New American Leaders: Director of Development and External Engagement

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JOB DESCRIPTION

Title: Director of Development and External Engagement

Reports To: Chief Advancement Officer

Position** Location**: Remote

Position Type: Full-time, exempt

Compensation: $95,000-$120,000

About NAL/AF:

New American Leaders (NAL) and New American Leaders Action Fund (NALAF) are working in tandem to build an inclusive democracy by preparing first and second-generation immigrants and refugees to run for office, win their campaigns, and lead in elected office. We are the _only _organizations preparing New Americans to enter the political process and govern with accountability and authenticity. As a result, more New Americans will run for office, engage their communities, turn out new voters, and ultimately serve as values-aligned leaders in office who can advance just and equitable policies.

About the Role:

Reporting to the Chief Advancement Officer (CAO), the Director of Development & External Engagement is a senior partner in growing and stewarding the financial and reputational resources that fuel NAL/AF's mission. This person will help lead the advancement function across NAL/AF — driving institutional and major donor fundraising, cultivating strategic partnerships, elevating alumni elected officials as spokespeople, and overseeing a communications function that advances fundraising, partnership, and brand goals across our 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) entities.

As deputy to the CAO, this person will step in on advancement strategy and external-facing leadership as needed. The scope and structure of this position — including team size and supervisory responsibilities may evolve with NAL/AF's growth.

This role suits a senior development-and-communications generalist who thrives at the intersection of writing, fundraising, and external relationship-building, and who is energized by helping build a growing function rather than stepping into a fully fixed one.

What You Will Do

External Engagement & Strategic Partnerships (40%)

• In partnership with CAO, develop a strategy for external engagement and strategic partnerships.

• Cultivate partnerships with aligned organizations, coalitions, and influencers to advance shared goals and NAL/AF's reach. Identify opportunities for enhancing brand recognition.

• Identify and prepare credible spokespeople across the NAL/AF network — alumni elected officials, program participants, executive leaders — as visible validators of impact.

• Build relationships with media and other external audiences. Help ensure that we are positioning ourselves in the right spaces, platforms, events, coalitions, and people to align with our advancement goals.

• Partner with the CAO and CEO to prepare for external-facing events, board and funder meetings, interviews, and site visits. Help ensure these opportunities are maximized.

Development (35%)

• Partner with the CAO on institutional and major-donor strategy

• Plan and execute cultivation events — funder tables, small convenings, site visits, briefings — managing logistics, run-of-show, and follow-up.

• Support cultivation meetings, site visits, and stewardship moments.

• Help maintain the moves-management system across both entities through qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship. Partner with the CAO on the development calendar and revenue forecasting.

• Work with the team to translate programmatic impact and policy wins into case statements, one-pagers, periodic donor email updates, impact reports.

Communications & Brand (25%)

• Supervise the Communications Specialist, setting priorities and editorial calendar so external presence reinforces national positioning, donor pipeline, and partnership goals.

• Personally write op-eds, statements, donor/partner proposals, board and funder briefings, talking points, and rapid-response content.

• Refine and protect NAL/AF's brand voice and identity; recommend ways to strengthen brand presence with donors and partners.

• Prepare staff and leadership for media interactions, donor meetings, and external events.

Who You Are:

To be successful in this position you will have a combination of the following experience and qualities:

• 5+ years fundraising experience

• Experience managing a team.

• Experience managing and tracking budgets.

• Program conception, planning, and execution: You have experience and a track record of conceiving strategy and overseeing implementation for a team, function, program, or project. You have taken a concept from idea to execution with success.

• Development fundamentals expert: Track record preparing foundation proposals and reports, stewarding major donors, and managing a moves-management pipeline or a demonstrated ability to learn the distinction quickly.

• Strong written and verbal communicator: Proven ability to turn complex ideas into exciting narratives.

• Relationship builder: Skilled at cultivating funders, peer organizations, coalitions, and/or influencers, with sound judgment.

• Ownership mentality: Sets a vision, drives it forward independently, anticipates problems, and course-corrects as needed.

• Inclusive, collaborative leader: Actively seeks staff input while still owning final decisions; keeps development, programs, and communications in sync.

• Coach and mentor: Gives actionable feedback and takes the time to develop others — staff, alumni, or executive leadership prepping for a pitch.

• Mission-aligned: Cultural awareness and sensitivity to immigrant communities, with genuine commitment to inclusive democracy.