Roles & Responsibilities

The Director of Development is the strategic and operational leader of the school’s advancement and fundraising initiatives. This role oversees all aspects of annual giving, major gifts, special events, stewardship, donor communications, and the school’s long-term philanthropic strategy. The Director of Development is a member of the senior school leadership team, collaborates closely with the Head of School and Board of Trustees, and leads efforts to cultivate a deeply engaged, generous, and mission-aligned community of supporters. The Director of Development's work will include:

Strategic Leadership & Fundraising

• Develop, implement, and evaluate a comprehensive annual development plan aligned with the school’s mission, values, and strategic priorities.
  
• Lead all aspects of annual giving, including parent, alumni, grandparent, faculty/staff, and board campaigns, ensuring strong participation and year-over-year growth.
• Identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward major gift prospects; build a sustainable pipeline of donors capable of making leadership and transformational gifts.
• Work closely with the Head of School to support donor strategy, portfolio management, and high-level stewardship.
  

Donor Engagement & Stewardship

• Create and implement a donor stewardship program that recognizes contributions meaningfully and inspires continued investment.
• Build strong relationships with parents, alumni, trustees, and community partners through one-on-one engagement, events, and strategic communications.
• Oversee donor research, prospect tracking, and moves management systems.
  

Events & Community Engagement

• Serve as executive lead for major school fundraising events ensuring exceptional execution, high donor engagement, and strong ROI.
  Support and guide volunteer committees and parent leaders involved in fundraising and community engagement.
• Oversee cultivation and stewardship events, including donor thank-you gatherings, grandparent events, and community-building programs.
  

Communications & Advancement Operations

• Oversee all development-related communications, including appeals, stewardship letters, impact reports, and fundraising collateral.
• Manage development data and reporting, ensuring integrity, accuracy, and confidentiality in the school’s CRM.
• Prepare fundraising dashboards, reports, and analytics for the Head of School, Board of Trustees, and Development Committee.
  

Leadership & Collaboration

• Serve as a member of the school’s leadership team; contribute to strategic planning and institutional priorities.
• Partner with the Head of School, MPO Co-Chairs, board trustees, Director of Admissions, Director of Communications, and Director of School Operations to ensure aligned messaging and coordinated outreach.
• Support Board-level committees (Development, Governance, Strategic Planning), acting as staff liaison and advisor on philanthropy.

Teamwork & Learning

• Embody MCS’s core values in your daily interactions with children, families and staffulty.
• Seek out and embrace opportunities for collaboration with colleagues across the school.
• Model lifelong learning: Seek out opportunities for learning and development, including opportunities to learn from peer feedback from your colleagues.
• Complete all required and requested administrative responsibilities in a timely manner and within the timeline given

Skills & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree
• Minimum of 5–7 years of progressive experience in nonprofit development, preferably in independent schools or educational institutions
• Demonstrated success in major gifts, donor cultivation, and closing significant philanthropic commitments
• Strong leadership, communication, and relationship-building skills
• Experience planning and executing fundraising events
• Proficiency with CRM and donor database systems
• Ability to think strategically and execute tactically
• Outstanding writing skills and comfort with public speaking
• Comfort working in a fast-paced, highly relational environment
• Experience managing volunteers, boards, or fundraising committees
• Experience working in independent schools (preferred, not required)

Mindsets

• Commitment to MCS’ mission, vision and core values
• Demonstrated capacity to collaborate effectively as a member of a results-oriented, high-performing team, including monthly whole-staffulty meetings and professional development days throughout the school year
• Commitment to living out principles of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging
• Sound professional judgment and decision-making skills 
• Capacity to share and receive and implement feedback with grace and agility
• High level of emotional intelligence, integrity and humor
• High level of personal organization, planning and follow-through

Essential Job Functions

The physical demands described here represent essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.

• The role is performed primarily in a school setting and requires the physical stamina necessary to engage with elementary-aged children throughout the day.
• Duties include frequent standing, walking, bending, kneeling, crouching, stooping, reaching, and sitting at children’s level, including teaching full lessons while seated on the floor.
• The position requires the ability to lift, carry, push, or pull items weighing up to 50 pounds, such as classroom materials or emergency supplies, and to assist a child if needed for safety purposes.
• The employee must be able to use hands and fingers to handle or manipulate materials, including Montessori materials of various sizes, shapes, and textures.
• The employee must be able to move quickly and safely in response to student behaviors or emergency situations, both indoors and outdoors.
• Vision abilities include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus, necessary for observing children, reading instructional materials, and using a computer.
• Hearing and speaking abilities are required to communicate clearly with students, staff, and parents; give instructions; participate in meetings; and respond to safety concerns or emergencies.
• The employee is regularly exposed to indoor and outdoor environmental conditions, including varying weather, moderate noise levels, and the typical hazards associated with supervising active children.
• Regular in-person communication and collaboration with parents, colleagues, administrators, and other members of the school community is required.

Employee must be legally authorized to work in the United States without employer sponsorship. All MCS employees must clear a DOJ/FBI background check (LiveScan), must provide a negative TB test, must know the school emergency procedures, and must perform other duties not specifically stated as directed by the Head of School.

About Montessori Center School

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