Director of Development

About the Organization: Merit America

The American economy is broken. Today, 53 million working adults–nearly half of the U.S. workforce–do not earn a living wage. These talented workers have few options to advance: college is too long and expensive, full-time boot camp programs don’t offer enough flexibility, and online courses don’t have the structure or support to translate learning into a new career. The result? Talented workers, disproportionately people of color and women, get stuck in low-wage roles with no way to build a better life for themselves and their families.

Merit America is a national nonprofit that creates pathways to family-sustaining careers for Americans stuck in low-wage work. Our fast, flexible solutions are built for working adults: We start by analyzing tens of millions of job postings to identify in-demand, high-paying tech careers and then work with industry-recognized partners to train for these roles with part-time programs that combine flexible online learning with best-in-class coaching. Finally, we support our learners in their job search, helping them connect with a broad constellation of local and national employers such as JPMorgan Chase and Infosys to land higher-earning, family-sustaining jobs. Merit America is on a mission to build a scalable pathway for workers to join the middle class through merit, not money. Since our founding in 2018, we’ve generated a projected $1 billion in near-term wage gains for our learners.

About the Role:

In this pivotal leadership role, you will work actively with Merit America co-CEOs, the executive team, and the Vice President of Development and Partnerships to expertly manage and thoughtfully cultivate relationships with new and existing funding partners and ensure their support for the organization's mission.

A successful candidate will:

1. Maximize the efforts of the co-founders/co-CEOs ensuring that every fundraising opportunity is strategic and and excellence in every donor relationship.
2. Expertly steward existing partnerships (with annual grant amounts of $50k to $1M+) and cultivate and solicit new six, seven, and eight-figure commitments.
3. Manage a lean team to deliver on our ambitious goals.
4. Play an integral role in meeting an org-wide fundraising goal of $15M in 2025 and ~$25M+ in 2026.

The Director of Development is an exempt role and will report directly to the Vice President of Development and Partnerships.

Interested in learning more? We will be hosting an info session on Friday, May 30th at 2:00pm EST. Click here to RSVP.

What You’ll be Doing:

You will create and implement a comprehensive fundraising strategy across foundation, individual, and corporate giving streams. Managing key funder relationships and opportunities, you'll be directly responsible for a significant portion of our $15M 2025 goal, working in close coordination with our co-CEOs who focus extensively on external partnerships.

The primary responsibilities of the Director of Development will include, but are not limited to, the following:

Grow and Advance the Development Pipeline (35%):

• Alongside the VP, add $50M+ to the qualified pipeline during your first 12 months, which may include diversifying our revenue mix between foundation, corporate, and individual funders.
• Analyze funding trends to identify potential headwinds and tailwinds and design outreach strategies to specific funders or groups, proactively positioning Merit America to capitalize on favorable funding opportunities and build new philanthropic revenue streams.
• Lead the development of comprehensive, data-informed fundraising strategies that align with Merit America's long-term strategic priorities.
• Work successfully with teams across the organization to craft new cases for support that align to the needs of Merit America’s mission and strategy.
• Set strategy and prepare co-CEOs/executive leaders for meetings with current and prospective funders.
• Advance qualified opportunities from discovery to close through expert cultivation, solicitation and stewardship.

Manage Donor and Prospect Relationships (50%):

• With the support of your team, manage relationships with prospects and existing funders, including producing all written communications, proposals and reports, as well interacting via regular meetings or presentations.
• Support co-CEO-led opportunities by informing strategy, handling meeting follow-up with urgency, and drafting impactful, smart correspondence that advances their prospect and funder relationships.
• Successfully position the organization for renewed and increased investment from existing funders at the end of their grant cycle.
• Create powerful fundraising narratives that connect data with emotional impact to drive stakeholder engagement.

Leading a Collaborative Team (15%):

• Manage one high-performing direct report through mentorship, coaching, and performance management.
• Engage the broader Sustainability team in identifying and addressing pipeline gaps with a solutions-oriented approach.
• Lead complex projects and create compelling narratives about strategic priorities and resource allocation, effectively influencing decision-makers.
• As needed, strategically grow the team over time, aligned to fundraising success and increased goals.

What Makes a Successful Candidate:

We recognize that individuals from marginalized backgrounds, including women, people of color, and those with disabilities, are often less likely to apply when they don’t meet 100% of the job qualifications. Don’t let that be the reason you miss out on this opportunity! We want to emphasize that your unique skills, experiences, and perspectives are valuable, and we encourage you to apply if you can demonstrate many of the skills and competencies. Below are the skills that are relevant for thriving in this role:

Must Haves:

Strategic Planning & Leadership

• Proven experience managing a portfolio that includes multiple six-, seven-, and eight-figure donations or deals.
• A track record of leading a small strategic team to meet or exceed goals.

Partnership & Relationship Management

• Direct experience working with the founder/CEO to build external partnerships.
• Exceptional ability to build and maintain relationships with diverse stakeholders, representing senior leadership with crisp and persuasive communication.

Business Development & Revenue Generation

• Bias for action - willingness to roll up your sleeves and do whatever it takes to make things successful.

Communication & Storytelling

• Exceptional communication skills with ability to translate complex information into powerful, emotionally resonant narratives that drive engagement.

Mission & Values Alignment

• Committed to Merit America’s mission to pave pathways to family-sustaining careers, break the poverty cycle, and create upward mobility for low-wage workers.
• Demonstrated history of embodying our values, which inform our work and drive our organization's culture.
• Shared sense of responsibility and ownership for our collective work in making a positive impact on the community we support, true to our value of Win & Lose Together.
• Committed to continuous learning and growth in understanding and addressing issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Passionate about fostering a workplace culture that embraces and values individual differences, aligned with our core value of inclusivity.

Nice to Have:

• Experience with Salesforce
• Familiarity with the workforce development sector
• Comfort working with ChatGPT or similar AI tools

Other Logistics

• This position is full-time: 4-day work week (Fridays are an operating day if there is a holiday closure during the week)
• Location: Remote
• Salary: Base salary of $155,530 along with the potential to earn an incentive bonus of up to $20,000