Development Manager

Title: Development Manager

Reports to: Chief Development Officer

Location: Remote in Washington D.C., California, Georgia, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, Illinois.

MISSION

National Skills Coalition is a coalition advocating for an America that grows its economy by investing in its people, so that every worker and every industry has the skills to compete and prosper. A greater diversity of Americans will have access to a better life, and a greater number of local businesses will see growth, if high-quality, inclusive skills training is a more central part of our nation’s workforce, education, economic and anti-poverty policies. NSC staff, members and allies engage in organizing, advocacy, and communications to advance state and federal policies in pursuit of these goals.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Development Manager plays a key role in supporting NSC’s overall fundraising and partnership strategy, helping to cultivate and maintain strong relationships with institutional investors, corporate partners, and other supporters. Through thoughtful stewardship and consistent engagement, the Manager helps advance NSC’s strategic resource development goals.

The Manager supports the implementation of strategies to identify, cultivate and steward foundation and corporate funders; manages day-to-day grant-related activities; and helps position donors as strategic partners in advancing NSC’s mission. This role works closely with internal teams to coordinate proposal development, reporting, and funder communications, and provides administrative and coordination support to the Board of Directors. The Development Manager reports to the Chief Development Officer.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Proposal Development & Grant Writing

• Grant Administration: Lead the development of compelling grant proposals, letters of inquiry, and concept notes. Partner with program team to translate federal and state workforce policy strategies into clear, persuasive narratives.
• Proposals: Manage the proposal process from start to finish, leveraging and adapting existing program and organizational content.

Grants Management, Stewardship, and Cultivation

• Grant Deliverables and Reports: Support grant stewards in completing grant requirements, including publications, events, social media posts, and final reports. Develop and maintain an organizational system for tracking grant deliverables.
• Stewardship: Coordinate and manage timelines for internal scoping, renewal discussions, and external funder meetings. Prepare stewardship call agendas, capture meeting notes, and coordinate with stewards to log next steps in the project management system. Support stewards in donor relations. Partner with the Executive Team to assign stewards to new grants or make stewardship changes as necessary.
• Cultivation: Lead the preparation of prospect research briefs and meeting agendas.
• Funder Engagement: Coordinate scheduling with prospective and existing funders; and capture key takeaways and next steps from check-in calls.

Individual Giving

• Support the growth of NSC’s individual giving program by coordinating donor communications, acknowledgments, and stewardship touchpoints.
• Assist in preparing donor briefings, prospect research, and meeting materials for individual donor cultivation.
• Contribute to the implementation of digital campaigns and other initiatives designed to expand NSC’s base of individual supporters.
• Maintain accurate records of individual donor engagement and giving activity in development systems.

Event Sponsorship

• Support sponsorship outreach and stewardship for Skills Summit, convenings, and other strategic initiatives.
• Coordinate sponsor deliverables, recognition, and benefits associated with events and partnerships.
• Track sponsorship commitments and ensure timely follow-up with sponsors before and after events.
• Assist in preparing sponsorship materials and briefing documents for external partners.

Operations

• Information and Project Management: Maintain transparent, effective systems to track development projects, pipeline activity, files, notes, and contact information, ensuring accuracy and consistency with broader organizational protocols.
• Operations Support: Review and prepare grant agreements for signature.
• Compliance: Maintain certifications from transparency organizations such as GuideStar and Charity Navigator.

Board & Governance Support

• Coordinate logistics and scheduling for board and Committee meetings, ensuring compliance with bylaws and notice requirements.
• Partner with the Chief Development Officer, CEO, and Board Chair to prepare meeting agendas and assemble board packets, including development and institutional giving reports.
• Track and follow up on board and committee action items related to fundraising and strategic priorities.
• Maintain accurate board rosters, term tracking, and governance records (e.g., conflict-of-interest forms, committee assignments).
• Support new board members onboarding by preparing governance and development materials.
• Ensure board actions and materials are properly documented and archived for compliance and audit purposes.

Excellent benefits package, including employer-paid health and dental, retirement plan, life and disability insurance and generous vacation policy.  

National Skills Coalition is an Equal Opportunity Employer.    

QUALIFICATIONS

• 3-5 years development experience
• Experience in 1 or more of the following areas: grant writing, proposal development, grant management, prospect research
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills, including the ability to write and edit persuasively as well as tailor materials to different audiences
• Strong people skills and ability to build relationships internally and externally
• Excellent attention to detail and organizational skills
• Ability to manage multiple competing priorities and complete projects successfully as planned
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively to meet goals and deadlines

ORGANIZATIONAL CORE COMPETENCIES

Collaboration, Partnership and Coalition Building The ability to work cooperatively and inclusively with others, cultivate positive and trusting relationships, and generate necessary buy-in to achieve shared goals among partners

Communication The ability to understand audiences and communicate productively, effectively, and inclusively

Project Management and Goal Execution The ability to effectively manage time, resources, and priorities to achieve desired project and task outcomes and strategic goals

Equity and Inclusion The ability to create, maintain, and improve a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace and partner community where all can thrive; the ability to ensure that our work reflects our commitment to racial equity and inclusion

Resourcefulness and Strategic Thinking The ability to anticipate and respond to problems that may not have obvious answers with creativity and a solutions-oriented mindset and to see the big picture and anticipate opportunities, environmental changes and challenges to guide the organization toward its objectives

Technical Expertise The technical abilities to be successful in a role and the growth mindset to continue developing those abilities