Senior Director, Development & Philanthropy

About this role

Senior Director, Development & Philanthropy

Location: Remote (US-based)

Reports To: Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

Direct Reports: Development Coordinator (to be hired)

Application Submission Deadline: November 16, 2026

About Propel America

Propel America addresses a broken workforce system that fails both young adults and healthcare employers, sidelining talented individuals from entering healthcare careers and contributing to critical workforce shortages that threaten community health . Propel’s work centers on bridging this gap by creating alternative, debt-free career pathways into healthcare for young adults ages 18–26, particularly those from underrepresented and low-income backgrounds, while helping employers access the trained, diverse talent they urgently need. Today, over 13 million young adults in the U.S. are either not in school, not working, or stuck in low-wage jobs with little room for growth. Traditional college remains financially and logistically out of reach for many, especially young people from low-income communities, forcing them into a false choice: sacrifice income to pursue an expensive degree or remain in low-wage work without upward mobility.

Propel America aims to solve both sides of the equation by equipping young adults with the skills and support to launch healthcare careers and by helping employers build stronger, more diverse, and more stable workforces. To learn more, please visit

The Opportunity

Propel America is seeking an entrepreneurial, results-driven Senior Director, Development & Philanthropy to lead our philanthropic revenue strategy and growth.

Reporting directly to the CEO, this leader will own Propel’s philanthropic strategy, pipeline, and portfolio across institutional foundations, corporations, family philanthropy, and individual major donors. They will be directly accountable for securing the significant, multi-year philanthropic revenue Propel needs to advance its mission and build a more sustainable organization.

This is a highly external, hands-on fundraising role. The Senior Director will personally cultivate, solicit, close, and steward high-value relationships while partnering closely with the CEO on Propel’s highest-priority funders and prospects. A key priority will be diversifying Propel’s philanthropic revenue base, particularly by growing individual and family philanthropy alongside our institutional foundation portfolio.

Key Responsibilities

The Senior Director, Development & Philanthropy leads four core areas:

Philanthropic Revenue & Major Gifts
Own and grow a portfolio of high-value philanthropic relationships, personally securing significant and multi-year commitments.

Philanthropic Strategy & Pipeline
Build and execute Propel’s annual and multi-year fundraising strategy, translating organizational priorities into a healthy, diversified, and predictable philanthropic pipeline.

CEO Partnership & Executive Fundraising
Serve as the CEO’s strategic fundraising partner, ensuring executive time and relationships are focused on Propel’s highest-value philanthropic opportunities.

Development Team & Infrastructure
Build the people, systems, data, and operating discipline required for an effective and scalable development function.

Role & Responsibilities

Philanthropic Revenue & Major Gifts | 55%

• Personally cultivate, solicit, close, and steward a portfolio of institutional foundations, corporations, family foundations, and individual major donors.

• Lead the full fundraising cycle, from prospect identification and cultivation through solicitation, negotiation, close, renewal, and stewardship.

• Secure six- and seven-figure gifts, with an emphasis on significant multi-year commitments.

• Build Propel’s individual and family philanthropy strategy, expanding and diversifying the major-donor base.

• Deepen existing funder relationships to drive renewals, increased investment, and long-term partnership.

• Provide strategic oversight and final approval of grant submissions.

Philanthropic Strategy & Pipeline | 30%

• Translate Propel’s annual and multi-year financial needs into fundraising targets, pipeline requirements, and portfolio strategies.

• Build and maintain a healthy pipeline of high-potential institutional, corporate and individual prospects.

• Monitor fundraising performance and adjust strategy when revenue or pipeline performance is off track.

• Partner with organizational leaders to translate Propel’s strategy, workforce solutions, employer partnerships, and Fellow outcomes into compelling investment opportunities.

• Partner with Workforce Partnerships and market leaders to identify regional philanthropic opportunities.

• Represent Propel externally with funders, philanthropic leaders, and other strategic audiences.

• Develop and execute strategies for Propel's highest-priority funders and prospects in partnership with the CEO and determine where CEO involvement can most advance a relationship or solicitation, and coordinate clear next steps and follow-through.

• Ensure the CEO's philanthropic portfolio is prioritized against organizational fundraising goals and opportunities.

Team & Development Infrastructure | 15%

• Hire, manage, and develop the Development Coordinator, establishing clear ownership of grant administration, donor tracking, reporting, and stewardship workflows.

• Maintain disciplined Salesforce data, pipeline forecasting, portfolio management, and revenue reporting.

• Leverage technology and AI to strengthen prospect research and fundraising productivity.

• Partner with the CEO and COO to align fundraising forecasts, grant budgets, and organizational financial needs.

• Collaborate across Workforce Partnerships, Solutions Design, Finance, and other teams to ensure philanthropic commitments align with Propel’s strategy and delivery capacity.

• Work closed with regional staff to set the regional fundraising target and review grant applications

Success Profile

Within the…