Director, Major Gifts (Relocation Assistance Available!)

Classification:

Exempt

Job Family:

Operations

Reports to:

Vice President External Relations

Job Description Summary:

OVERALL RESPONSIBILITIES

Execute Whitehead Institute’s individual giving program, including major gifts and annual/mid-level giving, with responsibility for managing direct reports, overseeing performance management, and developing a high-performing fundraising team. Focuses on revenue strategy, managing gift officer performance, maintaining disciplined portfolios, and driving measurable growth in individual philanthropy.

Maintain a personal portfolio of major gift prospects and ensure consistent cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship practices across the team. Partner closely with Advancement leadership to ensure coordinated, data-informed fundraising aligned with institutional priorities.

In partnership with the Vice President, External Relations, and Advancement leadership, contribute to the development of integrated, institution-wide individual giving strategies. Strategy development is collaborative across the Advancement team; help shape and lead implementation of individual giving priorities aligned with institutional goals.

CHARACTERISTIC DUTIES

Major Gift Program Management

• Manage a personal portfolio of major gift prospects.

• Oversee full lifecycle (qualification through stewardship) strategies across portfolio.

• Manage execution of portfolio size, contact frequency, and pipeline movement.

• Conduct/participate in regular portfolio reviews and support moves management discipline.

• Support gift officers in donor strategy development, preparation, and execution aligned with institutional priorities.

Annual & Mid-Level Giving Strategy

• Oversee implementation of annual and mid-level giving revenue strategy, including, retention and upgrade efforts, reactivation campaigns, and segmentation priorities.

• Set annual revenue targets and track performance against goals.

• Partner with Advancement leadership on appeal strategy, messaging, segmentation, deployment, and reporting, ensuring alignment with institutional goals.

Revenue Planning & Performance Management

• Track monthly and quarterly revenue performance.

• Maintain accurate forecasting.

• Develop annual revenue projections for individual giving.

• Work with Operations to monitor and report on pipeline health, closed gifts, and retention and upgrade rates.

• Ensure data accuracy and forecasting discipline in partnership with Operations & Analytics.

Team Leadership & Development

• Provide strategic leadership to staff supporting major gift, annual, and mid-level giving programs, including oversight of direct reports.

• Drive a high-performance culture through clear goal-setting, metrics, and accountability standards.

• Lead, coach, and develop staff in donor strategy, portfolio management, and long-term professional growth.

• Oversee performance management, including conducting evaluations, delivering actionable feedback, and supporting career development.

• Foster a collaborative, inclusive, and results-oriented team environment aligned with organizational priorities.                    

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Institutional Narrative and Foundation Relations to ensure aligned messaging and funding priorities.

• Coordinate with Constituent Engagement and Advancement Operations to support cultivation and stewardship efforts, and ensure accurate portfolios and reporting.

• Contribute to advancement-wide planning and reinforce a coordinated, non-siloed approach across teams.

Other duties, as assigned.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree required.

• 10+ years of progressive fundraising experience.

• Demonstrated success in securing significant (six-figure+) gifts.

• Strong organizational and execution skills.

• Clear communicator with strong interpersonal skills.

• Ability to collaborate effectively across communications, operations, and leadership teams.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience in annual and mid-level giving programs

• Experience managing fundraising staff.

• Experience in higher education, biomedical research, or similarly complex nonprofit environments.

• Experience working within CRM-driven portfolio management systems.

Whitehead provides pay ranges representing its good faith estimate of what the Institute reasonably expects to pay for a position at the time of posting. The pay offered to a selected candidate during hiring will be based on factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate's work experience and education/training, and internal peer equity. This pay range represents base pay only and does not include any other benefits or compensation.

• Pay Range Minimum: 120,000

• Pay Range Maximum: 150,000

Whitehead Institute is an E-Verify employer

https://e-verify.uscis.gov/web/media/resourcesContents/E-Verify_Participation_Poster_ES.pdf