Director, Development Operations

Job Description

Job Description

Full-Time, EXEMPT · New York, NY · Reports to: Vice President & Chief Development Officer

ABOUT JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER

The mission of Jazz at Lincoln Center is to entertain, enrich and expand a global community for jazz through performance, education, and advocacy.

We believe jazz is a metaphor for Democracy. Because jazz is improvisational , it celebrates personal freedom and encourages individual expression. Because jazz is swinging , it dedicates that freedom to finding and maintaining common ground with others. Because jazz is rooted in the blues , it inspires us to face adversity with persistent optimism.

Jazz is one of America’s most profound and enduring cultural contributions, inseparable from the story of this country, its history, its struggles, its democratic ideals, and its continuing evolution. We are stewards of that legacy. The three pillars of our work— performance , education , and advocacy —are one mission expressed three ways, each reinforcing and requiring the other two. You cannot perform without honoring the history that gives the music meaning. You cannot educate without the conviction that what you are teaching deserves to outlast you. You cannot advocate without the lived experience of the art itself. We look for people who feel that wholeness in full, across all three pillars.

POSITION DESCRIPTION

The Director, Development Operations is responsible for JALC’s fundraising infrastructure and overseeing its fundraising-related operations. As a key strategic partner, the Director will help set and execute fundraising strategies alongside the senior Development team. The individual oversees financial and budgetary reporting and analysis needs for senior leadership to help drive decision making around fundraising activities and ensure new systems and business practices are implemented, on par with leading industry standards, to enable JALC’s fundraising goals to be efficiently and effectively met. In close collaboration with the Chief Development Officer, the Director, Development Operations works closely with the Finance department on all matters related to Development income and expense budgeting, including forecasting for future year activities.

The incumbent will be a significant stakeholder representing Development on issues of data governance and CRM management collaborating accordingly with Finance and Technology and other areas to enhance the use of data systems. The Director oversees donor research and prospect tracking, and acts as the primary Development liaison for all donor crediting. The individual is responsible for developing new functionality and business rules to enhance the use of donor data; partnering with the Individual Giving team on the execution of segmentation strategy; the overall maintenance, management and integrity of the database; gift, pledge, and data entry and reporting; and application training.

The Director will supervise and work closely with the Assistant Director, Research & Strategy to ensure consistent donor research and prospect tracking, and the Development Operations Associate to ensure accurate gift processing and receipting and to maintain strategic cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship plans based on giving opportunities.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Serve as a strategic partner to senior Development leadership to design and implement operational systems, workflows, and business practices, including oversight of the organization’s CRM (Tessitura).
• Manage Development’s revenue and expense budget, including the preparation of multiple annual forecasts and reforecasts in collaboration with Finance to support ongoing decision-making.
• Serve as the team’s expert on constituent data by spearheading segmentation and analytics efforts, partnering with the Individual Giving, Membership, and Events teams on the execution of data-driven strategies and targeted lists, conducting regular and special project analyses for senior leadership and the Board, defining and tracking key performance indicators, and translating data into actionable insights to inform fundraising strategy.
• Manage and develop the Assistant Director, Research & Strategy and the Development Operations Associate by setting priorities, providing coaching, and ensuring high performance across research, data, and gift processing functions.
• Oversee the functionality and continuous improvement of the CRM data governance policies, maintaining data integrity, leading staff training and adoption of best practices, and serving as the primary Development liaison with Finance and Technology on Tessitura.
• Ensure accurate and timely processing of gifts and pledges, serving as the primary Development liaison for crediting-related matters.
• Partner with Finance on reconciliation, audit readiness, and compliance related to Development revenue.
• Identify opportunities to streamline and enhance Development operations and implement scalable, efficient processes that improve team effectiveness and support organizational growth, including building infrastructure to support future large-scale fundraising initiatives.
• Oversee prospect research and tracking to ensure a strong and data-informed pipeline of donors, supporting strategic cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship planning.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree required and a minimum of five years working experience in non-profit Development operations and/or Finance systems.
• Demonstrates leadership and discretion.
• Strong communication and presentation skills
• SQL experience required.
• Proficiency with fundraising software required, Tessitura preferred.
• Experience in Microsoft Office with advanced knowledge of Excel.
• Exceptional attention to detail, with the ability to prioritize, manage numerous projects, and work independently.
• Problem-solver and strategic thinker with the ability to organize, streamline and implement processes and procedures.
• Ability to collaborate effectively across the organization and adapt well to a fast-paced work environment.
• Understanding of and experience with general financial accounting principles and aspects of gift processing and receipting according to IRS guidelines.
• Ability to interface with Board of Directors and all levels of staff.
• Highly developed understanding of database operations and expertise in queries, importing/exporting and reporting functions.

WORKING AT JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER

The music is present here, literally and philosophically, and the people who thrive are the ones who feel that and lean into it. They are Fans, Advocates, Musicians, and Educators who know that you cannot shape what comes next without first honoring what came before — who ask why something is the way it is before they presume to know what it should become. They find their own work more meaningful because of its proximity to something larger, and they understand that excellence in any role, regardless of function, is connected to what happens on stage and in classrooms and communities around the world. The passion that runs through this organization can be felt on your first day, and it is the thing people miss most when they leave.

We are a live-events organization, and our schedule reflects that energy: we expect full presence when the work and the art call for it. Within that, we strive to create real flexibility for our people. Flex Mondays give staff the freedom to work from wherever suits them best, and Tuesday through Friday our teams come together in person, with the understanding that the work and the art will sometimes ask for more. We trust our people to know the difference, and we build around that trust.

Benefits reflect the same investment in our people: comprehensive health, retirement, and a seat inside the life of this organization. Staff have access to the breadth of JALC programming—from live performances to access at Dizzy's Club to world-class jazz education through Swing University and beyond—because we believe the people who do this work deserve to experience it, not just support it.

HOW TO APPLY

Click the button above to apply. Please include a cover letter and salary requirements with your application.

Jazz at Lincoln Center is an equal opportunity employer that affords equal opportunities to all applicants, employees, contractors, and other covered persons, and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. Jazz at Lincoln Center is committed to creating an inclusive, open, and respectful culture that reflects and embraces diversity.