Director Development Operations

Philadelphia Ballet•Philadelphia, PA

10h

About The Position

The Director of Development Operations builds and optimizes a comprehensive prospect development and research program that supports sustainable philanthropic growth and serves as the operational engine for the development function. The role oversees prospect research and analysis, fundraising tracking and reporting processes, quarterly impact reporting, and pipeline performance analysis. The Director strengthens development systems, workflows, and data practices; maintains donor database integrity and governance; oversees gift processing, stewardship, and donor recognition; and produces reports and dashboards for organizational leadership and the Board. The role partners with Finance to coordinate gift processing and reconciliation and to integrate fundraising technologies, including Tessitura, Donate2, and payment-processing systems. It also supports fundraisers in prospect qualification and portfolio management, leads development operations staff, contributes to cross-departmental planning, and recommends tools or processes to improve efficiency and giving capacity. The position reports to the Development Operations Manager. Work is generally Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with occasional evening and weekend work as duties demand. Travel is primarily local during the business day, with some out-of-area and overnight travel potentially expected. Satisfactory background checks and child abuse clearances may be required.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree or equivalent relevant work experience.
At least 8 years of experience in development operations or CRM administration.
At least 2 years directly leading a team or department.
Demonstrated experience supporting grant-funded programs and partnering with Finance on gift processing and reconciliation.
Deep working knowledge of donor CRM systems, such as Tessitura, Salesforce, or Raiser's Edge, and online giving platforms.
Prior experience managing or supervising a team.
Strong analytical and systems-oriented mindset, with comfort evaluating and implementing fundraising technology.
Excellent cross-functional communication skills and ability to work with program leadership, fundraisers, and Finance.
Demonstrated ability to coach and develop staff.
Ability to build and maintain effective working relationships in a diverse and multicultural environment.
Commitment to maintaining a safe, respectful, and professional environment in accordance with organizational policies.
Must provide satisfactory background checks and child abuse clearances as may be required for the role.

Nice To Haves

Experience in nonprofit performing arts.

Responsibilities

Assess and strengthen development systems, workflows, and data practices to ensure accuracy, efficiency, and alignment across teams.
Lead and develop prospect development and research staff, foster accountability and innovation, and provide data-informed recommendations to leadership to guide fundraising strategy.
Support program and department staff in setting measurable goals, gathering appropriate data, and preparing reports; serve as a point of connection with Finance on budget or restricted-fund questions.
Oversee gift processing to ensure gifts are accurately and promptly entered, acknowledged, and receipted in coordination with Finance.
Maintain donor CRM/database integrity, including data governance standards and user protocols.
Build and manage stewardship and donor recognition workflows, including acknowledgments, gift agreements, impact updates, and recognition programs.
Produce accurate, timely fundraising reports and dashboards for organizational leadership and the Board, including pipeline and portfolio reporting.
Support prospect research and management, work with fundraisers to identify and qualify prospects, and keep portfolios and pipelines current in Tessitura.
Supervise Development Operations staff by providing coaching, workflow oversight, professional development, and portfolio management support.
Partner with Finance to integrate Tessitura, Donate2 online giving, and payment-processing systems into a cohesive fundraising technology stack.
Stay current on sector trends and recommend tools or processes that increase efficiency and giving capacity.
Represent Development Operations in cross-departmental planning across Philadelphia Ballet functional areas.
Perform other duties as required.