Director of Development & External Affairs

The Partnership for College Completion (PCC) seeks a dynamic and visionary fundraising and development leader, a skilled communicator, strategic thought partner, and people leader to serve as the Director of Development & External Affairs for the organization. As a member of the Senior Leadership Team, the Director will have a demonstrated commitment and connection to PCC’s mission, experience at the senior levels of organizational, departmental, and/or unit leadership, a track record of success in leading development and communications efforts, and coaching teams to deliver on ambitious goals. The ideal candidate for this role is a creative and entrepreneurial leader who is both a big thinker in their approach to strategy and solutions development, but also has a proven ability to effectively execute on initiatives from start to finish. This individual will be driven by a passion to advance equity in Illinois higher education and to be a crucial member of a high performing team at a key moment of opportunity, growth, and change in our organizational history.

About PCC

PCC is a nonprofit organization founded in 2016 to champion policies and practices that increase college completion and eliminate degree completion disparities for low-income, first generation, and students of color in Illinois – particularly Black and Latinx students. PCC is the only organization in Illinois dedicated to providing leadership for a systems-level approach to support college completion and eliminate institutional inequities by race and income in higher education outcomes. Since its founding, the organization has played a central role in initiating a new, urgent conversation on higher education equity in the state.

PCC envisions a state where equitable opportunities to access and complete a college education lead to greater degree attainment, racial equity, and socioeconomic mobility for Illinoisans. With our steadfast focus on system-level reform and institutional change, PCC executes a unique three-part strategy in pursuit of its goals:

• Supporting colleges and universities directly in their institutional equity change efforts
• Advocating for effective local, state, and national policy and legislation
• Conducting and elevating data and research to increase awareness and public dialogue on present challenges and future solutions for advancing higher education equity

Position Summary

Reporting to the organization’s Executive Director (ED), the Director of Development & External Affairs will work collaboratively across the organization to develop and execute fundraising and communications strategies, manage grant cycles, and deliver on annual revenue targets to propel PCC’s ambitious mission forward. The Director will serve as a significant voice in shaping the overall direction of the organization’s messaging, public communication, and impact reporting consistent with the priorities of the ED and Board of Directors. This individual will be a member of the senior leadership team and will directly oversee a small team in the areas of development and communications, while serving as a senior level individual contributor and thought partner to the ED.

Fundraising Strategy Development & Execution (65%). The Director of Development will work with the ED and PCC’s senior leaders to support strategy development and execution in all areas of fundraising, development, and communications. The Director will work closely with the ED to provide senior level thought partnership and execute on plans to achieve annual goals in revenue generation, while putting in place effective grant management processes and timelines. The Director will be responsible for leading the production of PCC’s annual report, the 2025 Impact Report, and providing regular reporting to and engagement with our Investors Council and Board. This includes everything from strategic deployment of PCC team members across multiple initiatives to the timing of report releases.

• Manage the foundation grants cycle of the organization: build, innovative upon, and enhance organizational fundraising processes and procedures to ensure a collaborative and timely approach for proposal and budget creation, grant submission, ongoing engagement, and reporting.
• Lead PCC’s donor engagement and cultivation activities, and support the ED in her strategic engagement with funders.
• Lead strategy and execution for annual fundraising campaigns and events.
• Lead engagement with and reporting to PCC’s Investors Council, including tri-annual meetings, and the publication and distribution of the bi-annual Investors Council Report.
• Oversee the finalization and distribution of the organization’s first Annual Report and Impact Report; develop subsequent annual reports.
• Lead the team of individuals who have direct responsibility for fundraising and others involved in securing grant funds and reporting on organizational activities.

Communications & External Affairs (25%). The Director will play a lead role in developing messaging and collateral that tells PCC’s story, elevates our organization, attracts new supporters, and positively contributes to our ability to generate resources and recognition for our work.

• Work collaboratively with the ED and across departments to create and execute a vision for our organizational brand strategy that builds awareness of our work among key stakeholder groups.
• Develop the communications strategy and execute the annual communications plan for the organization that tells our organizational story, and elevates our programming and accomplishments in a compelling way.
• Oversee the production and release of all PCC communications materials, fundraising collateral, Board and funder presentation materials, organizational reports, briefs, web, and social media, as well as press outreach and engagement.
• Engage across PCC departments and mission priority areas to support consistent and compelling message, aligned with brand standards and organizational priorities.
• Lead the team of individuals who have direct responsibility for communications and external affairs, as well as manage messaging related to all aspects of PCC’s external facing communications across the PCC team.
• Serve as a brand ambassador to represent the organization at events, meetings, with the media, and for other public-facing opportunities.

Board Engagement & Volunteer Management (10%) – The Director will play a key role in engaging with the PCC Board of Directors, particularly as it relates to fundraising and cultivation of individual donors and foundation partners.

• Lead the management of the Development Committee of the PCC Board of Directors, including developing meeting agendas, co-facilitating regular meetings 4-6x per year, and structuring Committee presentations to the full Board.
• Engage with partners individually to leverage volunteers (Board, funders, other PCC champions) for fundraising purposes, including through campaigns, individual donor and Board cultivation, foundation prospecting, and fundraising/awareness-building events.
• Work closely with the ED to support the cultivation of a highly engaged and mission connected & aligned Board of Directors.

Key Duties & Responsibilities

• Develop effective partnerships with the Executive Director, Senior Leadership Team, Board of Directors, development staff, and staff across departments to design and fulfill annual fundraising and communications strategy and goals.
• Develop, oversee and direct the implementation of the annual development plan and annual fundraising goals and targets.
• Design strategies and tactics for sustainability, growth and success across all areas of fundraising.
• Develop and build upon an internal process for grants management, including proposal and budget development, relationship building, prospecting research, and outreach, and managing the prospect pipeline.
• Monitor fundraising results and consistently report progress to the ED and the Board of Directors.
• Supervise, mentor, and cultivate skill and capacity development for direct reports.
• Create new and improve existing materials for Board and Investor meetings with an eye toward engaging the particular needs and unique interest of these core constituencies.
• Represent PCC with foundation and individual funders and funder prospects, Board members and Board prospects, and other key external stakeholders, including state and legislative policy partners, elected and appointed officials, policymakers, state agencies, college and university leaders, media, organizational partners, and others.
• Other duties as assigned

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities & Dispositions

• Strong commitment to and alignment with PCC’s mission and familiarity with the priority areas of the organization.
• Commitment to PCC Core Beliefs:
  • Higher Education is a Fundamental Right for All Who Seek It – Our country will never realize the promise of equal opportunity for all without focusing on equity in higher education.
  • Systems are Flawed – Our systems are getting the results that they were designed to achieve and result in large gaps in degree completion that must be closed with urgency.
  • All Students Can Succeed – When given the right opportunities, tools, and supports all students can achieve.
  • Solutions and Resources Exist to Address Disparities – There is ample evidence that focusing time and resources on closing equity gaps in higher education works.
  • The Pursuit of Equity is a Marathon – Invest opportunities to ensure that your mental, physical, and emotional health are a priority.
• Compelling, clear, and effective communicator in writing and verbally, for internal and external audiences.
• Ability to work with diverse constituent groups, including staff and other stakeholders from all backgrounds and cultures.
• Development-oriented mindset; reflective, self-aware, open and responsive to feedback and driven to learn from setbacks. Likewise, able to give constructive and candid feedback both to staff across the organization and in managing up to the ED.
• Ability to travel within Illinois, and occasionally nationally, including to meetings and events, campus visits, and trips to the Illinois state capitol.
• Generative and able to thrive while working individually and as part of a team to advance mission-centered priorities in a lean, highly collaborative, high volume, and entrepreneurial environment.
• Ability to work under pressure and productively handle stress.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• A minimum of 7-10 years full-time work experience, with at least 3 years spent in a development role.
• At least 3 years of experience managing people/teams with demonstrated ability to lead high performing teams, support staff development and prepare team members for increased responsibility and promotion, and effectively address issues of performance improvement.
• Significant experience in planning and leading successful initiatives and projects from concept through planning and execution.
• Superior writing skills with ability to write effectively for varied audiences; experience producing written and visually appealing collateral material (organizational reports, briefs, fact sheets, blog posts, grant proposals, PPT presentations).
• Excellent problem-solving skills with a reputation for structured critical thinking.
• A track record of strategic leadership and excellence operating at the senior/executive level of an organization, department or unit.
• Strong ability to build relationships and effectively work internally and across teams with and without formal reporting authority in a hybrid office environment.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence positive change among a variety of audiences – including through written communication, interpersonal communication, and presentation skills.
• In addition to development and fundraising expertise, ideal candidate would also have demonstrated expertise in one or more of the following areas: marketing, communications, external affairs, media, people, culture building, professional writing (e.g. research/reports, organizational communications, academic writing, or journalism).

Compensation & Benefits

The salary range for the Director of Development & External Affairs is $110,000 – $125,000 annually, commensurate with experience, along with a generous benefits plan that includes health/dental; 403B plan with a generous company match (up to 5%); short and long-term disability; holiday, vacation, and sick accrual; flexible, hybrid work schedule; paid parental leave; access to professional and wellness opportunities; a number of other elective and competitive benefits such as vision insurance. Individuals with experience commensurate with PCC’s Senior Director title will be considered for a position at that level with the associated increased salary band.

Commitment to Diversity

The Partnership for College Completion is an equal opportunity employer with a commitment to building a diverse team and to engaging the skills and leadership of people of color, individuals from low-income households, LGBTQ+ persons, differently-abled people, and others that hold identities that represent the significant diversity of college students in Illinois. People from these and other historically marginalized backgrounds and communities are strongly encouraged to apply. We look forward to hearing from you!

Virtual and In-Office Workplace

PCC currently maintains a flexible, hybrid work environment.

COVID-19

COVID-19 vaccination and corresponding documentation must be provided by all employees in advance of their start date.

Please send a resume and cover letter, with the subject line, “Director of Development & External Affairs” to apply@partnershipfcc.org. Resumes will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis.

PCC is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment based on sex, race, color, ancestry, citizenship, ethnicity, national origin, religion, age, ability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, pregnancy or any other characteristic protected under federal, state, or local law.