Enroll your child for 2023–24. Learn more!

Managing Director of Development

Position Details

  • Job Title: Managing Director of Development
  • Department: Network
  • Job Category: Shared Services

HARLEM VILLAGE ACADEMIES

Harlem Village Academies is a community of educators working to build an urban PreK-12 school model based on the principles of progressive education. Located in Harlem, HVA is also the demonstration site for the Progressive Education Institute. Harlem Village Academies (HVA) is widely recognized as a leader at the forefront of public education, featuring Montessori PreK, accelerated math, and the International Baccalaureate.

RESPONSIBILITIES

As the Managing Director of Development, you will:

Leadership and Strategy

  • Develop and execute plans that include strategies and tactics to significantly increase philanthropic support, with a particular focus on major gifts from individuals

  • Develop and implement an overall strategic plan for events, including HVA’s annual benefit event, to enhance HVA’s profile and support constituency engagement. Identify event leadership and honorees as appropriate. Maximize events and the guest experience so they are highly valued by participants, are cost effective, and appropriately relate to donor discovery and/or major and principal gift strategies

  • Ensure that sound processes and data-informed decision-making guide the work of the development team, incorporating industry best practices and an ethos of continuous improvement

  • In strategic partnership with the CEO and the Board Chair, create engagement and stewardship opportunities for Board members, educate members about their role in advancing a culture of philanthropy, cultivate and solicit members’ financial support, and leverage their respective networks to expand the donor base

Prospect Development, Donor Relations, and Stewardship

  • In collaboration with the development team, lead public awareness and high-level donor cultivation and solicitation opportunities that involve the CEO, senior HVA administrators, Board of Directors, and other volunteer leaders. Manage connections between prospective and current donors and these leaders. Ensure the preparation of strategic communications, reports, briefings, and other materials as necessary. Exercise sound judgment and efficiently communicate prospect strategies when involving senior stakeholders

  • Manage a personal portfolio of HVA’s highest-level/most-promising major and principal gift prospects and donors, moving them through the stages of cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship

  • Ensure ongoing discovery of new major and principal gift prospects, as well as examination of existing donors that may have greater capacity. Maintain current knowledge of important developments across regional and national funding environments as they relate to HVA and its programs

  • In collaboration with HVA marketing and communications colleagues, develop marketing and communications to increase awareness of HVA's impact and to support fundraising efforts, including utilizing digital platforms and social media. Ensure integrated, consistent strategies for public-facing initiatives

  • Ensure comprehensive, timely, and innovative stewardship of donors, coordinating with colleagues throughout HVA and/or personally stewarding donors as needed

Team Management and Development

  • Oversee the hiring, management, mentoring, training, and evaluation of an experienced, talented, and highly professional development team. Utilize appropriate metrics on a team and individual basis to ensure accountability and results. Serve as a motivating leader and team‐builder, while also providing opportunities for staff to increase and enhance their skills. Foster an environment that promotes open communication and collaboration, rewards innovation and entrepreneurial activity, and encourages taking calculated risks

  • Ensure the optimization of systems, processes, communications, and other infrastructure essential for the successful conduct of development programs, including the appropriate integration of technologies that can streamline operational processes

  • Oversee the development team’s budget, ensuring sound fiscal management and efficient allocation of resources

  • Analyze development activities and benchmark with peer institutions to ensure HVA is on track and employing best practices

Other

  • Prepare regular reports regarding development activities and progress for the CEO, Board of Directors, and as appropriate, for broader distribution across HVA

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCES

  • Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred

  • Minimum of seven years of experience in progressively responsible development leadership positions, with demonstrated success in major gifts fundraising, including identification, cultivation, and solicitation. A history of securing six and seven-figure gifts or more

  • Demonstrated ability to provide strategic and operational management, including creating and managing a budget. A track record of increasing the effectiveness of a development program and staff through established objectives and performance standards

  • Strength in developing the case for support and strategic, complex, and innovative fundraising plans, and executing against those plans to achieve goals and objectives. Experience working directly with the most senior levels of an organization and the ability to effectively engage and strategize with various stakeholders. Demonstrated ability to translate concepts into multi-stakeholder initiatives

  • Experience identifying, inspiring, nurturing, and motivating board members and other volunteer leaders, and a sophisticated understanding of their role in building an effective philanthropic network

  • Demonstrated ability in planning and executing strategic communications to complement philanthropic initiatives and achieve goals. Experience identifying and coaching project spokespeople. A functional understanding of how to effectively leverage various communication mediums and distribution channels to support philanthropic initiatives

  • Highly developed skills in organizational efficiency and project leadership, including demonstrated accomplishments while working with cross-functional teams. Skill at goal setting and measuring success, and agility in developing alternate program directions to meet goals when necessary

  • Working knowledge of sophisticated, integrated information systems and the ability to extract and analyze data to make effective, efficient decisions about prospect/constituency engagement strategy

  • Exemplary attention to detail and organizational skills, with the ability to effectively implement and complete projects on a timely basis and to manage multiple priorities. A self-starter who is entrepreneurial and possesses a sense of urgency, clear set of priorities, strong work ethic, a flexible and adaptable style, and the ability to adeptly navigate a high-expectation environment

ADDITIONAL PERSONAL QUALITIES & COMPETENCIES

  • Passion for and ability to articulate the mission of Harlem Village Academies and the value of progressive education

  • Values-driven, self-confident, self-aware, and committed to personal and professional development. Must elevate institutional goals and values beyond personal gain, recognizing when collaboration or complementing oneself with others is in the best interest of achieving desired outcomes

  • Unimpeachable integrity and trustworthiness; mature judgment in handling sensitive and confidential information

  • A penchant for diplomacy and the ability to work collaboratively with colleagues across functional areas and strategic priorities, while demonstrating respect for differences and cultural sensitivity. Must be a team builder who embraces the ethos of servant leadership and is also comfortable leading change and inspiring achievement of goals

  • Intellectually sharp and highly analytical

  • Exhibits a polished, professional demeanor. Excellent written, verbal, public speaking, and negotiating skills, including the presence and ability to interact and influence at all levels of an organization and with high-net-worth individuals. A communication style that is open, cordial, and persuasive

  • A bias for optimism and creativity, a good-natured sense of humor, and a high energy level

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

The salary range for this position is $100,000-$135,000, and is commensurate with experience and qualifications. Final salary may be adjusted based on experience and qualifications. HVA is committed to providing our team with a range of benefit offerings at a competitive value.

ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE

All team members are passionately and deeply committed to the mission, vision, and values of Harlem Village Academies; have a positive and professional attitude; exhibit a very strong work ethic; and possess an inner drive for personal and professional excellence. The ideal candidate will thrive working within an entrepreneurial and results-driven environment.

Harlem Village Academies is an Equal Opportunity Employer and committed to diversity among our staff. Applicants of diverse backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply.

Apply Now

*required

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305
Page 1 of 1
OMB Control Number 1250-0005
Expires 04/30/2026

Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
  • Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
  • Blind or low vision
  • Cancer (past or present)
  • Cardiovascular or heart disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
  • Diabetes
  • Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
  • Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
  • Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
  • Intellectual or developmental disability
  • Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
  • Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
  • Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
  • Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
  • Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
  • Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
  • Short stature (dwarfism)
  • Traumatic brain injury

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Voluntary Self-Identification


For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in Harlem Village Academies’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.