Director of Institutional Support

Who is the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra?
Known for its artistic excellence for more than 120 years, today the PSO is the region’s national and international cultural ambassador. A two-time 2018 GRAMMY® Award-winning orchestral ensemble credited with a rich history of concerts, performances, and recordings with the world’s finest conductors and musicians, the PSO consistently demonstrates a genuine commitment to Pittsburgh’s citizens, regional communities, and vibrant cultural scene.  Now entering its 130th season, the internationally acclaimed Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO) engages audiences of all ages through unparalleled live musical experiences, community collaborations, and educational programming that enrich every life with great music.  

Job Purpose: 
The Director of Institutional Support is a senior leader within the Development Department with a primary role of leading the foundation and corporate fundraising programs.  The role requires a highly motivated strategic thinker with excellent writing, organizational, and interpersonal skills.  The Director of Institutional Support will be a highly motivated individual with a strong development or sales background that includes demonstrated experience in securing significant sponsorships, corporate gifts or sales and a track record of pipeline development and relationship management.  This position will be externally facing working with the PSO’s current corporate donors, foundations and sponsors and proactively developing new sources of corporate and foundation support. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Corporate Funding:

• Responsible for the overall management and growth of the PSO’s corporate giving program which currently brings in $1 million annually and is slated to grow aggressively over the next five years.
• Create strategies to grow overall revenue by increasing existing support from current donors and identifying and engaging with new prospects to expand the donor pipeline.
• Oversee a portfolio of 100 corporate funders and prospects by conducting calls and face-to-face meetings on a daily basis with a goal of 5-7 meaningful touchpoints per week totaling at least 300 per year.
• Research, identify, track, and solicit institutional prospects and donors to grow funding for PSO initiatives such as the core concert series, Learning & Community Engagement, special projects, events, and touring.
• Oversee and mentor the Manager of Corporate Support on the preparation of prospect research, proposals/applications, sponsorship activations, enacting promised recognition & benefits, and creating interim/final reports.
• Encourage and support active engagement of sponsors and Corporate Partners at PSO and Heinz Hall events (e.g. Corporate entertaining via receptions, “Corporate Nights”, ticket-usage, etc.) including developing new PSO/Heinz Hall experiences that attract and meet the needs of corporate sponsors.
• Collaborate with PSO Senior Staff, Board, and staff to increase the effectiveness of corporate prospecting, solicitations, and strong relationship management with new and existing sponsors.
• Represent and leverage the PSO’s role as an economic driver for Pittsburgh with external community partners such as: the Allegheny Conference on Community Development and its marketing affiliate, the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance; African American Chamber of Commerce of Western PA; VisitPittsburgh; the Allegheny County Airport Authority; and the Commonwealth of PA’s Office of International Business Development.

Institutional Foundation Funding:

• Oversee foundation support for the PSO including managing a portfolio of private and public foundation entities annually.  Annual foundation support is roughly $1.8M in revenue.
• Manage relationships with significant foundation sources both personally, and by preparing CEO and volunteer leadership for meetings on behalf of the PSO.
• Supervise Senior Manager of Foundation & Government Support.

Other Duties:

• Assist SVP & Chief Development Officer with departmental budgeting, forecasting, and reporting.
• Attend and assist with development-related events and concerts throughout the year including evenings and weekends.

Required Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s Degree in a related field.
• At least seven years of professional fundraising experience with a focus on institutional giving.
• Significant grant writing and grant management experience, including grants totaling over $100,000.
• Familiarity with government grant programs and contract management/compliance.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office products.
• Excellent organizational, written, and verbal communication skills.
• Capacity to work under pressure and manage/meet multiple deadlines annually.
• Supervisory skills preferred.
• Ability to work flexible hours including occasional weekends and evenings.
• Must have access to transportation for travel to meetings and appointments.

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to work on a computer for extended periods of time.
• Ability to operate related equipment, i.e. computer, copier, scanner.

Compensation and Location:
This is a full-time exempt position with an annual salary between $95,000 - $105,000 depending upon experience. We also offer a comprehensive benefits package which includes paid holidays, paid time off, employer paid health benefits, as well as retirement savings options with an employer match. Heinz Hall in downtown Pittsburgh is the work location for this position. The PSO supports a flexible, hybrid work environment, which currently includes three days per week in-person work, including occasional work on weekends and evenings during PSO and Heinz Hall concerts or events. 

Pittsburgh Symphony, Inc. (PSI) provides equal opportunity to all qualified employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, ancestry, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other class or category protected by local, state, or federal law.

The specific statements shown in each section of the description are not intended to be all-inclusive. They represent typical elements and criteria considered necessary to perform the job successfully. 

The PSI recognizes that an individual with a disability may require a job modification/accommodation to enable them to successfully perform a job function.  Consideration will be given to such requests. Such requests should be directed to Human Resources.