Development Deputy Director
- Company
- Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ)
- Location
- United States
- Work type
- Full Time · Remote
- Posted
- 2026-09-10
Job description
Summary of Position:
The Deputy Development Director is responsible for leading SURJ’s Development Department’s Operations Team to have a high impact by bottom lining team management, grants management, staff supervision, planning processes, systems, cross-departmental coordination, data and reporting related to cash flow and financial impact.
A successful person in this role wants to be both a “team captain” and a detail oriented operations and finance manager, using what they know to support others to move money at scale into multiracial movements for justice. The Deputy Development Director is an excellent supervisor and project manager who ensures that the growing development team is coordinated, clear on division of labor and priorities, and able to work effectively at a high level. The Deputy Development Director will also maintain revenue projections, monthly fundraising cash flow updates, and serve as the direct liaison with Finance to ensure the organization stays in an informed financial position. This role will require close coordination with the Grants Manager and the ability to represent SURJ well in institutional funder spaces and with program officers of family foundations. This role may also hold an individual donor portfolio (totalling under $500,000).
This position will report to the Director of Development and Donor Organizing and will work closely with the Director of Development and Donor Organizing to develop the annual development plan and income projections, manage grant applications and reports, lead the creation of work plans and track progress to goals, and support staff in their fundraising work. The Deputy will hold primary responsibility for planning, “managing up and down” to maintain progress, and keeping the Development Ops Team members accountable for delivery on these core development functions. The Deputy Development Director will supervise three+ staff on the development team and will represent development on internal coordination teams at SURJ.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES — Essential duties and responsibilities may include, but are not limited to the following:
Priority 1: Supervision and Support of Development Team Staff (35%)
Supervise all members of the Development Operations (Dev Ops) Team consisting of the Development Data Finance Associate, the Development Team Admin, and Grants Manager, as well as a team of contract development support. This includes weekly supervision check ins as well as facilitation of Dev Ops Team meetings, and other meetings as needed.
Manage annual and quarterly work plans for the Dev Ops Team members of the Development Team and support each staff member in reaching their quarterly goals.
Design and lead two yearly Dev Ops Team in-person meetings to project plan, strategize, and generate quarterly goals.
Lead Dev Ops Team coordination and cohesion, including relaying key organizational information and playing a hands-on role with each team member as a thought partner in executing their work to a high standard.
Work with the Director of Development and Donor Organizing to bring the long term vision for development at SURJ into the day-to-day workflows of each member of the Development Ops Team.
Lead hiring and onboarding of new Dev Ops Team members, including building new workflows between team members as the team grows and shifts.
Priority 2: Internal Development Team Operations (20%)
Create structures to support collaboration between the Dev Ops Team and the rest of the Dev Team on grants and foundations, donor solicitation, and SURJ’s lists and communications.
Support the coordination of the annual grants and foundations calendar, in collaboration with the Team Admin, Grants and Foundations Manager, and the appropriate relationship managers of specific foundations and grants.
Implement day to day data and financial management. Supervise accurate data by working closely with the SURJ data team, the Development Data and Finance Manager, and each solicitor to ensure that data is tracked and all SURJ donor relationships are handled with care.
Work with the Director of Development and Donor Organizing to continue to uplevel data systems and reporting.
Support the quarterly review process of projections to actuals and manage each solicitor to ensure that all data is accurate moving into the subsequent quarter.
Support the scaling of all revenue streams to increase revenue and action from all SURJ donors
Priority 3: Cross Department Coordination (15%)
Serve as a point of contact with the leadership of other teams at SURJ, primarily the management staff of the communications, finance, and national organizing departments.
Serve as the main representative from development on mid-level cross team meetings, ensuring a level of coordination and trust across departments.
Assist in fundraising efforts as organizing across departments
Identify and strategize and uplevel reporting and tracking systems, and support increased organizational fundraising efforts outside of the development department
Priority 4: Grants Management and Fundraising (30%)
Maintain a select portfolio of high stakes SURJ donor relationships, with an annual fundraising portfolio to be set each fiscal year.
Ensure Grants Manager is tracking all deadlines for Reports and Proposals including internal deadlines for various stages of review taking into consideration folks’ existing calendar commitments and PTO
Ensure Grant Manager is coordinating with primary solicitors to ensure they have what they need to begin writing proposals and reports based on solicitation meetings and foundation priorities
Review outlines and first drafts for all proposal and reports, often offering significant edits to ensure content and tone are appropriate for the funder
Final reviewer for all grant reports and proposals for which the Grants Manager is the primary solicitor
Support Grants Manager in prospecting new foundations to pursue
Conducts regular portfolio reviews with Grants Manager to ensure they’re on track for their deliverables
Support Grants Manager in creating their annual workplan
Ensure Grants Manager is tracking data thoroughly in EveryAction and storing information and files in the shared drive
QUALIFICATIONS:
10+ years of experience supervising individuals and teams
5+ years demonstrated leadership in development and fundraising
Experience with CRM database systems, including Every Action and complex spreadsheets.
Experience working with and supervising a wide range of people, from volunteers to Board members to donors.
SURJ policy requires all employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, subject to reasonable accommodation under federal, state, and local law. Accommodations may be not possible for positions that require in-person contact with other staff or members of the public.
KNOWLEDGE:
Experience supporting people across a range of class identities in donor relationship-building and communication.
Experience with and commitment to SURJ's work, and a commitment to racial and economic justice.
Class consciousness and the ability to communicate clearly and respectfully with members, board and staff from diverse class backgrounds, communities, geographies and cultures.
SKILLS:
Ability to represent development and SURJ in internal and external meetings.
Excellent supervision skills, including the ability to both blend to a variety of work styles and create a cohesive work culture on a team.
Strategic and systems thinking.
Facilitation design and implementation across a range of needs, i.e. hosting a funder briefing or putting together a development team retreat.
Excellent relational and verbal communication skills.
Excellent time management skills and experience prioritizing tasks amidst competing demands.
Strong written communication skills.
Strong attention to detail.
Ability to be highly relational as well as hold people accountable and create a culture of compassion and rigor on a team.