Associate Vice President, Development

Overview

Put your passion and skills to work for the planet. Climate change is the most urgent issue of our time, and we need people like you to help us build a vital Earth — for everyone.

We’re Environmental Defense Fund, a fast-paced nonprofit with a growing staff of more than 1,000 people in nearly 30 countries. We deliver game-changing solutions that cut climate pollution and strengthen people’s ability to thrive despite the effects climate change is already having. We work wherever we can have the most impact, from local communities to top companies to governments worldwide, and even in space.

Our culture, values and commitment to diversity make EDF an exciting and meaningful place to work. Every job here makes a difference. Won’t you join us?

Responsibilities

Location: Preference for New York, Washington D. C. or San Francisco, but would consider U.S.-based remote

The Environmental Defense Fund’s Development Department seeks an experienced, driven, strategic development professional to lead an accomplished development communications and stewardship team.

OVERALL FUNCTION

The Associate Vice President, reporting to the Senior Vice President, Associate Chief Development Officer, will oversee a team of 20+ experienced development communications and stewardship professionals responsible for producing highly customized donor cultivation, solicitation and stewardship materials for individuals and institutions.

The Associate Vice President will work closely with the Senior Director of Development Communications and the Director of Donor Stewardship in creating and implementing communications and stewardship strategies for major and institutional donors and to set the overall direction of the teams in a manner that best supports the needs of the organization’s donors.

They will partner with organizational leaders across Development, Mission, Enterprise, Marketing and Executive teams to help guide program strategies that result in compelling funding opportunities with measurable and reportable deliverables for individual and institutional donors. This position will coach cross-functional teams to develop clear, comprehensive, and targeted communications on EDF’s new bodies of work and they will play an important role in the design of budgets that meet donor expectations and advance gift stewardship.

The Associate Vice President will work with leaders within the Development department, including major gifts, institutional giving, planned giving, membership, government partnerships, information and strategy and development finance to facilitate communication between teams and increase efficiencies, and will be a trusted partner with the donor engagement team to create a coordinated and seamless donor experience.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead and manage a team of 20+ Development communications and stewardship professionals with an eye toward growth, development, performance, and results
• Establish clear metrics for program success, measure and report on progress, challenges, and opportunities, and manage overall team performance
• Develop and implement a comprehensive strategy for all communications to current and prospective major and principal gifts donors, working closely with the Senior Director, Development Communications
• Collaborate effectively with gift officers and executive team members, including the President and Executive Director and Mission leadership to identify and articulate high priority EDF initiatives and strategies
• Foster cross-functional collaboration between Development, Mission, and Enterprise teams and create a culture of donor-centered strategy development
• Partner with members of the Development Leadership Team and members of the Development Communications and Stewardship team to ensure adoption of standards and practices for proposal development and other content creation
• Provide guidance to Development Communications and Stewardship team members to align with organizational and professional development goals and objectives
• Proactively seek input from and collaborate with institutional, major and principal gift officers
• Work with Portfolio Managers and the Development Information and Strategy team to ensure proposals, reports, white papers, and other important donor communications are captured in the Development content library
• Participate in advancing EDF Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion goals in which people from all backgrounds and experiences feel connected, included, and empowered to address the environmental and organizational challenges in alignment with EDF values

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree required. Advanced degree in journalism or related field preferred
• 12+ years of combined experience in individual and institutional fundraising and non-profit strategy development with progressive responsibilities
• Extensive managerial experience
• Demonstrated ability to communicate complex issues in a clear and compelling manner to a variety of audiences
• Demonstrated understanding of current trends in fundraising and communications
• Extensive experience working with frontline gift officers
• Demonstrated strategy development experience, strategic thinking, critical thinking, and big-picture problem-solving capacity
• Experience in environmental communications. Understanding of the environmental NGO landscape and high priority environmental issues preferred
• Ability to oversee and execute a complex set of projects with time-sensitive deliverables
• Exceptional problem solving and decision-making skills, including demonstrated capability to identify and build effective partnerships
• Demonstrates self-awareness, cultural competency and inclusivity, and ability to work with colleagues and stakeholders across diverse cultures and backgrounds
• Flexibility and a sense of humor

Pay Ranges

We offer a strong total rewards package encompassing competitive salary, robust benefits, and professional development opportunities consistent with a modern global organization. We take into account factors such as candidate experience, skills, training, internal team equity and local norms.

The pay range for this role is shown below.

Please note that pay ranges are country specific. As a result, the stated currency is not meant be converted into any other currency.

Minimum Salary

USD $192,000.00/Yr.

Maximum Salary

USD $206,000.00/Yr.

EEO Information

Environmental Defense Fund is an equal opportunity employer where an applicant's qualifications are considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other basis prohibited by law.