Director, Development

Location: Remote + national travel as needed

EmploymentType: Full-time, exempt/nonexempt

Salary Range: $118,200 - $130,020

Benefits: High-quality health, dental and disability insurance, paid vacation, employer-matched retirement plan

The Organization

At Thrive Scholars, we provide high-achieving students from under-resourced communities the opportunities they need to thrive at top colleges and in meaningful careers.

Our comprehensive and data-drivenprogram model focuses on the key inflection points that can be the difference between graduating from any college and graduating from a top college with the grades, degree, career skills, and network needed to thrive in any career. Thrive Scholars originated in Los Angeles as South Central Scholars (“SCS”) twenty years ago. Over this time, the organization has refined its program model and, in the last five years, has focused on expanding nationally; reaching more high-achieving students from under-resourced communities, growing the number of Scholars we serve; and deepening our program impact. Thrive Scholars has begun to grow its footprint with new summer program offerings in three additional cities. The organization has approximately 75 year-round employees and close to 200 summer employees.

The Opportunity

We are seeking a dynamic, collaborative, and strategic Director of Development to help lead and strengthen our national fundraising engine. This role plays a key part in coordinating day-to-day Development operations, advancing organizational fundraising strategies, and supporting high-level donor engagement across the country.

The Director of Development will work closely with the Chief Development Officer to ensure all aspects of our revenue work—from corporate partnerships and foundations to regional fundraising, major gifts, and donor stewardship—are aligned, connected, and moving forward. This leader will also manage a targeted portfolio of major donors and support Development-related board engagement at the national level.

This is an ideal role for someone who loves both strategy and execution, thrives in a fast-paced environment, and enjoys strengthening systems, coaching teams, and building relationships that fuel organizational excellence.

Key Responsibilities

Division Leadership & Coordination

• Support division-wide fundraising strategy, planning, and priority-setting.
• Lead coordination of Development operations—including workflows, systems, accountability structures, and team communication.

Operational & Systems Oversight

• Strengthen Salesforce discipline, reporting, donor data quality, stewardship systems and data transparency.
• Refine fundraising processes across regions and revenue channels.
• Partner with Finance on reconciliation, revenue pacing, and forecasting.

Board Engagement Support

• Support national Board Development initiatives, including meeting preparation, cultivation plans, and donor engagement follow-through.

Major Gifts & Donor Engagement

• Manage a portfolio of major donors and prospects, including individuals, HNWIs, and board-aligned relationships.
• Support and lead high-level donor strategies and solicitations.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Corporate Partnerships, Foundations, Communications, Program, and Regional teams to ensure unified messaging and strong donor experiences.
• Support major campaigns, national events, and year-end fundraising initiatives.

Qualifications and Experience:

There are innumerable ways to learn, grow and excel professionally. We respect this when we review applications and take a broad look at the experience of each applicant. The qualifications and experiences listed below are intended as a guide; we do not expect candidates to check every box. If you believe you can meet the expectations and responsibilities of this position, we want to get to know you and the unique strengths you will bring to the work. Other job duties within the general scope of the role may be assigned.

• 10+ years in fundraising, revenue generation, or comparable experience.
• Experience managing or coaching staff.
• Knowledge of Salesforce or similar CRM systems.
• Experience working with major donors and/or boards.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to synthesize and articulate compelling narratives.
• Demonstrated experience in fundraising, donor strategy, or development operations.
• Strong project management skills with the ability to implement systems, processes, and workflows.
• Comfortable managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Background in education, college access, or workforce development is a plus.

Compensation and Benefits:

Thrive Scholars offers a competitive compensation and benefits package including high-quality health, dental, and disability insurance, over three weeks of paid vacation (over four weeks after two years of employment), and access to an employer-matched retirement plan. This is a full-time, exempt position.

Travel Expectations: Some national travel as needed.

Equal Employment Opportunities

Thrive Scholars provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, sexual orientation, age, disability, or veteran status. We strongly encourage people of all backgrounds to apply.

For more information, please visit thrivescholars.org