The Director of Development (DoD) is responsible for directing all aspects of the New Mexico fundraising program, which will secure significant financial resources from foundations, corporations, and individuals to support The Nature Conservancy’s priorities in New Mexico and around the world. They will establish the vision for areas of responsibility, identify key challenges, develop and implement fundraising plans, and deliver targeted outcomes. The DoD will lead and oversee a team that focuses on major gift fundraising and outreach, including multi-year fundraising campaigns, major (6 and 7-figure) gift fundraising, donor prospecting, strategic communications, planned giving, research, and stewardship. They are responsible for recruiting, developing and retaining high-performing development staff and nurturing effective collaboration with a geographically dispersed team. The DoD reports directly to the New Mexico State Director and serves on the New Mexico business unit’s management team. 

The Director of Development will work towards meeting the strategic priorities of the program by developing and managing plans and strategies. They are responsible for ensuring the programmatic work is a collaborative and well-integrated effort within development and across the organization, including organizing internal communications. They focus on long-range strategic priorities, advance the Conservancy’s goals, and communicate a broad vision to others. They manage vendor relationships, as needed. They work with teams to establish and track measures and lead indicators of progress and success. They will lead diverse activities, develop complex processes, project outcomes, and initiate solutions to improve effectiveness. The DoD leverages constructive and effective relationships with a wide range of people, including senior management, donors, volunteers, public and private sector colleagues, and partners including financial/legal advisors. 

The DoD will be responsible for a select group of prospects and donors. The size of the portfolio will be determined in part with consideration for the scope of supervisory responsibility. They may be responsible for volunteer engagement and managing selected trustee relationships. 

They will travel frequently and on short notice, work long hours and weekends.  The work environment may involve infrequent exposure to disagreeable elements and minor physical exertion and/or strain. This is a hybrid position based out of the Santa Fe, New Mexico office.

We’re Looking for You:

The DoD will bring the best out of the development team and staff at large with their thought-leadership, proactive spirit, metrics-driven and inclusive approach, while also providing opportunities for work-life balance to staff. They will create a working environment of trust, transparency, innovation, efficiency, and growth. 

Are you passionate about helping people and nature? Guided by science, TNC creates innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world’s toughest challenges so that people and nature can thrive together. We’re looking for someone who can lead, retain, and develop a passionate team of, and be a key leader within the business unit. The Conservancy is a global conservation leader and one of the top fundraising charities in the United States. If you have experience supervising a team, closing principal & major gifts, and working cross-functionally in a complex non-profit environment, the Nature Conservancy may be the place for you.

What You’ll Bring:

1. Bachelor’s degree and 7 years related experience.
2. Experience asking for and closing major gifts (6-and-7-figure range).
3. Experience building and maintaining long-term relationships with fundraising constituents such as major donors, foundations and corporations.
4. Experience in planning and delivering budgetary responsibilities.
5. Experience managing and supervising a multidisciplinary team.
6. Experience, coursework, or other training in principles, practices, and procedures of charitable giving, particularly in the areas of capital campaigns, major gifts and planned giving.

Salary Information:

An attractive salary and benefits package is part of TNC’s value proposition to our employees. TNC strives to provide competitive pay and base salaries on the geographic location of the role committing to being equitable across groups and providing hiring salary ranges when possible.

The starting pay range for a candidate selected for this position is generally within the range of $117,500 - $150,000 for annual base salary. This range only applies to candidates whose country of employment is the USA. Where a successful candidate’s actual pay will fall within this range will be based on a variety of factors, including, for example, the candidate's location, qualifications, specific skills, and experience. Please note countries outside the USA would have a different pay range in the local currency based on the local labor market, and not tied to USA pay or ranges. Your geographic location will be confirmed during the recruitment.

Who We Are:

The Nature Conservancy’s mission is to protect the lands and waters upon which all life depends. As a science-based organization, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world’s toughest challenges so that we can create a world in which people and nature thrive.We’re rooted in our Mission and guided by our Values, which includes a Commitment to Diversity and Respect for People, Communities, and Cultures. Whether it’s career development, flexible schedules, or a rewarding mission, there’s lots of reasons to love life #insideTNC. Want a better insight to TNC? Check out our TNC Talent playlist on YouTube  or on Glassdoor.  

Our goal is to cultivate an inclusive work environment so that all our colleagues around the globe feel a sense of belonging, and that their unique contributions to our mission are valued. We know we’ll only achieve our Mission by hiring and engaging a diverse workforce that reflects the communities in which we work. In addition to the requirements in our postings, we recognize that people come with talent and experiences outside of a job. Diversity of experience and skills combined with passion is a key to innovation and a culture of inclusion!

Please apply – we’d love to hear from you. To quote myriad TNC staff members, “you’ll join for our mission, and you’ll stay for our people.”

What We Bring:

Since 1951, The Nature Conservancy has been doing work you can believe in protecting the lands and waters that all life depends on. Through grassroots action, TNC has grown to become one of the most effective and wide-reaching environmental organizations in the world. Thanks to more than 1 million members, over 400 scientists, and the dedicated efforts of our diverse staff, we impact conservation throughout the world!

The Nature Conservancy offers a competitive, comprehensive benefits package including: health care benefits, flexible spending accounts, 401(k) plan including employer match, parental leave, accrued paid time off, life insurance, disability coverage, employee assistance program, other life and work wellbeing benefits. Learn more about our benefits at in the Culture Tab on nature.org/careers.

We’re proud to offer a work-environment that is supportive of the health, wellbeing, and flexibility needs of the people we employ!

This description is not designed to be a complete list of all duties and responsibilities required for this job.

Apply Now:

Please apply to Job #JR100398 at www.nature.org/careers, or apply directly here. Submit required cover letter and resume separately using the upload buttons. Click “submit” to apply for the position or “save for later” to create a draft application for future submission. Once submitted, applications cannot be revised or edited. Failure to complete required fields may result in your application being disqualified from consideration. If you experience technical issues, please contact applyhelp@tnc.org.

Our recruiting process is a rolling interview process to ensure we engage applicants in a timely manner. This means we review applications in the order in which they are received. Once a strong candidate pool is identified, the role will be unposted. The timeline may vary depending on the expressed interest in the role, so we highly encourage candidates to apply as soon as possible.