Location: Houston
Employment Type: Full-time, Non-Exempt (or Exempt, depending on structure)
Reports to: Senior Director of Development

Mission

Genesys Works is a nonprofit organization that trains and employs high school seniors to perform professional services for major corporations. Our mission is to provide pathways to career success for high school students in underserved communities through skills training, meaningful internships, and impactful relationships.

Position Summary

Reporting to the Senior Director of Development, the Director of Development will lead execution of defined revenue streams within the annual Development Plan and hold direct accountability for contributed revenue growth. This role owns individual giving strategy (annual and lower to mid-level), institutional grant execution, and community-driven pipeline expansion The Director will translate organizational strategy into revenue action, strengthen donor systems, and build sustainable funding relationships that advance long-term financial resilience. The position is expected to operate with increasing autonomy, strategic ownership, and portfolio growth tied to performance and organizational needs.

Primary Responsibilities

Individual Giving & Donor Management

• Own and manage a portfolio of individual donors and prospects capacity up to $10,000.
• Develop and execute cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies to increase donor retention and annual giving.
• Identify and qualify new prospects through community engagement and referral networks.
• Maintain accurate forecasting, donor engagement, and pipeline reporting within CRM systems to reach revenue goals.
• Increase donor retention, upgrade rates, and new donor acquisition.

Community Engagement & External Relations

• Lead community engagement initiatives to increase organizational visibility and philanthropic investment.
• Represent the organization externally with executive presence and clarity of impact narrative
• Cultivate relationships with local businesses, community leaders, and mission-aligned partners to expand giving pipelines.
• Support development of alumni engagement strategies for high school and college program participants.
• Build pathways from community engagement to sustained giving.

Grant Writing & Institutional Funding Strategy

• Lead foundation and corporate grant proposal development from concept through submission.
• Manage grant reporting requirements and maintain compliance with funder expectations.
• Research prospective funding opportunities and maintain an active grants calendar.
• Assist in developing compelling case statements and impact documentation.
• Partner with program and finance teams to develop compelling, data-driven proposals.

Program Development & Alumni Engagement

• Collaborate with program leadership to align fundraising strategies with program growth initiatives.
• Support development of program-based funding proposals and new initiative concepts.
• Assist in strengthening alumni engagement strategies for high school seniors and college participants to cultivate long-term donor and ambassador pipelines.

Strategic Growth & Collaboration

• Support implementation of annual development strategy in partnership with the Senior Director of Development.
• Collaborate with marketing to align fundraising campaigns, storytelling, and community outreach.
• Monitor fundraising metrics and contribute to long-term revenue growth planning.
• Contribute to strengthening overall development systems and processes.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Partner with marketing to align messaging, storytelling, and campaign strategy.
• Collaborate with program leadership to align funding priorities with growth initiatives.
• Support cultivation of alumni and emerging professional networks as future donor pipelines.

Performance Expectations

The Director of Development will be evaluated on the following outcomes:

1. Revenue Ownership

• Achieve or exceed assigned annual contributed revenue goal.
• Maintain accurate quarterly revenue forecasting within +/-10 percent variance.
• Demonstrate growth across individual, institutional, and community revenue streams.

2. Individual Giving Growth

• Increase donor retention rate year over year.
• Achieve measurable growth in donor upgrades and average gift size.
• Expand the mid-level donor portfolio with defined new donor acquisition targets.
• Maintain disciplined donor cycle management with documented cultivation plans for priority prospects.

3. Institutional Funding Expansion

• Submit high-quality, on-time grant proposals aligned to strategic priorities.
• Increase the number and value of active institutional prospects in the pipeline.
• Strengthen multi-year funding commitments where possible.
• Ensure compliance with reporting requirements.

4. Community Revenue Development

• Convert community engagement activities into measurable funding opportunities.
• Increase qualified prospects sourced from events, partnerships, and referral networks.
• Demonstrate clear pipeline movement from engagement to solicitation.

5. Systems & Strategic Contribution

• Improve data integrity and pipeline tracking within CRM.
• Contribute to quarterly revenue strategy reviews and adjustments.
• Support long-term revenue diversification aligned to organizational goals.

Core Competencies

• Revenue growth orientation
• Strategic execution and accountability
• Executive presence and external representation
• Relationship cultivation and influence
• Cross-functional collaboration
• Data-informed decision making

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred.
• Minimum 5 years of professional experience, including leading initiatives requiring securing external funding, sponsorships, or philanthropic investment.
• Proven experience managing donor relationships and advancing prospects through the donor cycle.
• Experience in program development and aligning fundraising strategies with programmatic growth.
• Experience engaging high school and/or college student populations, alumni, or educational programs preferred.
• Demonstrated success in community engagement and relationship building.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with grant writing proficiency.
• Experience working with CRM systems and donor databases.
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced environment.
• High level of integrity, professionalism, and commitment to mission-driven work.

Our Commitment to People

Genesys Works is an equal opportunity employer who is committed to fostering an equitable, inclusive, and respectful workplace where all individuals feel valued and empowered. It starts with our talented candidates. We celebrate diversity in all its forms and seek to recruit, support, and retain talent that reflects the culturally diverse communities we serve. Discrimination or harassment of any kind has no place here.