgeting, including forecasting for future year activities.
The incumbent will be a significant stakeholder representing Development on issues of data governance and CRM management collaborating accordingly with Finance and Technology and other areas to enhance the use of data systems. The Director oversees donor research and prospect tracking, and acts as the primary Development liaison for all donor crediting. The individual is responsible for developing new functionality and business rules to enhance the use of donor data; partnering with the Individual Giving team on the execution of segmentation strategy; the overall maintenance, management and integrity of the database; gift, pledge, and data entry and reporting; and application training.
The Director will supervise and work closely with the Assistant Director, Research & Strategy to ensure consistent donor research and prospect tracking, and the Development Operations Associate to ensure accurate gift processing and receipting and to maintain strategic cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship plans based on giving opportunities.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required and a minimum of five years working experience in non-profit Development operations and/or Finance systems.
• Demonstrates leadership and discretion.
• Strong communication and presentation skills
• SQL experience required.
• Proficiency with fundraising software required, Tessitura preferred.
• Experience in Microsoft Office with advanced knowledge of Excel.
• Exceptional attention to detail, with the ability to prioritize, manage numerous projects, and work independently.
• Problem-solver and strategic thinker with the ability to organize, streamline and implement processes and procedures.
• Ability to collaborate effectively across the organization and adapt well to a fast-paced work environment.
• Understanding of and experience with general financial accounting principles and aspects of gift processing and receipting according to IRS guidelines.
• Ability to interface with Board of Directors and all levels of staff.
• Highly developed understanding of database operations and expertise in queries, importing/exporting and reporting functions.

Nice To Haves

• Tessitura preferred.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a strategic partner to senior Development leadership to design and implement operational systems, workflows, and business practices, including oversight of the organization’s CRM (Tessitura).
• Manage Development’s revenue and expense budget, including the preparation of multiple annual forecasts and reforecasts in collaboration with Finance to support ongoing decision-making.
• Serve as the team’s expert on constituent data by spearheading segmentation and analytics efforts, partnering with the Individual Giving, Membership, and Events teams on the execution of data-driven strategies and targeted lists, conducting regular and special project analyses for senior leadership and the Board, defining and tracking key performance indicators, and translating data into actionable insights to inform fundraising strategy.
• Manage and develop the Assistant Director, Research & Strategy and the Development Operations Associate by setting priorities, providing coaching, and ensuring high performance across research, data, and gift processing functions.
• Oversee the functionality and continuous improvement of the CRM data governance policies, maintaining data integrity, leading staff training and adoption of best practices, and serving as the primary Development liaison with Finance and Technology on Tessitura.
• Ensure accurate and timely processing of gifts and pledges, serving as the primary Development liaison for crediting-related matters.
• Partner with Finance on reconciliation, audit readiness, and compliance related to Development revenue.
• Identify opportunities to streamline and enhance Development operations and implement scalable, efficient processes that improve team effectiveness and support organizational growth, including building infrastructure to support future large-scale fundraising initiatives.
• Oversee prospect research and tracking to ensure a strong and data-informed pipeline of donors, supporting strategic cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship planning.

Benefits

• comprehensive health
• retirement
• access to JALC programming—from live performances to access at Dizzy's Club to world-class jazz education through Swing University and beyond

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director