Managing Director, Development (Chicago)

Managing Director, Development

This role may be based in the Bay Area, New York, or Chicago. Remote candidates will be considered if based in a major philanthropic hub.

About Us

UpStart accelerates growth, nurtures ideas, and advances new experiences for the Jewish community by connecting impact-driven entrepreneurs to expertise, community, and capital.

UpStart was founded over fifteen years ago with a sole focus : to accelerate the success of social entrepreneurs fueling a renaissance in Jewish life. Since then, we have invested in hundreds of ventures and their leaders while cultivating an ecosystem of institutional leaders and funders committed to Jewish community change. We are excited to be actively implementing a new Strategic Plan to put social entrepreneurs at the center of everything we do.

Inclusive Hiring Commitment

UpStart is powered by Jewish wisdom, ethics, and values. We believe these elements of Judaism help shape diverse, inclusive, equitable and vibrant communities. As such, we aspire to build an entrepreneurial ecosystem that models a future that is more diverse, equitable, inclusive, and just. Statistics show that women and structurally marginalized and / or underrepresented groups of people need to see themselves in almost 100% of the requirements in a job posting to apply. We welcome you to apply even if you don't meet 100% of the qualifications, as no one applicant ever does.

UpStart strongly encourages applications from individuals with varied identities and backgrounds, including people of color, women, people with disabilities, immigrants, LGBTQIA people, and people who come from low-income or working-class backgrounds. As an equal opportunity employer, all individuals are encouraged to apply without regard to race, color, religion, age, disability, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, ancestry, genetic information, medical condition, veteran status, or any other class protected under federal, state, or local laws.

Position Summary

UpStart seeks a visionary, strategic, and results-driven leader to serve as our Managing Director, Development. This key leadership position is responsible for driving UpStart's philanthropic revenue strategy to fuel long-term growth and impact. With a $5 million annual budget and aspirations to grow, we're looking for someone who excels at building strong relationships, confidently makes bold asks, and secures transformational gifts.

The Managing Director will report directly to the CEO and serve as a strategic partner in mobilizing a distributed development model that includes the CEO, Deputy CEO, Chief Philanthropic Engagement Officer, Senior Director of Major Gifts & Board Relations, and Grants & Development Operations Manager. This role will coordinate those efforts and drive the development plan forward while also building a robust pipeline of major donors and institutional funders. While UpStart is focused on diversifying revenue through earned income, this role is singularly focused on philanthropy. The Managing Director will also directly supervise the Senior Director of Board Relations & Major Gifts, guiding strategy to engage, activate, and steward board members as philanthropic champions.

Our work is deeply rooted in community and Jewish values, including how we engage with questions of Jewish peoplehood and the Land, People, and State of Israel. This role requires a nuanced understanding of how conversations about Israel intersect with North American Jewish identity and the ability to navigate those conversations with a wide range of stakeholders.

This role may be based in the Bay Area, New York, or Chicago. Remote candidates will be considered if based in a major philanthropic hub. The role requires up to 20% travel.

Responsibilities

Strategic Fundraising and Development Leadership

• Drive all aspects of philanthropic revenue growth, with a focus on major gifts, foundations, and institutional partnerships.
• Develop and execute a comprehensive fundraising strategy to grow and diversify revenue from the current $5M base.
• Partner with the CEO, Deputy CEO, and other senior leaders to support their donor portfolios and elevate the culture of philanthropy across the organization.
• Identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward a portfolio of major donors and foundation prospects.
• Integrate a revenue diversification lens into development strategy, in partnership with the Chief Philanthropic Engagement Officer.

Board Development & Engagement

This job description is intended to convey information essential to understanding the scope of the position. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of skills, efforts, duties, or responsibilities associated with the position.

Skills and Experience

Compensation and Benefits

To ensure equitable compensation, UpStart uses labor market benchmarking as the basis for establishing the salaries of employees across all roles at the organization. Biennial labor market benchmarking is conducted by an independent third-party partner retained to review available data and analyze the rates of pay being offered by organizations similar to UpStart located in the Bay Area, CA. Aligned with this practice, and in support of upholding internal equity, we don't negotiate salaries. The starting annual salary for this role is $145.

In addition to a competitive salary, UpStart currently offers the following benefits :

How to Apply

Use the fields below to submit your resume and a thoughtful, one-page cover letter to our hiring team.

UpStart is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, UpStart will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided accommodations. If accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and / or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact Sydney Hirsch at sydneyh@upstartlab.org.

Here's an overview of our hiring process :