About JFF

Jobs for the Future (JFF) works to transform the U.S. education and workforce systems so that everyone can achieve equitable economic advancement. We see that millions of people are unfairly locked out of high-quality jobs and the opportunity for a better life. Our goal is to align leaders and innovators across education, workforce, and employment around a shared North Star: In 10 years, 75 million people facing systemic barriers to advancement will be working in quality jobs.

To reach this goal, we create solutions, scale proven practices, influence policy and action, and invest in innovation. With a team of more than 300 people working remotely and from offices in Boston (headquarters), Washington, DC, and Oakland, California, we operate at the national, state, and local levels. We build strong partnerships with employers, investors, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and education and workforce development providers to remove barriers and reimagine what’s possible.

We are growing and expanding our impact. Our operating budget is $105 million, and we are supported by dozens of leading government agencies, foundations, and corporations. Learn more about JFF and join us as we build a future that works—for everyone.

DEIBW at JFF

Diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and well-being (DEIBW) are central to JFF’s North Star and mission. We hire and develop diverse teams across race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity and expression, age, and lived experience, and we are committed to ensuring that these differences are valued and included. We aim to build a culture that prioritizes employees’ overall care, well-being, and success through flexible work hours, manageable workloads, professional growth, and fair opportunities for career advancement. Learn more about how DEIBW shows up in practice at JFF.

We aim to invest in and learn from people who reflect the communities we serve, especially individuals from groups that have been excluded from the workforce, whether explicitly or implicitly. Because this is essential to the success of our work and the engagement of our staff, we work to attract and retain a diverse team and welcome applicants from all backgrounds. JFF is a fair-chance employer. In line with our North Star, we strongly encourage applications from people whose highest completed education is less than a four-year degree; people of color; and people with records.

About the Position

Over the past three to four years, JFF has experienced unprecedented growth in revenue, programming, and efforts to secure funding. As a result, the Development team is expanding in both size and scope. This not only supports this growth, but also addresses the need for more flexible resources to strengthen organizational capacity and drive innovation. JFF is currently updating its fundraising strategy and processes to build a stronger, more diverse resource base. The team has launched an enterprise-wide approach to fundraising and will foster an organization-wide culture of philanthropy, guided by best practices. A key part of this effort is the creation of several new roles, including the newly created position of Director, Prospect Management.

We are seeking to hire a Director, Prospect Management, who will be part of our central Development team and report to the Senior Director of Development Strategy & Operations. This role is an opportunity to build a brand-new strategic prospect management program to advance JFF’s fundraising goals in support of our mission. The role will increase capacity funding by overseeing and supporting the individuals responsible for identifying and researching prospects for major gifts from corporations, foundations, and individuals; analyzing opportunities for revenue growth; using data visualization to track and report progress; and creating the CRM infrastructure, including pipeline development. The Director will collaborate with other Development team colleagues and partners to help JFF business units develop strategies using a OneJFF approach to maximize support for prospects and funders.

The ideal candidate is a strategic, consultative partner with strong fundraising expertise. They should be a systems thinker with a service-oriented mindset and excellent communication skills. This is an exciting role for someone who enjoys building new processes from scratch—this will be the first time JFF develops a prospect management program at this scale. Our current revenue from corporate and foundation funders exceeds $60 million annually, and this role will focus on continuing to expand that work through analysis of the national corporate and foundation landscape. Our Individual Giving program is new and currently raises less than $100,000 annually; this role will be critical in building an initial pipeline from the ground up in partnership with the Senior Director, Individual Giving, with attention to both HNWI prospects and opportunities for annual giving growth. This role will not only lead and execute JFF’s fundraising vision, but also shape and inform the design and success of this new and evolving work at JFF.

What You’ll Do

• Build and implement a strategic Prospect & Pipeline development program at JFF

• Lead JFF’s prospect development program, including building a new prospect management process

• Drive prospect management through donor research, proactive prospecting, pipeline tracking and reporting, creating and managing briefing materials for funder meetings

• Partner with other Development colleagues and proactively identify additional fundraising leads to assign and manage portfolios in line with best practices

• Create guidelines for managing portfolios and conduct ongoing analysis to ensure prospects are being qualified, cultivated, solicited, and stewarded according to Development team priorities

• Research current and prospective corporate and foundation donors as well as individuals to support the JFF North Star Campaign and other initiatives, and research alternative funding opportunities

• Oversee, support, and operationalize prospect management work across JFF

• Supervise the Senior Prospect Manager to maximize the impact of prospect research for JFF

• Identify opportunities to stay informed about changes in the philanthropic landscape to help steward Development team strategy and support business unit growth and professional development in fundraising and prospect management

• Build a strategic approach to engage high-net-worth individuals to support enterprise capacity funds

• Lead capacity building efforts for each business unit’s strategy by applying your prospect management expertise and JFF Development best practices

• Develop strategies to report and analyze data to support continuous improvement in JFF’s prospect management

• Design and manage how prospect research tools are used, including—but not limited to—Salesforce, iWave, and/or LexisNexis, and generate reports that support data-driven prospect management

• Develop and maintain reporting and analytical tools to track fundraising performance indicators

• Provide quantitative and qualitative analysis of pipeline activity and movement to guide strategic planning and inform fundraising goals and metrics

• Create regular and ad hoc reports based on the needs of Development staff and other stakeholders to enable data-driven decisions

• Conduct reporting and analytics to support engagement with a broader and more diverse donor and prospect pool

Who You Are

The qualifications listed in this job description are provided as guidance, and we do not expect candidates to have every experience and skill listed. Research shows that people from marginalized groups in professional settings may be more likely to self-select out of opportunities. If you feel you can meet the overall expectations of this position, we encourage you to apply—so we can learn more about you and the unique strengths you would bring to the work.

• You have experience with prospect research and pipeline management (Director II hires at JFF typically bring 12+ years of professional experience through a mix of full-time, part-time, internship, and/or freelance roles).

• You have a track record of success leading prospect management functions, including writing, editing, and collaborating with staff on prospect research activities.

• Ideally, you have significant experience with prospect research for corporate and foundation funders.

• You have experience designing and leading capacity building so staff can strengthen their prospect research skills, and you have helped develop and steward fundraising best practices with a team to support continued growth.

• You have experience designing and leading capacity building to establish a prospect research process in an organization, and you’ve helped instill and steward prospect research best practices to support ongoing team growth.

• You have strong experience writing, editing, and collaborating with staff on donor-related work, including—but not limited to—donor research, pipeline reporting, briefing creation, and support for funder meetings.

• You are motivated by ambitious goals and comfortable being accountable for them.

• You have experience using CRMs, prospect research tools, and news/article research tools, and you understand the value of maximizing these tools to improve efficiency—preferably Salesforce, iWave, and/or LexisNexis.

• You have advanced analytical skills and can use statistics and data visualization to communicate insights and explain trends to different audiences.

• You have experience working across teams in a matrixed organization and place a high value on service orientation and clear communication. You build strong working relationships with internal leaders and external stakeholders through trust and mutual understanding.

• You use professional development and learning opportunities to stay current in your field, deepen your expertise, and support your team’s learning.

• You have experience developing ambitious prospect management strategies and goals, ensuring alignment across multiple complex programs and initiatives, and you can communicate them compellingly to external audiences.

• You bring high energy and genuine commitment to JFF’s mission and North Star, and you can apply JFF’s core values in all aspects of your work.

• You are energized by supporting JFF’s DEIBW values and practices in your day-to-day work, including embracing differences and celebrating the diversity each person brings to JFF.

• You value building positive, collaborative relationships with others, including people whose identities and backgrounds differ from your own.

• You are able and willing to travel up to 15%, including traveling to the Boston office up to three times per year to participate in Development team and organizational retreats as needed, and traveling for funder meetings or other events as required.

What We Offer

At JFF, we are driven by the belief that everyone should have equal opportunity to advance economically. We work hard to expand what’s possible, and in return, we offer a rewarding work experience, competitive salaries, and a comprehensive benefits program. We emphasize flexibility and choice as core values to support people wherever they are in their lives and careers.

JFF has offices in Boston, Oakland, and Washington, DC. Employees may work in person, hybrid, or fully remote. To support employee experience and productivity while working remotely, JFF provides an annual home office stipend to all regular full-time and part-time employees. New employees also receive office equipment as needed.

The salary range for this role is $120,000–$140,000 per year, aligned with JFF’s Director II salary band and compensation philosophy. Starting salaries for new hires will be based on relevant experience and market needs.

To Apply

As part of your application, please submit your resume and a thoughtful cover letter addressed to Paige Sciotto, Senior Director, Development Strategy and Operations, describing how your skills and experience match the requirements for the position.

We will accept applications through Friday, January 12, 2024. Applications submitted by that date will be reviewed, and candidates will receive updates on their status during the week of January 16, 2024.

At JFF, we are also committed to accessibility and want to ensure that everyone, including individuals with disabilities, can fully access and engage with our application and hiring process.

If you are unable to complete this application because of a disability and/or have specific accessibility or accommodation needs to participate fully in our hiring process, please contact us at hiringaccommodations@jff.org. Positions at JFF are not eligible for employer visa sponsorship and are not open to F-1 student visa holders.