Chief Development Officer
Higher Achievement National Office
Washington, DC

The Higher Achievement Program, a nationally acclaimed nonprofit organization providing after-school academic assistance to low-income communities, seeks a seasoned development professional to become their new Chief Development Officer. Reporting directly to Chief Executive Officer Richard Tagle, the Chief Development Officer will join Higher Achievement as a new member of the senior leadership team at a propitious moment in the organization’s growth. Higher Achievement has secured funding for national expansion ensuring stability and growth over the next few years, but must now successfully steward this funding with the development of regional offices and the solidification of an infrastructure in the national office while also capitalizing upon new opportunities that diversify the organization’s support network. The Chief Development Officer will be central to these efforts, leading the strategic development and expansion of a sophisticated development function at both the national and the regional levels, nurturing relationships with the Program’s supporters, following up on contacts and connections initiated by the CEO, strategically advising Higher Achievement on new funding opportunities and supporting the training and on-boarding of development staff in both the national and regional offices.

The new Chief Development Officer will be based in Higher Achievement’s Washington, DC national office. Qualified candidates will be exceptional communicators with substantial experience in development operations for the nonprofit sector.

THE ORGANIZATION

Higher Achievement, founded in 1975, is a nonprofit organization that provides year-round academic training for motivated low-income urban middle school students and preparation for top high school placements. The organization has Achievement Centers in the District of Columbia and Northern Virginia and is expanding to Baltimore in 2009. Higher Achievement invests in talent and hard work by delivering over 650 hours annually of rigorous academic training during the most critical time in a child’s development: middle school. The organization has received numerous awards, but the most important measure of its success is the results achieved by Higher Achievement scholars. These results have driven an ambitious national growth plan with expansion slated for 10 cities by 2020. Baltimore, Maryland is the first planned replication.

CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER

To realize its ambitious vision for the future, Higher Achievement must elevate its development operations to ensure leadership at both the national and the regional level. Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Development Officer will develop the strategy and lead the 5-year capital growth campaign to raise $14 million of which $3 million is already committed. S/he will oversee all aspects of the organization’s development operations including the stewardship of existing grants, the identification of new funding streams and the advisement of development efforts in the regional offices. S/he will ideally bring to the Program existing networks, management experience, national perspective and knowledge developed through prior successes. In broad terms, the Chief Development Officer will face the following challenges and opportunities:

Leading the growth of the development function at both the national and the regional level

The new Chief Development Officer will not only formalize and lead the development function for Higher Achievement’s national office, but will also work closely with regional executive directors and their development staff to support and guide activities within each region. The successful candidate will bring seasoned managerial experience and a systems approach to the role and will work to maintain positive and seamless relationships between the national and regional offices.

Stewarding existing grants through effective relationship management

The Chief Development Officer will be responsible for maintaining open and effective lines of communications with Higher Achievement’s supporters. S/he will demonstrate exceptional customer service orientation, timely reporting and skilled judgment in nurturing these relationships.

Nurturing potential funding streams and guiding the development of new funding opportunities that diversify the organization’s support network

The Chief Development Officer will be a connector, reaching out through national networks to spread the word about Higher Achievement’s programs and their success. S/he will demonstrate sophistication, savvy and skill to identify and develop new relationships that will benefit the important work and rapid growth of the Higher Achievement Program. S/he will appropriately advise Chief Executive Officer Richard Tagle on the needs of potential supporters and the parallels between support funding and Higher Achievement programming. S/he will also bring personal networks whose interests match the Program and its plans for the future.

Staffing development operations in the national office and assisting in the training and on-boarding of staff in the regional offices

As a member of the national senior management team, the Chief Development Officer will be both a guide and a resource to staff in regional offices. The Chief Development Officer will support the Regional Executive Directors and their future fundraising staff in developing effective strategies for seeking funding regionally. Also, as national office development activities grow and become more complex, the Chief Development Officer will staff the development operation appropriately and provide effective management to all new staff.

QUALITIES OF THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

While no one candidate is expected to embody all of the qualities enumerated below, the ideal candidate will hold minimally a Bachelor’s degree, will have 7-10 years relevant experience in the nonprofit community and will be:

• Strategic and entrepreneurial with the demonstrated ability to think creatively about structuring the development function to help Higher Achievement meet its goals;

• Experienced in writing successful proposals, reports and managing relationships;

• Exceptional both in written and oral communication and in professional relationship management;

• Ruthless in his/her attention to detail and ability to manage and meet multiple deadlines;

• Able to work independently and manage multiple tasks;

• Highly knowledgeable about fundraising research tools and strategies;

• Familiar with education and the youth development field;

• Committed to improving the lives of young people in the Washington, DC region; and

• Highly energetic with a dynamic, positive personality.

TO APPLY

More information about Higher Achievement Program may be found at: http://www.higherachievement.org.

Resumes should be sent to: Higher Achievement, c/o
HA-CDO@nonprofitprofessionals.com

Resumes will be reviewed as received. Interviews will be granted as interesting candidates are identified. To be considered complete, applications must include a cover letter describing your interest and qualifications, your resume, your salary requirements and three references with full contact information. In order to expedite the internal sorting and reviewing process, please write your name (i.e., Smith, Jane) as the only contents in the subject line of your email.

Higher Achievement Program is an equal opportunity employer.
Women and candidates of color are encouraged to apply.