Director, Development

JOB TITLE: Director, Development — Phoenix

OFFICE: Phoenix

REPORTS TO: VP of Local Markets

Per Scholas is seeking a strategic, entrepreneurial, and results-driven Director, Development to lead development efforts in the Phoenix market and other markets as assigned. The Director will have primary responsibility for building and growing a sustainable local revenue pipeline in Phoenix, while also supporting development priorities, opportunities, and portfolios in additional Per Scholas markets as organizational needs and priorities evolve.

The Director will focus on four core areas of work: generating new local leads and building market pipelines, stewarding and growing a portfolio of local partners, advancing government funding opportunities, and collaborating with national channel teams on larger and multi-market investments.

This role is designed to strengthen Per Scholas' presence and revenue potential in the Phoenix market while providing flexible development capacity across other assigned markets. The Director will develop relationships across corporate, philanthropic, civic, workforce-development, and public-sector communities and work closely with local market leadership to understand growth priorities and translate those priorities into compelling opportunities for investment.

In Phoenix, the Director will serve as the primary development lead, building a strong local pipeline, cultivating and growing relationships, advancing government funding opportunities, and partnering closely with Phoenix market leadership. The Director may also be assigned to support other markets where additional development capacity, prospecting, portfolio management, or strategic opportunity development is needed.

The Director will also serve as a critical connector between local markets and Per Scholas' national development infrastructure, ensuring that local intelligence and relationships inform national channel strategies while coordinating partner engagement across teams.

This is a highly collaborative position requiring close partnership with Corporate, Foundation, Government Relations & Contracts, Individual Giving, Development Operations, Program, Finance, and local market leadership.

The ideal candidate is a relationship-oriented fundraiser and business developer who combines strong prospecting and pipeline-building skills with disciplined portfolio management, strategic thinking, and the ability to navigate complex, cross-functional partnerships across Phoenix and other assigned markets.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

In this role, you will focus on four core priorities:

1. Generate local leads and build a strong development pipeline in Phoenix and other assigned markets
2. Steward and grow a portfolio of local partners
3. Identify and advance government funding opportunities
4. Collaborate with national channel teams on larger and multi-market opportunities

Local Lead Generation & Pipeline Development

• Build and continually expand a qualified pipeline of prospective corporate, philanthropic, civic, and public-sector partners in Phoenix and other assigned markets.
• Proactively identify new funding prospects through research, networking, referrals, community engagement, and existing Per Scholas relationships.
• Develop relationships with Phoenix-area business, philanthropic, civic, and workforce-development leaders, while also supporting relationship development in other assigned markets.
• Use market intelligence, Salesforce data, and other prospecting tools to prioritize opportunities based on potential value, strategic alignment, relationship strength, likelihood of success, and timing.
• Create and execute prospect strategies that move relationships from identification and qualification through cultivation, solicitation, and close.
• Build a balanced pipeline that includes both near-term revenue opportunities and longer-term strategic prospects across Phoenix and assigned markets.
• Maintain accurate and actionable pipeline information in Salesforce, including prospect stage, next steps, anticipated timing, relationship ownership, and revenue potential.
• Work closely with Phoenix market leadership, other assigned market leaders, and national channel colleagues to identify warm introductions and leverage existing relationships.
• Develop strategies to convert emerging relationships into sustained philanthropic, corporate, and public-sector partnerships.

Local Portfolio Stewardship & Revenue Growth

• Manage and steward a portfolio of local corporate, foundation, philanthropic, and other partners, with primary responsibility for Phoenix and additional markets as assigned.
• Build trusted relationships with funders and partners by understanding their priorities and connecting them to Per Scholas' mission, outcomes, and local market opportunities.
• Develop and execute individualized cultivation, solicitation, renewal, and stewardship strategies for portfolio accounts.
• Identify opportunities to deepen existing relationships through increased investment, multi-year commitments, expanded engagement, sponsorships, or other forms of partnership.
• Ensure partners receive timely, meaningful, and high-quality stewardship in coordination with program, market, and development colleagues.
• Maintain strong knowledge of portfolio partner priorities, giving history, relationships, engagement, and potential for future investment.
• Lead or support proposals, presentations, solicitations, renewals, and negotiations for local funding opportunities.
• Develop strategies to retain and grow key partners while continually identifying opportunities to introduce new prospects into the portfolio.
• Ensure portfolio activity, relationship strategies, and revenue forecasts are accurately reflected in Salesforce.

Government Funding Opportunities

• Partner closely with the Government Relations & Contracts team to identify, qualify, and advance local, state, and federal government funding opportunities relevant to Phoenix and other assigned markets.
• Develop and maintain relationships with relevant government, workforce-development, economic-development, and civic stakeholders in Phoenix and, as assigned, other markets.
• Bring local market intelligence, relationships, and emerging opportunities to the Government Relations & Contracts team to inform public funding strategies.
• Identify government funding opportunities that align with Per Scholas' workforce-development programs, learner outcomes, and market growth priorities.
• Support the development of government proposals, applications, contracts, and related materials by coordinating with Government Relations & Contracts, Program, Finance, and other internal partners.
• Coordinate local government engagement while ensuring alignment with Per Scholas' broader government funding strategy.
• Track emerging public-sector priorities, funding announcements, workforce initiatives, and policy developments that may create opportunities for Per Scholas.
• Help position Per Scholas as a trusted workforce-development partner in Phoenix and other assigned markets.

Collaboration with National Channel Teams

• Collaborate closely with Per Scholas' Corporate, Foundation, Government Relations & Contracts, and Individual Giving teams to identify and advance larger, strategic, or multi-market opportunities.
• Serve as a local market connector for national channel teams, providing Phoenix-specific and other assigned-market relationships, intelligence, context, and opportunities.
• Coordinate partner strategy and engagement across local and national teams to ensure clear roles, consistent communication, and a seamless partner experience.
• Identify when a local prospect has the potential to become a larger or multi-market partnership and engage the appropriate channel team early in the process.
• Support national channel teams in cultivating relationships with companies, foundations, and other funders that have a presence or strategic interest in Phoenix or other assigned markets.
• Participate in joint cultivation, site visits, meetings, proposals, presentations, solicitations, and stewardship activities as appropriate.
• Ensure local market priorities and opportunities are represented in broader channel strategies.
• Help resolve relationship ownership and coordination questions across local and national teams in partnership with development leadership.

Phoenix Market Partnership & Growth

• Partner closely with Phoenix market leadership to understand programmatic priorities, learner demand, employer needs, and market growth opportunities.
• Translate Phoenix's programmatic and workforce-development priorities into compelling cases for investment.
• Build Per Scholas' visibility and relationships within the Phoenix business, philanthropic, civic, and workforce-development ecosystem.
• Identify strategic relationships that can contribute not only to revenue generation but also to employer engagement, program growth, community visibility, and long-term market sustainability.
• Support Phoenix market leadership and national development leaders with funder meetings, site visits, community events, and other high-value engagement opportunities.
• Represent Per Scholas at relevant Phoenix and Arizona community, philanthropic, business, and workforce-development events.
• Contribute Phoenix market intelligence and recommendations to broader Per Scholas development and growth strategies.
• Help establish and strengthen Per Scholas' position as a leading workforce-development and economic-mobility partner in Phoenix.
• Apply lessons, relationships, and strategies developed in Phoenix to support other assigned markets and contribute to broader local-market development.

WHAT YOU'LL BRING

Professional Qualifications

• 7+ years of progressive experience in fundraising, business development, corporate partnerships, sales, or a related revenue-generating field, with demonstrated success securing significant investments.
• Proven ability to generate new leads, build qualified pipelines, cultivate relationships, and convert prospects into revenue.
• Demonstrated success managing and growing a portfolio of corporate, philanthropic, or institutional partners.
• Experience securing or supporting significant philanthropic, corporate, government, or public-sector investments.
• Experience developing or supporting government funding proposals, grants, contracts, or public-sector partnerships strongly preferred.
• Strong knowledge of the Phoenix/Arizona corporate, philanthropic, civic, government, and workforce-development landscape, with the ability to quickly develop market knowledge and relationships in other assigned markets.
• Established relationships with Phoenix- or Arizona-based corporate, foundation, philanthropic, civic, workforce-development, or public-sector leaders strongly preferred.
• Exceptional relationship-building and influencing skills, with the ability to engage senior executives, funders, government leaders, and community stakeholders.
• Strong prospecting and business-development skills, including the ability to identify new opportunities and independently move relationships forward.
• Excellent proposal-writing, presentation, case-making, and solicitation skills.
• Highly organized and disciplined in managing multiple prospects, portfolio relationships, deadlines, and cross-functional initiatives across multiple markets.
• Highly data-driven and results-oriented, with experience using pipeline and revenue data to prioritize activity and manage performance.
• Proficiency with Salesforce or another CRM; ability to maintain accurate pipeline, portfolio, forecasting, and relationship-management data.
• Strong financial acumen and ability to manage revenue forecasts, pipeline projections, and funding opportunities.
• Ability to collaborate effectively across local market teams and national development channels without relying solely on formal reporting relationships.
• Willingness to travel approximately 15–20%, including travel within Arizona, to other assigned markets, and nationally as needed.

Personal Attributes

• Entrepreneurial and proactive, with a demonstrated ability to create opportunities rather than wait for them to emerge.
• Relationship-driven, with the ability to build authentic connections across corporate, philanthropic, government, and civic communities.
• Pipeline-oriented and persistent, with comfort initiating new relationships and moving prospects through a development cycle.
• Strategic and collaborative, with the ability to determine when an opportunity should be pursued locally and when to engage a national channel team.
• Highly organized and accountable, with strong follow-through on both revenue opportunities and partner relationships.
• Solutions-oriented, bringing forward recommendations, identifying barriers, and finding ways to move opportunities forward.
• Adaptable and comfortable with ambiguity, particularly in a growing organization where market assignments and opportunities may evolve.
• Strong communicator, able to translate Per Scholas' mission, learner outcomes, and workforce-development model into a compelling case for investment.
• Mission-driven, with a commitment to advancing economic mobility, workforce development, equity, and opportunity through Per Scholas' work.

For this role specifically, we are targeting a salary range of $115,000–$125,000, where the difference in salary is typically determined by several factors, including geography in which the selected candidate resides and alignment with qualifications and experience.