U.S. Managing Director

Responsibilities

Organizational Strategy & Leadership

• Partner with FAME’s U.S. Board of Directors, Co-Founders and Tanzanian leadership to advance FAME’s mission, vision and strategic priorities.
• Participate in organization-wide strategic planning and leadership discussions, ensuring strong alignment between the U.S. and Tanzania organizations.
• Translate FAME’s programmatic priorities into effective U.S. fundraising, donor engagement and communications strategies.
• Develop strategies for revenue growth, donor engagement and long-term organizational sustainability.
• Serve as a key liaison between the U.S. and Tanzania teams, supporting effective communication and coordination across the organizations.
• Provide leadership in strengthening the U.S. organization’s governance, policies, processes and organizational infrastructure.

Fundraising & Development

• Develop and execute FAME U.S.’s comprehensive annual fundraising strategy in partnership with the Board, organizational leadership and Development Team.
• Develop annual fundraising projections and revenue plans to inform organizational budgeting and Board decision-making.
• Lead efforts to achieve annual fundraising goals across individual, foundation and institutional support.
• Personally cultivate, solicit and steward major donors while providing strategic direction for the broader individual donor portfolio and expanding opportunities for major gifts, annual giving and other forms of support.
• Oversee annual appeals and special fundraising campaigns and lead major multi-year fundraising initiatives, including capital campaigns.
• Monitor fundraising performance and adjust strategy throughout the year to respond to opportunities, risks and changing organizational needs.

Institutional Giving & Grants

• Lead FAME U.S.’s foundation and institutional giving strategy, including existing funder relationships and identification of new opportunities.
• Build and maintain a strong pipeline of prospective institutional funders and long-term relationships with program officers, trustees and other key stakeholders.
• Oversee the development and submission of proposals, letters of inquiry, reports and other funder communications.
• Work with the Development Team and Tanzania leadership to ensure funding proposals and reports accurately reflect FAME’s programs, priorities, outcomes and financial needs.
• Evaluate external opportunities, partnerships and engagements based on their potential to strengthen fundraising, visibility and strategic relationships.

Donor Engagement & Fundraising Events

• Develop and oversee FAME U.S.’s donor engagement and fundraising events strategy.
• Lead FAME’s two annual U.S. fundraising and cultivation tours, providing strategic direction and oversight to the Development Team.
• Cultivate prospective donors, event hosts and members of FAME’s philanthropic community through year-round relationship building and engagement.
• Represent FAME at donor meetings, conferences and other external events.
• Provide strategic direction for key donor and community engagement initiatives, including the Volunteer Alumni Network, Community of Care and Spotlight Webinar Series.
• Develop opportunities to engage FAME’s volunteer community as donors, ambassadors and advocates for FAME’s mission.

Board Partnership & Governance

• Serve as the primary staff partner to the U.S. Board of Directors, supporting effective Board engagement, governance and decision-making.
• Partner with Board leadership to establish the annual Board calendar, priorities, agendas and meeting materials.
• Lead planning and coordination of quarterly remote and annual in-person Board meetings, including logistics, materials, facilitation and follow-up. Coordinate monthly Board update calls, including developing reports.
• Coordinate and support Board meetings held in Tanzania, including travel and on-site logistics.
• Support the development and functioning of Board committees and maintain clear communication and follow-up between meetings.
• Provide the Board with regular updates on fundraising performance, organizational priorities, financial performance, opportunities, risks and challenges while supporting Board engagement in fundraising and organizational growth.

Financial & Operational Management

• Develop and manage FAME U.S.’s annual operating budget, including revenue and expense projections.
• Monitor financial performance, cash flow and budget-to-actual results and work with the Board Finance Committee to maintain sound financial management.
• Maintain appropriate financial controls and ensure U.S. operations are managed responsibly and in accordance with organizational policies.
• Oversee the day-to-day operations of FAME’s Boston office and the systems that support the organization’s fundraising and administrative work.
• Oversee the U.S. donor database and fundraising technology, ensuring strong data integrity and effective use of systems.
• Evaluate and improve organizational systems and processes as FAME U.S. grows.

Communications & Public Engagement

• Provide strategic leadership for FAME U.S.’s communications in support of fundraising, donor engagement and organizational visibility.
• Establish clear and consistent messaging about FAME’s mission, programs, impact and funding priorities.
• Work collaboratively with the Tanzania-based Digital Media Manager to develop communications and storytelling strategy while providing strategic oversight of digital communications execution.
• Provide direction to the Development Team on fundraising communications, including appeals, donor communications, newsletters, campaign materials and other development content.
• Ensure strong alignment between U.S. and Tanzania communications and identify opportunities to strengthen FAME’s visibility and reputation.
• Serve as a spokesperson and representative for FAME in appropriate external settings.

Team Leadership & Human Resources

• Lead and supervise the U.S. Development Team while providing strategic direction and oversight to the Tanzania-based Digital Media Manager.
• Establish clear goals, priorities and performance expectations and provide ongoing coaching, feedback and professional development.
• Recruit, onboard and develop U.S. staff and foster a collaborative, professional and mission-driven working environment.
• Ensure effective delegation, collaboration and accountability across the Development & Communications Team.
• Develop and maintain policies and processes that support effective management of FAME’s U.S. staff and operations.
• Advise organizational leadership and the Board on staffing, compensation, benefits and other human resource matters as appropriate.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will bring a combination of fundraising expertise, organizational leadership, strategic thinking and strong relationship-building skills. They should be able to operate independently in a broad role while working collaboratively across a geographically distributed organization.

Required qualifications and experience:

• 5+ years of nonprofit experience with a demonstrated track record of fundraising and individual donor development.
• 3+ years of management and supervisory experience.
• Experience developing and executing fundraising strategies and managing revenue goals.
• Exceptional relationship-building skills with donors, Board members, volunteers, funders, staff and organizational partners.
• Strategic thinker who can translate organizational priorities into clear plans, action and results.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with strong judgment and attention to detail.
• Strong organizational, project management, budgeting and financial management skills.
• Experience with donor databases/CRM systems and the ability to evaluate and improve organizational systems.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively across a distributed, international team.
• Willingness to travel regularly within the U.S. for donor engagement and twice a year to Tanzania.
• Bachelor’s degree required; master’s degree preferred.
• Interest in global health, international development or FAME’s mission strongly preferred. Tanzania or East Africa experience is a plus.

Location & Employment

• Location: Boston, Massachusetts, with a regular in-person presence at FAME’s Boston office and flexibility for remote work as appropriate.
• Employment: Full-time, exempt.
• Travel: Regular travel within the United States for donor cultivation, fundraising events and organizational meetings, as well as twice a year travel to Tanzania.
• Work authorization: Must be legally authorized to work in the United States. FAME does not provide visa sponsorship or relocation assistance.