The Fund for Public Schools (The Fund) is an indispensable partner to the New York City Department of Education (DOE) and the foundations, corporations and individuals who seek to help improve education in the nation’s largest school district. The Fund has raised more than $440 million to support initiatives that improve outcomes for the city’s 1.1 million public school students.

The Fund, an independent nonprofit, is a key player in developing strategies, securing support and overseeing the administration of privately funded priority initiatives at the DOE. These initiatives range from educational technology and arts education to career readiness, computer science and expanded summer programming. The Fund liaises between DOE leadership and donors to develop partnerships with the goal of piloting and accelerating promising outcome-driven initiatives for improving student achievement.

The Fund seeks an experienced, team-oriented and self-motivated Managing Director, Business Development to lead the organization’s partnership development and management efforts. Reporting to the Executive Director, the Managing Director, Business Development serves as a key member of the leadership team and an active leader in establishing strategic fundraising plans and engaging prospective partners across all priority content areas.

As the Managing Director, Business Development you will be responsible for sparking new business conversations, developing new relationships and partnerships, and managing our current set of partnerships to ensure success and renewal. You will help grow our revenue and donor base by articulating our unique strategic value proposition to test new ideas for systems change within the NYC DOE, impacting 1.1M students. You will spend most of your time identifying prospective partners, meeting face-to-face and sharing the goals and vision for FPS-supported programs to help the team meet and exceed our annual revenue target.

The Managing Director, Business Development is always two steps ahead of team members, anticipating what will be needed of the team and for partners to ensure goals are met. The position also plays a key role in representing The Fund, as needed, and in advising on organization-wide partnership strategy.

The Fund offers a competitive salary, comprehensive benefits, generous vacation, plus paid holidays. As Managing Director, Business Development, you’ll be a big part of a small team, whose work can have outsized impact on students in our city and beyond.

Reports to: Executive Director
Direct Reports: Senior Portfolio Directors (4 FTE)

Key Relationships: The Managing Director, Business Development will work closely with the Fund leadership team; external partners and funders; DOE leadership and program partners; other city agencies.

Responsibilities
The Managing Director, Business Development will initiate and manage external fundraising activities in collaboration with The Fund’s Senior Portfolio Directors. The Managing Director, Business Development will have primary responsibility for the strategy and implementation of all external engagement efforts. S/he will design and implement a comprehensive plan for developing and sustaining external partnerships, expanding and diversifying The Fund’s donor base and pipeline, and working closely with other team members to secure funding for new initiatives. The Managing Director, Business Development will spend approximately 60% of his/her time developing and engaging donors and 40% of his/her time managing the development efforts of four Sr. Portfolio Directors.

Development Strategy and Engagement (60%)
Work with Executive Director on all major fundraising initiatives, holding primary responsibility for external engagement with prospective partners and achieving our annual revenue goal.
Identify top prospects (foundation, corporate and individual) and aggressively make connections to get to decision makers.
Oversee research on local and national philanthropic trends, and make recommendations to position The Fund ahead of major changes or trends.
Partner with the Managing Director, Portfolio to create strategic plans that align Fund goals and objectives to DOE’s strategic priorities, which includes the identification of priorities, specific targets and timetables.
Represent the organization at various networking and cultivation events to bring new brand partners into the funnel and identify partnership opportunities.
Develop and implement a comprehensive stewardship plan aimed at cultivating deeper ties with existing and prospective partners.
Monitor all partner information; provide and present statistical analysis to board and senior leaders.

Team Management and Grant Implementation (40%)
Manage the day-to-day fundraising efforts of the Senior Portfolio Directors, ensuring the team and individual members are on track with quarterly and fiscal year goals.
Monitor the organization’s pipeline and oversee the development and execution of all funding proposals across portfolio areas.
Develop systems to monitor and report regularly on the progress of fundraising efforts across the organization to find new opportunities and ensure all activities are measurable to drive efficiency and maximize results.
Work closely with team members to develop and drive implementation of project plans for existing partnerships and ensures the highest level of customer service.
Lead trainings and provide ongoing mentorship across the team to build best in class fundraising and stewardship practices.
Utilize our customer relationship management system, Raiser’s Edge, to drive team performance and manage partnerships.
Support the implementation of select active grants, in coordination with The Fund’s Finance team.

Qualification Requirements:
The right candidate is a top-notch leader with a proven track record of success managing teams towards their goals.

Bachelor’s degree required. Graduate degree preferred. Experience in the Education sector preferred.
Minimum 5-8 years of work experience and 18 months of managerial experience. Fundraising, sales or marketing experience is strongly preferred with annual revenue goals of $1M+
Proven track record of initiating, cultivating and leveraging relationships with a diverse range of contacts and high-level partners.
Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to develop and deliver successful presentations and create concise, compelling proposals.
Articulate and persuasive, with well-honed relationship building skills.
Drive and sophistication, excited by the opportunity to help shape the future of partnerships.
A team-orientation and strong work ethic, essential for this demanding environment that continually strives for excellence.
Team player with a strong passion for the mission and vision of The Fund.
Sense of diplomacy and ability to successfully manage the interests of various stakeholders.
Highly collaborative leader able to work with a range of work styles to successfully drive results.

To apply, please forward a resume and cover letter to ebarr2@schools.nyc.gov with Managing Director in the subject line.