About Breakthrough Central Texas

Breakthrough is the leading college access and success non profit in Central Texas. For more than 20 years, we have partnered with thousands of middle and high school students who aspire to be the first in their family to graduate with a degree or certificate. We make a radical, long-term commitment to students, to and through college, unlocking the power of education and a lifetime of opportunity. We support the whole student with personalized services, work closely with community partners, campuses, and employers, and advocate for our students with lawmakers. Breakthrough students attend 60+ public schools and persist at nearly 100 colleges and universities. The result is that nearly 60% of Breakthrough students graduate from college, compared to 15% of low-income students in our region. Our work has resulted in more than 350 college graduates, with nearly 3,500 on their way, positively impacting families for generations, our region’s educational access, and the Central Texas economy.

Why Work at Breakthrough Central Texas
By working for Breakthrough Central Texas, you will help hundreds of students achieve their dreams of success and receive the high-quality education they deserve. Breakthrough is an organization committed to its students and recognizes that our greatest resource to support them is our dedicated and talented staff.  If you believe all young people deserve the opportunity to achieve postsecondary success and you desire to work at an organization committed to its employees and building the strongest team culture anywhere, then join us!  

About the Senior Director of Development Role

The Senior Director of Development is a senior leader on the Development & Communications team, responsible for the strategic direction and execution of Breakthrough’s individual and foundation giving programs, including annual appeals, major gifts, giving communities, grant programs, fundraising events, and development operations. As a result, the Senior Director plays a critical role in the growth and sustainability of Breakthrough’s philanthropic programs, in delivering meaningful year-round giving and engagement opportunities, and in building operational infrastructure for a high-functioning development team. Reporting to the Chief Development & Communications Officer (CDCO), this role oversees a talented team and collaborates closely with fellow department and organizational leadership, board members, and volunteers to collectively raise $12M in total annual revenue, with anticipated growth to $15M in the next 3-4 years, and support the successful completion of the $30M Pathways to Opportunity Campaign, now in its public phase. 

Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership of Individual Giving

• Set vision and strategy for a comprehensive individual giving program that fuels organizational priorities, aligns with community-centric values, prioritizes donor retention and lifetime value, and drives sustained growth in both revenue and donors.  
• Prepare and execute annual development plan, guiding individual giving team in design and implementation of meaningful, mission-centric giving and engagement opportunities for individual donors of all levels to achieve current $5M annual individual goal with anticipated year-over-year growth.
• Provide strategic direction and support to the Development Manager to lead integrated annual campaigns (e.g. Amplify Austin, seasonal campaigns, recurring giving, Honor Roll giving community) and donor stewardship strategy, including compelling, strength-based content, segmentation, multi-channel tactics, budget management, and coordination with major gifts.  
• Partner closely with the Director of Philanthropy to lead identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship for $5,000–$1M+ gifts; support select priority solicitations and completion of Pathways to Opportunity Campaign, now in its public phase.
• Lead and refine moves management systems, including standards of service, qualification and portfolio review practices that foster collaboration and alignment across the individual giving team.
• Cultivate and steward a portfolio of 25-50 key donors and prospects through personalized engagement plans that foster generosity and connection, modeling best practices for the team and directly contributing to revenue results. 
• Design metrics and reporting to monitor program health and performance

Committee & Volunteer Management

• In partnership with CDCO and other relevant team members, lead the strategy and execution for project-based development committees, including: Benefit Concert Host Committee, Honor Roll Steering Committee, and future campaign/philanthropy committees. 
• Lead recruitment and engagement of volunteer fundraising leaders; design clear roles, goals, training, and activation plans to support giving and engagement strategies
• Equip board members and volunteers with talking points, materials, and coaching for inclusive, highly relational donor engagement

Events & Donor Engagement

• Provide vision and leadership for Breakthrough cultivation and fundraising events, including signature fundraiser Breakthrough Benefit Concert, overseeing strategy, revenue goals, budget, donor experience, and related engagement activities
• Supervise the contract event producer responsible for event logistics and project management (e.g. timelines, vendor management, and event execution)
• Lead cross-functional coordination to regularly evaluate fundraising events for strategic alignment, impact, and return on investment. 

Strategic Leadership of Foundation Giving

• Under the direction and in collaboration with CDCO, determine transition plan for strategic oversight of grant‑based foundation giving (distinct from corporate partnerships and government/non‑philanthropic grants), including supervision of Associate Director of Grant Partnerships
• Post-transition, regularly strategy development and grant review, ensuring high quality proposals, reports, and relationship-management that align with organizational priorities. 

Development Operations, Data, & Reporting

• Oversee operational excellence across gift processing, acknowledgements, data hygiene, and monthly reconciliation; uphold compliance and ethical fundraising standards.
• Drive continuous improvement of CRM and other technology and data management tools (currently Virtuous, BetterUnite), segmentation, reporting and analytics, and insights to enable data‑driven strategy and forecasting.
• With Development Manager and Associate, build scalable systems, regularly update operating procedures, and provide ongoing training for the Development & Communications team. 
• Lead reporting and insights to CDCO, Executive Director, Board of Trustees, funders, and community stakeholders, highlighting results, recent activity, priority actions, and progress on fundraising strategies and campaigns.

Team Leadership & Development

• Supervise, support, develop, and evaluate Development Manager, Director of Philanthropy, and Associate Director of Grant Partnerships, and provide strong team leadership to indirect reports so they are positioned to excel in their roles. 
• Serve on the Development & Communications leadership team, supporting team strategy development, implementation, budget planning and forecasting, and cross-functional alignment.
• Foster a healthy, inclusive, high-trust culture within the department and contribute to positive organizational culture and culture of philanthropy across Breakthrough. 

About the Senior Director of Development Role

The ideal candidate is a proven high performer who wants to contribute to a transformational mission as a member of our high-functioning development team. You bring extensive experience in nonprofit development, with a track record of building and leading teams, managing complex projects, and driving measurable fundraising results. You are recognized for your high emotional intelligence, strategic thinking, and meticulous attention to detail, and you excel in stakeholder and donor engagement, data-driven decision making, systems management, and cross-functional leadership. You also bring experience and demonstrated capacity in the following areas:

• Fundraising Experience: extensive direct fundraising experience (minimum 10 years), including  annual giving campaigns and fundraising events (required), grants management (required), major gifts (required), multi-million dollar campaigns (preferred), and planned giving (preferred).
• Annual Giving Expertise: Demonstrated skill in developing compelling, multi-channel annual giving campaigns, activating giving circles and peer-to-peer fundraising, designing inclusive, mission-forward cultivation and fundraising events, and managing donor pipeline. 
• Grant Writing Expertise: Demonstrated skill in case development, writing successful grant proposals and reports, and management of the grants process. 
• Major Gifts Expertise:  Demonstrated skill in developing and following through on strategies to engage prospective and current donors in the cycle of cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship. 
• Relationship Building & Activating Others: Emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills to connect authentically with people in one-on-one and meeting/group settings, identify donor motivations, cultivate trust, and motivate internal and external stakeholders to take action.
• Supervision & Talent Development: Demonstrated experience building and leading teams, providing coaching, effective feedback and training, and supporting direct reports to set priorities, build skills, meet goals, and grow toward professional aims.   
• Knowledge of Philanthropy Trends: Strong understanding of current trends and best practices in charitable giving and community-centric fundraising; familiarity with the Central Texas philanthropic landscape preferred.
• Student-Centered Impact Orientation: Commitment to aligning fundraising strategy with measurable outcomes that support student success.
• Inclusive Communication: Ability to craft clear, compelling messages (written and spoken) that communicate Breakthrough’s mission, programs, theory of change, and strategic priorities with strength-based framing and cultural humility.
• Strategic Thinking & Managing Complexity: Sound judgment, adaptability, and a bias toward action in ambiguous situations.
• Continuous Learning & Collaboration: Growth mindset, openness to feedback, and ability to work effectively within and across teams to achieve shared goals, with an awareness of positional power and lived experience.
• Operational Excellence: Strong organizational and project management skills, meticulous attention to detail, follow-through, and resourcefulness in prioritizing time and leveraging networks for impact.
• Tech-Savvy and Adaptable: Proficient with donor databases (Virtuous preferred), prospect research tools, Microsoft Office and Google Workspace; comfortable learning and adopting new technologies to enhance efficiency and donor engagement.

Reporting Relationships

The Senior Director of Development is a full-time position that reports to the Chief Development & Communications Officer. Direct reports include the Director of Philanthropy, Development Manager (supervising Development Associate), Associate Director of Grant Partnership (supervising contract grant writer), and contract event producer. This role is part of a growing team with potential to add staff in future years. 

Location 

Hybrid position requiring in-office collaboration at least 3 days per week. 

Compensation & Benefits

• Competitive annual salary between $94,000-$120.000, based on experience and qualifications
• Health, dental and vision insurance; Breakthrough pays 100% of employee only premiums 
• Life insurance 
• Matching 401K retirement plan 
• Thirty days of annualized PTO 
• Generous leave policy

Breakthrough Central Texas is committed to a policy of equal treatment and opportunity in every aspect of its relations with its applicants, staff members, and families, without regard to race, color, ethnicity, religion, gender identity and gender expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, marital status, military status, pregnancy, or parenthood. People of diverse backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply.