Development Manager

ORGANIZATION

Journey into Education and Teaching (JET) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that provides expert college admissions advising, financial aid guidance, and multi-year 1:1 mentoring to ethnic-racially diverse cohorts of Massachusetts paraeducators who aspire to obtain a bachelor’s degree and Massachusetts teaching license. We prioritize working with communities where the ethnic-racial diversity of the student population does not align with the ethnic-racial composition of the teacher workforce. 

To learn more about JET, please visit: https://www.jetintoteaching.org/.

OPPORTUNITY

We seek a qualified, committed candidate to raise funds and build new innovative partnerships to support our work and shape our future impact. 

The Development Manager will orchestrate development activities: writing proposals; tracking supporters in a database (and engaging and cultivating those who populate it); and working with the Co-Executive Directors to create concrete fundraising plans and guiding them to success. The ideal candidate will understand JET’s voice and work, and will enjoy leveraging those things to secure a sustainable financial future for the organization.

The JET Development Manager is a remote role. There may be periodic in-person JET staff convenings in Massachusetts. The ideal candidate will be located in metropolitan Boston.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES 

Responsibilities coordinating JET development (80% of job) 

• Design, implement, and manage a comprehensive and strategic development plan focused on:
• building individual and family support
•  expanding foundation, corporate, and stakeholder support
• Manage all development opportunities, ensuring proper communication and follow-up throughout the cultivation process.
• Work closely with the Co-Executive Director to organize and support their fundraising efforts through prospect research, scheduling, and preparing for cultivation meetings.
• Develop and maintain the grants calendar, with key deadlines and actions.
• Write grant proposals and manage the proposal and report writing process, pulling in other team members as appropriate.
• Strengthen systems around processing and acknowledging gifts, and long-term stewardship of funder relationships.
•  Maintain and update the donor database (in Airtable) and establish related systems and processes.

Responsibilities as part of the JET staff team (20% of job)

In addition to the main priorities above, the Development Manager is responsible for supporting statewide work and projects as needed to ensure program goals are met. Statewide projects include, but are not limited to the following: 

• Represent JET at public events when needed including presentations at meetings and conferences (if necessary).
• Participate in professional and leadership development.
• Collaborate as a team to share best practices including working closely with JET staff to align the needs of paraprofessionals and mentors.
• Promote race & equity work.      
• Participate in community building events with scholars and mentors and other stakeholders.
• Engage and collaborate with the JET staff – participating in professional development track and building connections and resources.

QUALIFICATIONS

A competitive candidate for this role will have many of the following skills and experiences. Research shows that women and people of color tend to only apply for positions when they match every criteria. If you think you have what it takes, but don't necessarily meet every check box in this job description, we encourage you to still apply. We'd like to learn more about you and see if you could be a great fit for JET. 

• 3 years of development experience, preferably in an education and/or change-focused organization setting.
• Demonstrated ability to build individual and family donor base.
• Demonstrated ability to identify, solicit and close grants from foundations and corporations.
• Creative, sophisticated writing skills with proven success in creating content that raises significant funding.
• A knack for communication and community-building in service of creating authentic and meaningful relationships.
• Thrives in an entrepreneurial environment that requires adjusting to new challenges and thinking creatively to find solutions.
• Data-driven; uses insights to design and implement innovative approaches with a dedication to continuous improvement.
• Comfortable creating and meeting measurable targets.
• Willingness to work as part of a small team.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

 This role is a full-time, remote position. The salary starts at $85,000. We offer health benefits, PTO, holidays, and a home office stipend. 

If you are interested, email your resume and cover letter to Romie Robertson at romier@jetintoteaching.org with the subject line “Development Manager Application.”

JET is an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.