Chief Development Officer

About Landesa:

Landesa is an international nonprofit dedicated to ending global poverty by securing land rights for rural communities around the globe. We are committed to a future in which all women and men who depend on land have secure, legal land rights – one of the most powerful tools for lifting oneself, one’s family, and one’s community out of poverty.

To achieve our vision, we partner with governments, civil society, and companies to develop pro-poor and gender-sensitive laws, policies and programs that have helped strengthen land rights for more than 720 million people in the last 5 years. Since our founding in 1981, we have worked in more than 65 countries throughout the world, with central office staff in the U.S. (Seattle, Washington and Washington, DC) and regional programming in China, India, Liberia, Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, Indonesia, Cambodia, and Thailand.

Landesa has been consistently ranked one of the top ten international NGOs in the world and has received numerous awards for its work.

About the Position:

Landesa is seeking an experienced, results-focused Chief Development Officer (CDO) to develop and drive strategic fundraising and communications initiatives in support of Landesa’s mission. Reporting to the CEO, this critical position is part of the Executive Leadership team and manages a team of 15 staff.

The CDO will be responsible for fundraising targets of $15-20 million USD annually by developing new business and maintaining support from current private foundations (e.g. Ford, Rockefeller, Skoll), public donors (e.g. USAID, World Bank), individuals (including MacKenzie Scott) and corporate contracts. The CDO will also lead strategic communications to leverage Landesa’s brand to best maintain and enhance its role as a global leader.

This is a position with semi-frequent travel to US offices in Seattle and DC, as well as international travel (total 15-20%).

In this role, you will:

• Drive Landesa’s mission by developing, managing, and implementing a strategic fundraising plan and regularly report on fundraising performance and progress towards goals
• Collaborate closely with the Executive Leadership Team across the organization to better integrate fundraising needs into team workflows, and build programs and procedures that address these needs
• Lead the communications team, which manages program related comms support, organizational messaging, progress towards the 2025-2027 Strategic Plan, branding, public relations, social media content, and the Landesa website
• Build relationships and leverage networks among in-country staff and headquarters, donors, potential donors, and Board members to build the fundraising pipeline through collaboration and a shared vision
• Manage and grow foundation and donor portfolios, including individuals, private foundations, public sector donors and corporations
• Lead the 15-person fundraising team; hiring, developing, and directing top talent
• Provide leadership to the Board Resource Development Committee and other fundraising committees; offering guidance and strengthening skillsets

Our ideal candidate:

• Shares our deep commitment and passion for a better, safer future for the world’s poorest people through secure access to land
• Has a minimum of 12 years’ related experience, preferably in the international NGO community, or equivalent combination of education and leadership experience with a demonstrated record of meeting ambitious fundraising targets
• Is tech-savvy and proficient with a suite of technical fundraising tools, including Salesforce and a number of integrated applications
• Has a high degree of business acumen as it applies to growing a successful, international non-profit in a competitive field. This includes an understanding of motivators, sensitivities, political pressures, corporate politics and other influencers, and the ability to productively maneuver through them
• Exhibits resourcefulness and cross-cultural sensitivity to get things done across varied and different international conditions in a fast-paced, deadline driven work environment
• Builds and leads high-performing, collaborative fundraising teams
• Is a talented communicator skilled in design and dissemination of information using multiple vehicles and venues

Equal employment opportunity has been, and will continue to be, a fundamental principle at Landesa. Landesa is committed to a work environment in which relationships are characterized by dignity, courtesy, and respect. We are committed to nondiscrimination in all our business operations and embrace diversity as a key strategic philosophy and strength of how we do our global work. Landesa actively seeks diverse candidates for employment.