VP of Development

At Junior Achievement of Northern California, our purpose is to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy. We are actively building the future of Northern California’s workforce through experiential learning, AI skilling, and financial literacy. Our culture is high-velocity, deeply collaborative, and unapologetically visionary. We operate with a "Community First" mindset—we believe our greatest impact happens out in the field building relationships, not sitting behind a desk. As an executive team, we value outcomes over hours, celebrate bold ideas, and operate with the agility of a startup backed by the trust and legacy of a century-old brand.

Title: VP of Development

Area: Bay Area, CA (Hybrid / Highly Community-Facing)

Reports to: CEO/President

Status: Full-Time, Salaried

Impact

Junior Achievement of Northern California is at a critical inflection point of expansion. As we build our 13,000 sq. ft. JA Launch Pad in Fremont, navigate the AB2927 state mandate, and rapidly scale our impact, we require a visionary, high-velocity rainmaker to fuel our growth.

The VP of Development is an executive role designed to scale our annual revenue from $3M to $5M+. Serving as the CEO's strategic co-pilot and the external face of JA NorCal's fundraising efforts, the VP of Development will bring corporate-grade financial rigor and a high-performance culture to our Development team. You will lead our capital campaigns, transform our donor stewardship, oversee our signature events, and aggressively close major gifts from institutional, corporate, government, and individual funders.

If you are someone who understands the intersection of corporate ROI and philanthropic impact—and you thrive on being out in the community building partnerships and closing deals—this is your opportunity to build the financial engine for the future of Silicon Valley's workforce.

Primary Responsibilities:

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Front-Line Revenue Generation & Executive Closing
- Serve as the lead external fundraiser for JA NorCal, actively identifying, cultivating, and closing six- and seven-figure gifts to achieve a $5M+ annual revenue target within the next 3 years.
- Take direct ownership of the JA Launchpad Capital Campaign, successfully securing the remaining funding and actively driving the financial timeline for our grand opening.
- Government Funding Strategy: Identify, navigate, and secure lucrative local, state, and federal government grants that align with our workforce development mission and programmatic expansion.
- Act as a compelling, forward-facing spokesperson for the organization at major events, corporate pitches, and community forums.

2. Event Strategy & Sponsorship Management
- Executive Event Oversight: Direct the strategic vision and execution of JA NorCal's major fundraising and cultivation events (including the annual Golf for Good tournament), transforming them into high-ROI, brand-elevating experiences.
- Corporate Sponsorships: Lead the strategic packaging, pitching, and fulfillment of high-level event and program sponsorships, ensuring corporate partners receive exceptional visibility, engagement, and ROI.
- Ensure all events serve as strategic touchpoints integrated into the broader capital campaign to accelerate pipeline velocity.

3. Executive Department Leadership & Mentorship
- Oversee, mentor, and manage the Development team, shifting the department toward a proactive, highly metric-driven culture.
- Redesign and enforce a world-class donor stewardship program. Ensure every sponsor, from event attendees to legacy funders, receives exceptional, prompt, and strategic follow-up.
- Act as the strategic buffer and "closer" for the Development staff, stepping into major pitch meetings to articulate the business case for investment.

4. Financial Acumen & Pipeline Rigor

- Bring a corporate-level rigor to our pipeline tracking. Maintain crystal-clear, real-time reporting on revenue projections, pending contracts, and cash flow for the CEO and the Board of Directors.
- Translate JA NorCal's educational impact into clear, compelling ROI narratives for our largest financial and tech corporate partners.
- Ensure all revenue strategies are perfectly aligned with organizational expenses, venue costs, and operational realities.

5. Executive Strategy & Board Partnership
- Serve on the JA NorCal Executive Leadership Team, partnering closely with the CEO to set the long-term strategic and financial vision for the organization.
- Engage and activate the Board of Directors in the fundraising process, giving them the tools, confidence, and specific targets they need to leverage their networks effectively.

Qualifications (required)

- 10+ years of senior leadership experience in corporate social responsibility (CSR), corporate finance, wealth management, or high-level nonprofit development.
- A proven, quantifiable track record of closing major gifts, securing government funding, or corporate sponsorships ($500k+) and scaling organizational/departmental revenue.
- Event Leadership: Experience providing executive oversight for large-scale, high-revenue fundraising events and securing major corporate sponsorships.
- Exceptional financial acumen; you do not just understand philanthropy, you understand corporate balance sheets, pipeline velocity, and return on investment.
- A highly outgoing, relationship-driven personality. You do not manage from behind a desk; you want to be out in the community building partnerships.
- An empathetic but high-accountability leadership style, with experience managing senior staff and shifting departmental culture toward higher performance.