Director of Development

Duke Health Development and Alumni Affairs is seeking a strategic and relationship-driven fundraising professional to serve as Director of Development.

The Director of Development, Duke Health reports to the Executive Director of Development, and is a member of the Duke Health Medicine, Surgery and Clinical Care fundraising team. This team partners with clinical, research, and educational leaders across a broad portfolio of departments, centers, and institutes, including Medicine, Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Urology, Orthopaedic Surgery, Dermatology, Head and Neck Surgery and Communication Sciences, the Heart Center, Transplant Center, Eye Center, Molecular Physiology Institute, and Sports Sciences Institute, to advance philanthropic support for patient care, research, education, and innovation.

The Director of Development serves as the lead major gift fundraiser for the Duke Health Transplant Center, select priority divisions within the Departments of Medicine and Surgery, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, and other assigned areas. The Director of Development role develops and implements comprehensive fundraising strategies to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward grateful patients, families, and friends in support of institutional priorities.

This individual will be responsible for building and managing a robust major gift pipeline, securing philanthropic support of $100,000 and above, and serving as a strategic fundraising partner to physician leaders, administrators, and colleagues across Duke Health Development and Alumni Affairs. The Director of Development will help shape and grow philanthropy across assigned areas through strong relationship building, thoughtful portfolio management, and the development of compelling philanthropic opportunities.

The Director of Development will work collaboratively with colleagues across individual giving, grateful patient fundraising, annual giving, gift planning, principal gifts, and other development teams to ensure a coordinated and comprehensive approach to donor engagement and philanthropy across Duke Health.

Success in this role requires the ability to operate effectively within a highly collaborative and matrixed academic medical environment, building trusted partnerships across clinical departments, centers, and development teams to advance fundraising priorities and institutional goals.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

 Education - Work requires communications, analytical and organizational skills generally acquired through completion of a bachelor's degree program.

Experience - Work requires five (5) years of progressive frontline fundraising experience with a proven track record of success in major gift fundraising.

OR AN EQUIVALENT COMBINATION OF RELEVANT EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE.

DEPARTMENT PREFERENCES / SKILLS

• Preference for academic medicine, healthcare, higher education, or similarly complex nonprofit fundraising environments.
• Campaign experience is desirable.
• A proven track record of success in personally cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding meaningful philanthropic support from individuals, foundations, or corporations. Demonstrated success securing major gifts and building productive relationships with donors and key stakeholders.

Duke Health Development & Alumni Affairs (DHDAA) supports a flexible work environment by offering on-site (in office 5 days a week), hybrid (in office a minimum of 2 days a week or defined by manager), remote (work off-site 5 days a week), and flexible start and end time work arrangements. All team members must reside within a 50-mile radius of our downtown Durham office. 

If working a hybrid or remote schedule, individuals must have access to and maintain a secure home office environment with high-speed internet service and work collaboratively with others using a variety of technologies and tools. With approval from their manager, staff members may work a flexible schedule in terms of start/end times, while working within DHDAA’s core work hours between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. (eastern standard). At the discretion of Managers and/or Senior Leadership, staff working a hybrid, remote or flex schedule may be required to be in the office on days and/or times outside of the agreed upon schedule.