Development Director II

Director II, Development
Any CEO Office Location
Hybrid

Anticipated deadline to submit application: November 25, 2025 before 5 pm PST. Position may close early if application limit is met. Apply promptly for full consideration.

The Opportunity

The Development Director serves as a senior leader directing philanthropic fundraising efforts across all CEO program sites nationwide. While this position will directly manage relationships with key funders, its primary responsibility is to  strengthen the infrastructure, strategies, and team needed to sustain and grow the organization’s philanthropic revenue—currently at $30 million annually—through foundation, corporate, and individual giving. This represents a critical, flexible funding stream for CEO, complementing the organization’s earned revenue streams through its social enterprise and government funding for vocational services. 

The Director leads a high-performing, geographically dispersed development team and oversees all aspects of donor cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship. Key areas of leadership include advancing donor engagement and communications, building efficient and effective fundraising systems and processes, expanding the pipeline of institutional and individual prospects, and overseeing all grant writing across the organization. Working under the Chief Strategy Officer and in close partnership with the executive team and Board of Directors, the Director ensures CEO is well-positioned to meet ambitious fundraising goals that advance the organization’s mission and long-term impact.

As part of our mission, we strongly encourage individuals who have lived experience of incarceration or involvement in the justice system to apply for this role.

Who We Are

The Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) provides employment services to people recently released from incarceration. Across the United States, 8,000-9,000 people participate in CEO each year, transitioning to employment that supports themselves, their families, and their communities.

What began as a demonstration project of the Vera Institute of Justice in the 1970s to address employment barriers facing the formerly incarcerated following release in New York City has grown into the leading reentry employment organization in the country, where over 30,000 formerly incarcerated individuals have secured full-time employment since 1996.

Who You Are

• You have at least 8+ years of progressively responsible fundraising and development experience, with at least:
  • 5+ years in management/leadership roles (managing/leading teams, overseeing multi-million-dollar portfolios, shaping strategy).
  • Direct experience securing six- and seven-figure institutional gifts (both foundations and corporate).
  • Proven track record in national or multi-site nonprofits is strongly preferred.
• You are fluent in use of Google Workspace and project management tools (Monday.com preferred)
• You have the proficiency or experience using data and/or donor management platforms such as Salesforce 
• You are familiar and have comfort with exploring emerging suite of technology tools, including AI, for fundraising purposes 
• You have demonstrated ability to set ambitious fundraising goals, translate them into actionable plans, and hold self and team members accountable for meeting and exceeding targets
• You are skilled at using performance metrics to monitor progress, provide feedback, and ensure consistent, measurable results across a geographically dispersed team
• You have outstanding organizational and follow-up skills, with the capacity to manage multiple priorities and complex projects on deadline, ensuring the team stays on track and consistently delivers high-quality work that advances fundraising objectives
• You have a proven track record as a collaborative partner who builds the capacity of staff and colleagues to cultivate new and existing funding streams, and can support the professional growth of team members while ensuring accountability to outcomes
• You are diligent and detail-oriented, with the ability to leverage data, performance management systems, and technology tools to design and implement efficient processes
• You are skilled at identifying opportunities to improve productivity, streamline workflows, and enhance decision-making across
• You have exceptional writing and communication skills, capable of translating CEO’s mission, values, and impact into compelling narratives for diverse audiences
• You are an experienced manager with a record of hiring, onboarding, coaching, and developing diverse teams through values of inclusion and equity. 
• You are skilled at working across departments to solve problems, align strategies, and improve organizational workflows that strengthen fundraising outcomes..     

What You’ll Be Responsible For

Key responsibilities of the Director II, Development include but are not limited to:

Fundraising Strategy

• Partner with senior leadership across the Fund Development and Policy and Business Development teams to design and implement a comprehensive philanthropic fundraising strategy, encompassing institutional and individual giving with both national and site-specific objectives, ensuring alignment with CEO’s strategic plan and organizational budget needs.
• Lead the development of compelling cases for support/pitches that align with CEO’s workstreams and the evolving policy and political landscape. 
• Lead the development and execution of prospecting strategies that identify, cultivate, and secure new funders.
• Collaborate with the Chief Strategy Officer and Executive Vice President to drive significant major gifts pipeline growth.
• Lead the development and execution of donor stewardship strategies to cultivate, retain, and grow support.

Donor Engagement

• Manage relationships with key funders, including overseeing deliverables and stewarding high-value partnerships ($250,000+).
• Serve as an organizational representative in external engagements such as funder meetings, conferences, and site visits, effectively communicating CEO’s mission and impact.

Fund Development Processes and Systems

• Oversee accurate, timely tracking and reporting of the fund development pipeline, outcomes, and projections.
• Ensure all proposals, reports, and funder communications are of the highest quality, error-free, and submitted on time.
• Ensure the team maintains a central knowledge management platform and content library that enables consistent, efficient fundraising across CEO’s systems.
• Review and analyze budgets and financial reports, ensuring proposals and reports align with funder expectations and organizational priorities.

Team Management and Support

• Manage and coach a high-performing team (direct and indirect), ensuring strong execution of grant research, proposal development, funder outreach, and reporting.
• Partner with Investment team leadership to ensure alignment with overall revenue strategy for CEO.
• Provide training, professional development, and mentorship to staff, fostering a culture of excellence, collaboration, and accountability.
• Take on other strategic development and business development projects as assigned by the Chief Strategy Officer and executive leadership.
• Advance organizational learning by designing and facilitating knowledge-sharing opportunities (e.g., webinars, coaching, toolkits) on prospecting, proposal development, stewardship, and best practices in site-level fundraising.

Compensation and Benefits  

We offer a comprehensive compensation and benefits package that reflects how much we value our people. Our benefits include medical, dental, and vision coverage with competitive contributions, health reimbursement and flexible spending accounts, and paid parental leave to support families. We invest in your future with a retirement plan that includes employer contributions, along with free financial wellness coaching and resources for mental health and wellbeing through our Employee Assistance Program. 

We also recognize the importance of balance and rest. That’s why we provide a robust paid time off package — including 20 vacation days, 12 sick days, 12 paid holidays, 2 personal days, and 1 floating holiday.

Beyond benefits, CEO fosters a culture of learning, connection, and teamwork. From our affinity group program and lunch-and-learns and team outings, we create opportunities to grow, share, and build community together.

This is an exempt position with a tiered compensation system designed to ensure fairness, market alignment, and equity across our geographical territories. CEO’s salary structure consists of multiple tiers, with ranges determined based on the cost of labor in specific markets.

For this role, the salary range falls within the overall range $115,000 to $152,000. CEO’s current salary tiers are structured as follows:

• Tier 1: $138,000 - $152,000
  
• Tier 2: $126,500 - $139,000
• Tier 3+: $117,900 - $129,675
• Tier 3: $115,000 - $126,500

CEO’s pay philosophy is centered on experience and internal equity, meaning that individuals with less experience typically start at the lower end of the entry salary ranges above. Higher salary placement is usually reflective of the additional comparable experience, expertise, skills, and contributions employees bring from similar roles. This approach ensures compensation aligns with an employee's background while providing room for growth within the salary range.

More About Us

Center for Employment Opportunities believes that everyone deserves the chance to shape a stronger future for themselves, their families, and their communities. People who are justice involved are highly encouraged to apply for vacant positions at all levels. CEO is committed to the CROWN Act, and creating an open space where our employees can present as their true authentic selves.

All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without unlawful discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, gender, gender identity, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military status, prior record of arrest or conviction, citizenship status, current employment status, caregiver status, or any other category protected by federal, state, or local law. We value diverse experiences, including with regard to educational background and justice system contact.

Please note that due to the volume of resumes received, we are unable to contact each applicant regarding the status of each position or reply to candidates' inquiries via phone or email.