Vice President of Development

ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIP FOR LOS ANGELES SCHOOLS

Launched in 2007, the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools’ mission is to transform schools to revolutionize school systems, empowering all students with a high-quality education. The Partnership is a non-profit, in-district partner to LA Unified, not a charter network. As an independent nonprofit organization, the Partnership serves 13,550 students across 20 LA Unified schools in Boyle Heights, South Los Angeles, and Watts. The Partnership works within the LA Unified School District context, which includes honoring all collective bargaining agreements for its teachers and school staff.

ABOUT THE POSITION

The Vice President (VP) of Development will have an exciting and rewarding opportunity to help build the Partnership’s next phase of transformative growth and impact. A highly strategic, passionate, and proactive leader, the VP will serve as the chief architect and driver of the Partnership’s growing philanthropic revenue strategy, responsible for delivering an ambitious and phased five-year income plan that will secure increasing levels of support each succeeding year.

The VP will be a collaborative, result-oriented, and dynamic strategist who will provide vision, strategic direction, and leadership for the Partnership's development programs to attract philanthropic support principally from individuals and foundations, including annual, major, and planned giving; corporate and foundation gifts and grants; stewardship programs; donor marketing; and other development-related activities. This position reports directly to the Chief External Relations Officer (CXO) and works closely with the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), and engages with the Board of Directors to help increase the Partnership’s relationships with all new and existing prospects and constituencies to secure new and increasing levels of private and institutional support.

The VP of Development will build and support a high-performing team, strengthen systems and structures, and foster a capacity and culture of philanthropy across the organization. The VP will have a direct and positive impact on the 2025-2030 strategic plan through developing an organization-wide culture of philanthropy, major and principal donor strategy, and timely execution at one of the nation’s largest in-district transformation organizations.

POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES

Position responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Fundraising Strategy & Culture

• Design and execute a multi-year fundraising strategy aligned with organizational vision and strategic plan, including annual targets and gift table plans
• Personally manage and grow a portfolio of top prospects and donors, including individuals, foundations, and corporations, with a focus on high-net-worth individuals and multi-year transformational gifts
• Oversee development of compelling cases for support, tailored donor communications, and stewardship strategies to strengthen relationships and secure flexible, unrestricted funding
• Expand and refine prospect pipeline, integrating historical context and new identification strategies to diversify and grow the donor base
• Serve as a trusted advisor and collaborative thought partner to the CEO, CXO, and Board of Directors, and share responsibility with these team players on fundraising strategy execution
• Regularly brief the CEO and Executive Team on revenue performance, emerging opportunities, and fundraising risks
• Serve as a dynamic external face for the Partnership, representing the organization at major events, donor meetings, and public forums to increase visibility and inspire investment
• In collaboration with the organization’s communications team, elevate the voices and stories of students, families, and school communities in donor-facing communications
• Build and embed a collaborative, organization-wide fundraising culture, engaging board members, executive leadership, and program teams as active fundraising partners

Internal Capacity-Building & Systems Management

• Equip internal stakeholders with tools, training, and messaging to confidently support donor cultivation and stewardship efforts
• Champion the Partnership’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in all team and external fundraising activities
• Strengthen internal systems and processes for prospect management, donor tracking, stewardship, and revenue reporting to ensure accountability and data-driven decision-making
• Oversee the use and optimization of CRM tools (e.g., Raiser’s Edge) to support robust pipeline development and "pipeline health" dashboards to monitor progress, identify gaps, and proactively adjust cultivation strategies
• Ensure operational excellence and sustainability in all fundraising activities, positioning the organization for long-term financial resilience

Leadership & Team Management

• Lead, build, inspire, and support a high-performing Development Team that grows an increasingly larger and diverse base of support by increasing donors and prospects, ensuring effective management, and maximizing strategic donor engagements
• Mentor the Development Team members through individualized coaching, instilling a growth mindset, engaging in identity-based learning and management practices, and community-building, with an expectation of 25% or more of time dedicated to team and individual management
• Model effective cross-functional collaboration, project management, and alignment to organizational values and priorities
• Serve as a member of the Chief External Officer leadership team and provide thought partnership and collaboration to CXO, E-team, and other team members

MAJOR OBJECTIVES

Within the first 12-18 months, the VP of Development will achieve the following major objectives:

• Build strong, collaborative, and trusting relationships through visible, confident, and capable leadership with the CEO, CXO, Executive Team, Board of Directors, school leadership, teachers, students, community partners, donors, volunteers, and external stakeholders.
• Plan, develop, and implement a strategic development plan that prioritizes the Partnership’s funding needs and private support that will raise $10.5 million in philanthropic support, of which $7.4 million is highly committed.
• Strengthen internal and Board fundraising capacity by strengthening the Partnership’s culture of philanthropy, supporting the Board’s Fundraising Committee, improving systems for stewardship and donor tracking, and increasing donor pipeline and cultivation strategies.
• Roll out a fundraising-aligned communications strategy that centers equity, elevates the Partnership’s narrative, and deepens connection to impact across donor and community audiences.
• Close the current gap to the year’s goal with several funding wins while adopting a more ambitious approach to overall fundraising efforts.

REQUIREMENTS & QUALIFICATIONS

• A minimum of 7-10 years of progressively responsible development leadership experience with a strong track record of securing multi-year funding and building diversified and unrestricted revenue streams
• Proven experience in raising and leading teams to secure significant major gifts at the six- and seven-figure level, including events and campaigns
• Proven ability to hire, manage, motivate, and retain a diverse team of professionals that strive to achieve and exceed annual goals in an open, transparent, and inclusive manner
• Deep expertise in cultivating high-level donor and foundation relationships, including grant writing and stewardship of major institutional funders
• Experience as a proactive, goal-oriented, and data-informed development leader with demonstrated success in building productive, long-term relationships with senior administrators, community leaders, boards, volunteers, and donors
• Excellent inspiring and persuasive interpersonal and communication skills with experience serving as an external ambassador to diverse audiences, including Board members and community partners
• Strong emotional intelligence and people-centered leadership skills, with the ability to foster a culture of care, model curiosity-driven problem-solving, and resolve conflicts with empathy
• Ability to cast a clear and mission-aligned strategy and vision, and bring others along through goal-setting, progress monitoring, and executing day-to-day work
• Strong skills in managing multiple projects and priorities in a fast-paced environment
• Familiarity with CRM platforms (Raiser’s Edge preferred)
• K-12 public education experience valued, but not required
• A deep belief in the power of our communities, the Partnership’s mission, approach, and core values
• A commitment to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environment for all team members
• A willingness to learn, grow, and model the Partnership competencies: Anti-racism, root cause analysis, long-term thinking, teaming and collaboration, psychological safety, and learning and growth

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

The Partnership’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion extends to our compensation practices. Our goal is to ensure that salaries are fair for all staff members who hold many intersectional identities, and we set salaries based on a robust compensation model grounded in consistency and transparency.

The salary range for this position is $170,000-$210,000. The exact salary for this position is set through the Partnership’s compensation policy and is dependent on the candidate’s relevant skills, experiences, and organizational tenure. In support of our vision for pay equity, candidate salaries are determined by a formula and we do not negotiate.

The Partnership also offers a robust benefits package including employer-paid health, dental, and vision insurance for employees and their dependents; a 403(b) retirement program with employee match and vesting; parental and sabbatical leaves; a professional development allowance; and generous paid time off.