Managing Director of Development

Position: Managing Director of Development

REPORTS TO: Chief Executive Officer

DEPARTMENT: Development

DIRECT REPORTS: Development Coordinator, Proposal & Reporting Writer; oversees contracted writers and consultants

FLSA STATUS: Full-time, Exempt

CAREER LEVEL: First Level Management

SALARY RANGE: $135,000 – $175,000, commensurate with experience, plus benefits

LOCATION: Remote; candidates based in or near one of PeerForward’s existing markets preferred. Regular travel to partner markets, donor meetings, and board convenings.

aBOUT pEERFORWARD

For 30 years, PeerForward has been built on a simple and powerful idea: students listen to their peers. In high schools, we train students as Peer Leaders who change the college-going culture of their entire school. They help classmates complete the FAFSA, apply to colleges that fit, and map out what comes next. Peer Leaders don’t just open doors for others. They walk through them too, persisting in college at rates above the national average.

And our work doesn’t stop at high school graduation. We are growing on college campuses, where peer leadership helps students stay enrolled, find belonging, and finish their degrees.

What started as one idea is now an international college success organization, working in 11 states and in Bermuda, and reaching more than 700,000 students over three decades. Our mission is to get students to and through college.

SUMMARY

We are in our 30th year, and our most ambitious work is ahead of us. We are going deeper in the communities we already serve and partnering with others to help more than 100,000 students get to and through college every year.

That ambition needs a fundraising leader to match it. As Managing Director of Development, you will lead a $4–6 million annual fundraising program, with room to grow it as we scale. You will shape the story PeerForward tells the world, open doors to new national partners, and personally close the gifts that make this growth possible. You will work side by side with the CEO and Board, lead a lean, committed team, and have a real voice in where the organization goes next.

This is a hands-on role for a builder. If you want your fundraising to show up in the lives of students and the strength of their communities, and you want a seat at the table where strategy gets made, we want to talk with you.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategy and revenue leadership (≈25%)

Major gifts and institutional fundraising (≈45%)

Team, systems, and operations (≈20%)

Board and external engagement (≈10%)

QUALIFICATIONS/REQUIREMENTS

Required

Preferred

PeerForward is proud to offer a remote-first work environment and is committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. We welcome candidates who share our vision of transforming lives through access to higher education. 

HOW TO APPLY

Submit a resume and a cover letter that describes the largest gift you personally secured and how you got there. Applications reviewed on a rolling basis.

PeerForward is an equal opportunity employer and encourages candidates of all backgrounds to apply.