Logo
Braven

Associate Director, Development

Braven, Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60290

Save Job

Overview Job Title : Associate Director, Development (Regional Portfolio)

Team : External Affairs

Location : Hybrid in Chicago (IL)

Employment Type : Full-time

Start Date : ASAP

About Braven Braven is a national nonprofit that prepares promising college students to secure a strong first opportunity after college graduation through a career-accelerating program. We work with higher education and employer partners to offer a life-changing experience that begins with a semester-long course for college students, followed by support that lasts through graduation. Together, our ambition is to help rebuild the middle class and revitalize the American Dream. To learn more, take a look at Braven's Jobs Report.

About The Role

To achieve its ambition of serving 80,000-100,000 Fellows over the next decade, Braven is hiring an Associate Director, Development (Regional Portfolio) who will drive the strategy for how the national team supports regions in their development goals, and be a key strategic partner and project manager to Braven's regional teams. As a member of the External Affairs Development Team, you will be a key leader in helping the organization raise approximately $100 million over the next three years. You will also own the creation and standardization of systems and processes that enable the development team to manage the full donor pipeline with clarity, including driving the project management of our grant writing process to ensure it is streamlined, repeatable, and efficient while setting the strategy and creating the collateral necessary to achieve fundraising goals. This role is on the External Affairs team and reports directly to the Senior Director, Development.

What You'll Do You will own the strategy and execution of supporting Braven's regional teams to meet their annual fundraising goals. This role includes the following responsibilities:

Regional Fundraising Strategy & Execution (65%)

Drive and own the strategy for regional fundraising over the next three years to raise $20M in philanthropic gifts annually. This includes creating cross-cutting strategies, defining required best practices, and leading annual planning processes. You'll partner with regional teams to develop and activate their annual revenue strategy.

Deeply understand the regional donor ecosystem, the funding landscape, and serve as a strategic thought partner to the regional Executive Directors and External Affairs Directors.

Strategize with regional teams on how to engage donors through the Moves Management stages and project-manage the execution of next steps.

Partner with the Executive Director and External Affairs Directors to identify, vet, and cultivate new prospects in the region.

Track regional revenue progress to goal and the overall weighted pipeline.

Collaborate with External Affairs Directors to project manage the implementation of quarterly action plans, adjusting as needed to ensure fundraising goals are met.

Review grant applications and report drafts, providing feedback to regional teams and the grant writing team to ensure timely submission of high-quality narratives and data.

Attend weekly regional meetings to provide strategic guidance and ensure regions have support to align with national fundraising goals.

Regional Development Operations & Donor Stewardship (30%)

Lead the creation of strong, standardized systems for donor stewardship to ensure regional teams share compelling, up-to-date stories with regional funders.

Collaborate with the Senior Director of Development and central teams (Data, Finance, Product, Systems) to ensure timely and relevant inputs for grants and donor communications.

Craft and standardize annual regional donor narratives aligned to Braven's strategic direction and the direction of each region.

Develop high-quality, standardized collateral with Communications and Marketing (funders decks, regional grants, and reports) for regional teams.

Maintain efficient systems by keeping activities, campaigns, opportunities, and account information up to date in Salesforce and other platforms, ensuring your portfolio of regional teams meets fundraising goals.

Implement stewardship strategies to acknowledge donations in a timely and thoughtful manner.

Strategic External Stakeholder Management (5%)

This role is primarily internal-facing but will involve leadership in external relationships, potentially engaging directly with funders and donors to build and maintain key partnerships.

Other duties as assigned.

Requirements Minimum Requirements

Bachelor's or equivalent degree

3 years of work experience

Preferred Qualifications

Thrives in ambiguity and enjoys collaborating deeply with diverse teams in a rapidly growing organization

Experience leading complex projects with stakeholders from multiple teams that led to significant outcomes

Strong analytical skills; ability to research and synthesize complex data into a compelling story

Expertise in Salesforce or other CRM platforms like iWave, with a track record of building and managing effective systems

Self-directed, results-oriented, data-driven, and curious

Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to craft compelling narratives and strategic documents

Attention to detail and strong customer-service orientation

Ability to learn quickly and manage large volumes of feedback

Commitment to equity and inclusion

Alignment with Braven's core values

Experience that informs your belief in Braven's mission and prepares you to work with Braven's student Fellow population

Please know that no one ever meets 100% of the preferred qualifications. If much of this describes you, we encourage you to apply.

Work Demands

Ability to work in-person in Chicago (IL) at least 3 days per week

Travel 4-8 times annually out of state for regional events

Occasional non-traditional hours (evenings or weekends) to meet deadlines

Additional Requirements

Authorized to work in the U.S.

Braven does not offer employment visa sponsorship

Application & Interview Process Phases may vary, but generally include:

Phone screen with Talent Team

Performance Task

Interview with Hiring Manager

Panel interview with key partners

Reference checks

Benefits Compensation and Benefits

Braven offers competitive base salaries based on market midpoints for nonprofits of similar size, with potential for growth. Salary offers are determined using benchmarking; Braven does not negotiate salaries. Starting salary ranges for this role are $76,000-$94,900, depending on geographic market. This is a full-time, exempt, benefits-eligible position at 100% capacity.

Benefits include:

Unlimited vacation plus holidays and a week-long shutdown in July and year-end (minimum 19 days/year)

401(k) match up to 5%

Health insurance premium coverage of 85% for employees and dependents

12 weeks of paid parental leave

One-month paid sabbatical after 4 years of service

Location Office in Chicago, IL with in-person requirement at least 3 days/week (Tue–Thu); remote work allowed 2 days/week. Applicants should reside within commuting distance of Chicago.

Braven is an equal opportunity employer and considers qualified applicants without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected factor. We encourage talented individuals of all backgrounds to apply.

Seniority level

Associate

Employment type

Full-time

Job function

Education

Industries

Non-profit Organizations

Primary and Secondary Education

Referrals increase your chances of interviewing at Braven by 2x

Note: Other job titles listed below are separate postings and not part of this description.

#J-18808-Ljbffr