Senior Director Strategic Philanthropy

Position Description

Position: Senior Director, Strategic Philanthropy

Employer: Vitamin Angels Alliance, Inc. (VA)

Department: Development

Location: Remote in the US - Eastern or Central Time Zone Preferred

Salary: $170,000-$190,000

Role or Purpose of Position

The Senior Director, Strategic Philanthropy will lead Vitamin Angels' fundraising from public foundations; global philanthropic alliances; and other institutional funders working in malnutrition; maternal, newborn, and child health; global public health; and adjacent areas aligned with Vitamin Angels 2030.

Reporting to the Chief Development Officer (CDO) and working in close partnership with the Programs Team, the Senior Director will serve as a player-manager with initial responsibility for building the Strategic Philanthropy function. They will personally lead the cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of high-value, high-potential, and strategically important funder relationships while establishing the strategies, systems, and internal partnerships necessary for long-term revenue growth.

The Senior Director will initially hire and manage one direct report and will build additional capacity as revenue and organizational needs warrant. They will work closely with the CDO to develop long-term fundraising and partnership strategies that maximize revenue, diversify Vitamin Angels' funding base, and position the organization's programs, evidence, and impact effectively within the philanthropic marketplace.

Major Duties and Responsibilities

Pipeline Development and Resource Generation

• Build and manage a portfolio of high-value prospects and funders, including foundations, global philanthropic alliances, and other institutional partners focused on malnutrition; maternal, newborn, and child health; global public health; and adjacent areas.
• Establish and achieve ambitious annual revenue goals in partnership with the CDO, with accountability for securing new funding, renewing existing commitments, and increasing funder investment.
• Lead the full fundraising cycle, including prospect identification, research, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, negotiation, award management, stewardship, and renewal.
• Personally cultivate, solicit, and steward high-priority funders, developing sophisticated, long-term partnerships that advance Vitamin Angels' strategic and programmatic objectives.
• Develop tailored engagement and solicitation strategies for priority prospects, ensuring that each opportunity has a clear strategy, owner, financial goal, next action, and timeline.
• Maintain accurate and timely prospect, pipeline, activity, relationship, and revenue information in Salesforce.
• Lead the development and submission of compelling proposals, concept notes, presentations, reports, and other funding communications in close partnership with Programs, Finance, and other internal stakeholders.
• Partner with Programs and Finance to develop realistic project scopes, budgets, deliverables, and reporting commitments that accurately reflect the full cost of Vitamin Angels' work.
• Oversee funder stewardship, reporting, and renewal strategies, ensuring that commitments are fulfilled and opportunities to renew, expand, and deepen support are identified.
• Provide the CDO with regular revenue forecasts, pipeline analysis, and assessments of emerging funding opportunities and potential risks.

Strategy and Organizational Leadership

• Serve as Vitamin Angels' internal expert on foundation and institutional philanthropy, advising leadership on funder priorities, philanthropic trends, and emerging opportunities.
• Translate Vitamin Angels' programmatic strategy, scientific evidence, and impact into compelling philanthropic investment opportunities.
• Monitor trends in global health and philanthropy and identify innovative opportunities for engagement both within and beyond the sector.
• Partner with the broader Development team to identify cross-functional funding opportunities while ensuring clear coordination with Corporate Partnerships and other revenue-generating functions.
• Share programmatic knowledge, funder intelligence, and positioning strategies that help the broader Development team identify and pursue new revenue opportunities.
• Build alignment and foster collaboration across Programs, Finance, Marketing, the Executive Office, and Development around priority funder relationships and funding opportunities.
• Represent Vitamin Angels in funder meetings, conferences, philanthropic networks, and relevant global health forums.
• Contribute to the strategic direction, revenue planning, and overall performance of the Development department.
• Represent Development in management team meetings (as needed) and collaborate with the CDO and departmental leadership to advance organizational priorities and ensure the team's overall success.

Team Development and Management

• Build the Strategic Philanthropy function, initially hiring and managing one direct report and expanding the team as revenue and organizational needs warrant.
• Establish clear roles, goals, processes, performance measures, and standards of accountability for the Strategic Philanthropy team.
• Recruit, onboard, coach, and manage staff to achieve individual and collective fundraising goals.
• Create a collaborative, high-performing team culture focused on proactive fundraising, continuous improvement, shared accountability, and measurable results.
• Develop the systems, tools, resources, and internal partnerships necessary to support sustainable growth in institutional philanthropic revenue.

Level of Decision-Making

Within the bounds of VA's mission, values and policies, and sound professional practices, the Senior Director has the broad discretion to use independent judgement to manage their activities in whatever way will best serve VA clients, partners, employees, and mission. Specific authorities associated with this position and their implementation procedures will be determined in conjunction with Chief Development Officer.

Organizational Relationships

VA operates under a collaborative, matrix management model. The Senior Director of Strategic Philanthropy is supervised by the Chief Development Officer with respect to overall assignments and performance. S/he connects regularly and collaborates with the VA Programs team, Director of Business Development, the Director of Grants Management and the VA Finance Team, VP of Marketing, Senior Managers, the CEO, the CFO, and Chief Development Officer, and interacts daily with all members of the VA team. The Senior Director of Strategic Philanthropy establishes their own daily work priorities and ensures that all responsibilities are conducted with the accepted best practices, sound professional judgment, and within established schedules and budgets.

Reports to:

• Chief Development Officer

Supervises:

• One Position, TBD

Primary working relationships:

• Chief Development Officer
• VA Programs Team
• Director of Grants Management and the VA Finance Team
• Director of Business Development

Travel required

• Yes (30-40%)

Qualifications and Skills (Required and Preferred)

Required:

• Bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience.
• At least 12 years of progressively responsible fundraising or related experience, including at least five years leading and managing high-performing teams.
• Significant experience in foundation and institutional fundraising, with a proven record of personally cultivating, soliciting, negotiating, and securing significant grants and philanthropic commitments.
• Demonstrated success meeting ambitious revenue goals, growing an institutional funding portfolio, and securing new and renewed multiyear support.
• Strong knowledge of the foundation and global philanthropic funding landscape, with a demonstrated ability to establish and cultivate senior-level relationships with funders and other external stakeholders.
• Experience developing complex proposals, concept notes, presentations, budgets, and funder reports in collaboration with programmatic, financial, and executive colleagues.
• Experience managing restricted grants and ensuring compliance with funder requirements, deliverables, budgets, and reporting commitments.
• Demonstrated ability to translate technical, scientific, and programmatic information into clear and compelling cases for philanthropic investment.
• Knowledge of global health and development funding trends.
• Experience building or significantly expanding a fundraising function, team, or portfolio.
• Strong financial acumen and demonstrated ability to work with Programs and Finance to develop accurate project budgets and funding requests that reflect the full cost of program delivery.
• Proven ability to recruit, coach, develop, and hold staff accountable while fostering a collaborative and high-performing team culture.
• Exceptional written, verbal, presentation, negotiation, and interpersonal communication skills, including the ability to communicate effectively with funders, executives, technical experts, and colleagues across the organization.
• Demonstrated critical thinking, sound judgment, and the ability to manage complex projects and competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Entrepreneurial, goal-oriented, self-directed, and comfortable building a new function while personally managing a high-value fundraising portfolio.
• High standards for quality, accuracy, responsiveness, donor service, and accountability.
• Proficiency with Salesforce or a comparable CRM, as well as Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Commitment to Vitamin Angels' global mission and willingness to embody its guiding behaviors: collaboration and inclusivity; integrity, kindness, and respect; solutions and action orientation; accountability and a growth mindset; and innovation and learning.
• Ability to work effectively under pressure with professionalism, humility, adaptability, and good humor.
• Willingness and ability to travel domestically and internationally as required.

Preferred:

• Relevant Master's Degree
• Experience in nutrition or maternal, newborn, and child health
• Knowledge of a non-English language

BENEFITS: Comprehensive benefit package includes Medical, Dental and Vision Care, Life Insurance, 401(k), Paid Time Off, Holidays, Wellness Program, paid parental leave and more.