Senior Director of Development

Breakthrough Central Texas • Austin, TX

6d • $94,000 - $120,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Director of Development is a senior leader on the Development & Communications team, responsible for the strategic direction and execution of Breakthrough’s individual and foundation giving programs, including annual appeals, major gifts, giving communities, grant programs, fundraising events, and development operations. As a result, the Senior Director plays a critical role in the growth and sustainability of Breakthrough’s philanthropic programs, in delivering meaningful year-round giving and engagement opportunities, and in building operational infrastructure for a high-functioning development team. Reporting to the Chief Development & Communications Officer (CDCO), this role oversees a talented team and collaborates closely with fellow department and organizational leadership, board members, and volunteers to collectively raise $12M in total annual revenue, with anticipated growth to $15M in the next 3-4 years, and support the successful completion of the $30M Pathways to Opportunity Campaign, now in its public phase.

Requirements

• Fundraising Experience: extensive direct fundraising experience (minimum 10 years), including annual giving campaigns and fundraising events (required), grants management (required), major gifts (required), multi-million dollar campaigns (preferred), and planned giving (preferred).
• Annual Giving Expertise: Demonstrated skill in developing compelling, multi-channel annual giving campaigns, activating giving circles and peer-to-peer fundraising, designing inclusive, mission-forward cultivation and fundraising events, and managing donor pipeline.
• Grant Writing Expertise: Demonstrated skill in case development, writing successful grant proposals and reports, and management of the grants process.
• Major Gifts Expertise: Demonstrated skill in developing and following through on strategies to engage prospective and current donors in the cycle of cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Relationship Building & Activating Others: Emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills to connect authentically with people in one-on-one and meeting/group settings, identify donor motivations, cultivate trust, and motivate internal and external stakeholders to take action.
• Supervision & Talent Development: Demonstrated experience building and leading teams, providing coaching, effective feedback and training, and supporting direct reports to set priorities, build skills, meet goals, and grow toward professional aims.
• Knowledge of Philanthropy Trends: Strong understanding of current trends and best practices in charitable giving and community-centric fundraising; familiarity with the Central Texas philanthropic landscape preferred.
• Student-Centered Impact Orientation: Commitment to aligning fundraising strategy with measurable outcomes that support student success.
• Inclusive Communication: Ability to craft clear, compelling messages (written and spoken) that communicate Breakthrough’s mission, programs, theory of change, and strategic priorities with strength-based framing and cultural humility.
• Strategic Thinking & Managing Complexity: Sound judgment, adaptability, and a bias toward action in ambiguous situations.
• Continuous Learning & Collaboration: Growth mindset, openness to feedback, and ability to work effectively within and across teams to achieve shared goals, with an awareness of positional power and lived experience.
• Operational Excellence: Strong organizational and project management skills, meticulous attention to detail, follow-through, and resourcefulness in prioritizing time and leveraging networks for impact.
• Tech-Savvy and Adaptable: Proficient with donor databases (Virtuous preferred), prospect research tools, Microsoft Office and Google Workspace; comfortable learning and adopting new technologies to enhance efficiency and donor engagement.

Nice To Haves

• Fundraising Experience: extensive direct fundraising experience (minimum 10 years), including annual giving campaigns and fundraising events (required), grants management (required), major gifts (required), multi-million dollar campaigns (preferred), and planned giving (preferred).

Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership of Individual Giving
• Committee & Volunteer Management
• Events & Donor Engagement
• Strategic Leadership of Foundation Giving
• Development Operations, Data, & Reporting
• Team Leadership & Development

Benefits

• Health, dental and vision insurance; Breakthrough pays 100% of employee only premiums
• Life insurance
• Matching 401K retirement plan
• Thirty days of annualized PTO
• Generous leave policy

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: No Education Listed