Senior Director, Development

National Council on Aging•Arlington, VA

9d•$180,000 - $200,000•Hybrid

About The Position

At NCOA, we are on a mission to create the conditions for all to age well in America—today and into the future. Every day, we work to improve the lives of millions of older adults through innovative programs, trusted advocacy, and meaningful partnerships that advance health, economic security, and equity. We are seeking a dynamic and strategic Senior Director, Development to bring their expertise, vision, and passion to help drive our mission forward. This leader will play a pivotal role in expanding philanthropic support, cultivating transformative partnerships, and advancing sustainable revenue growth that enables NCOA to make an even greater impact. The ideal candidate is an accomplished development professional who thrives on building relationships, inspiring others, and creating innovative fundraising strategies. They will embrace and exemplify NCOA's core values of Caring for All, Collaboration, Innovation, Integrity, and Respect, fostering a culture of excellence while helping ensure that every older adult has the opportunity to age with dignity, purpose, and security. If you are ready to make a lasting difference while leading with purpose, we invite you to join our team. POSITION SUMMARY The Senior Director, Development is the chief architect of NCOA's unified revenue infrastructure, responsible for leading and integrating all non-federal development functions — corporate partnerships, private foundations, individual and planned giving, prospect research, and development operations — into a single, high-performing revenue engine. The Senior Director provides strategic leadership, operational discipline, and donor-centric stewardship across the full development portfolio. Reporting directly to the CDO and serving as a senior member of the Advancement Leadership Team, this individual is accountable for building the culture, systems, and relationships that will fund NCOA's mission at the scale our social impact goal demands. Positions at this level require deep expertise in nonprofit fundraising, demonstrated success leading complex, multi-function development teams, and the ability to operate with significant independence and strategic judgment. Incumbents typically have 15 or more years of progressive experience in development leadership and a bachelor's degree or equivalent, with substantive experience at the senior director level or above.

Requirements

15+ years of progressive nonprofit development experience, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership role overseeing multiple fundraising channels and managing managers.
Demonstrated success leading and scaling a multi-million-dollar development operation across multiple revenue channels, through strategy and team leadership rather than personal portfolio management.
Proven ability to lead, inspire, and develop high-performing teams of fundraising directors and managers.
Experience overseeing corporate partnerships, foundation relations, individual giving, and federal funding programs simultaneously through strong team leaders, rather than as an individual fundraiser.
Strong Salesforce or equivalent CRM proficiency, with experience using data to manage team performance.
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including experience presenting fundraising strategy to executive leadership and the Board.
Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred.
Familiarity with federal grant funding and federal agency relationships (e.g., ACL, CMS, DOL) a plus.
Familiarity with the aging, health equity, or economic justice sectors a plus.
CFRE certification a plus.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with federal grant funding and federal agency relationships (e.g., ACL, CMS, DOL)
Familiarity with the aging, health equity, or economic justice sectors
CFRE certification

Responsibilities

Own and drive the strategic direction of the full development portfolio, encompassing both federal and non-federal revenue, with accountability for the development team collectively meeting or exceeding annual and multi-year revenue targets.
Oversee the development, health, and reporting of a robust, 18-to-24-month fundraising pipeline across all development channels, managed through the team’s directors and managers.
Set annual revenue goals and performance benchmarks for each team within the Development pillar, in close partnership with the CDO.
Lead the development team’s contribution to NCOA’s FY27 non-federal revenue target and the longer-term goal of tripling non-federal revenue by FY29, while ensuring strong strategic oversight of federal funding performance and continuity.
Directly supervise the Director, Corporate Partnerships (2); Director, Philanthropic Partnerships; Manager, Federal Funding; Director, Salesforce Admin & Development Operations; and Director, Individual & Planned Giving.
Advance a team culture defined by bold ambition, accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement across all fundraising channels.
Lead the recruitment, onboarding, and development of development team members in partnership with People Operations, with a particular focus on building strong channel leaders rather than individual contributors reporting directly to this role.
Provide strategic oversight of NCOA’s federal funding portfolio, working closely with the Manager, Federal Funding to safeguard and strengthen relationships with federal agencies, including ACL, CMS, and DOL.
Ensure federal grant performance, compliance, and reporting are tracked effectively and that risks to existing federal funding are flagged and addressed proactively.
Support the Manager, Federal Funding in identifying new federal funding opportunities and in coordinating federal funding strategy with the organization’s broader revenue diversification goals, ensuring federal and non-federal strategies are complementary rather than siloed.
Provide strategic oversight of NCOA’s corporate partnerships portfolio, working closely with the two Directors of Corporate Partnerships to shape strategy for expanding cause-marketing relationships, sponsorships, and corporate philanthropy.
Serve as an escalation point and strategic advisor for significant corporate partnership decisions, without holding primary day-to-day relationship ownership for individual corporate accounts.
Oversee private foundation fundraising strategy, ensuring the Director, Private Foundations builds a robust pipeline, strong proposal practices, and high-touch stewardship of existing foundation relationships.
Support strategic growth of NCOA’s foundation portfolio with a focus on health equity, economic security, and aging policy funders, through coaching and strategic guidance to the Director, Private Foundations.
Provide strategic direction to the Director, Individual & Planned Giving, ensuring annual and major gift programs are growing and that planned giving is being actively cultivated as a long-term revenue channel.
Partner with the Director, Salesforce Admin & Development Operations to ensure CRM integrity, pipeline reporting, and operational systems support the team’s revenue goals across all channels, federal and non-federal alike.
Champion a data-driven approach to prospect management, stewardship, and performance reporting across the development function.
Serve as a senior liaison between the Development pillar and the Brand, Marketing & Revenue pillar, ensuring that storytelling, messaging, and digital strategy are aligned with fundraising priorities.
Participate actively in Advancement Leadership Team meetings and contribute to division-wide planning.