Description
SUMMARY
The Bay School of San Francisco, founded in 2004, is a private, coeducational college preparatory school uniquely located in the Presidio, where nature and innovation intersect. Bay’s distinctive curriculum blends academic rigor with experiential learning, emphasizing depth over breadth through immersive three-week courses that encourage curiosity, critical thinking, and real-world application. With a commitment to developing well-rounded individuals, the school fosters intellectual confidence, ethical leadership, and a collaborative spirit. As a dynamic and inclusive community of 400 students, Bay prioritizes accessibility through an inclusive tuition model including nearly $6M in flexible tuition awards.
Bay now seeks a director of development to lead the school’s philanthropic vision at an exciting moment in the school’s growth. With an historic campaign just now starting to enter its quiet phase, the director will be charged with executing the campaign’s strategy, which has been carefully prepared and planned for the last two years in partnership with CCS Fundraising. The next director will also be charged with expanding the annual giving and major gifts programs, building a more robust alumni engagement effort, and bringing more visibility and awareness to issues of stewardship and philanthropy. The director of development supervises a small team in the development office, collaborates with an engaged leadership team and board of trustees, liaises and partners regularly with the head of school, and reports to the chief advancement & enrollment officer. Bay looks forward to welcoming its next director of development to begin on or before July 1, 2026.
12M & Ed Tech Recruiting is running the search on behalf of The Bay School. Applications received by February 16 will receive priority review. For application instructions and the full job opportunity statement, please visit:
www.12MRecruiting.com/jobs/Bay/development
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Priority Deadline: February 16, 2026
Initial Client Review: Late Feb / Early March
On-site Final Round: Mid-to-late March
Decision Announced: March 30, 2026
Start Date: On or before July 1, 2026
Reports To: Chief Advancement & Enrollment Officer
Classification: Full-time, Exempt
Annual Salary Range: $230,000 – $255,000
SPECIFIC DUTIES
Mission-Aligned Philanthropy
- Design and execute strategic plans for near-term success and long-term growth of annual fundraising, major gifts, campaign programs, and alumni engagementin support of the sustainability and development of Bay.
- Work closely and build relationships with the chief advancement & enrollment officer, head of school, board of trustees, and the leadership team to promote the role of fundraising and philanthropy at Bay, and develop multi-year plans to ensure that the school develops an ongoing culture of philanthropy.
- Develop, coach, and mentor colleagues, key volunteers, and trustees to take an active role in building relationships and fundraising.
- Partner across Bay’s leadership, faculty, admissions, and communications to integrate philanthropy into the fabric of school life and amplify Bay’s distinctive story.
- Be a visible, engaged presence in Bay’s daily life in order to share the school’s story with authenticity and inspiration.
- Conduct personal requests for all aspects of fundraising.
Donor Cultivation, Solicitation, and Stewardship
- Cultivate meaningful relationships with donors, alumni, students, and other stakeholders to effectively and authentically share Bay’s educational approach and student impact.
- Develop and expand the major gifts program through high-touch, authentic relationships while fostering existing donor relationships at all levels of giving.
- Collaborate with the development team to plan and produce fundraising events including donor receptions, meetings, and other special events.
- Develop an alumni engagement program to connect with alumni and find ways for alumni to engage with the community in alignment with the school’s philanthropic goals.
- Collaborate with the chief advancement & enrollment officer, head of school, board of trustees, and administrative leadership to develop a campaign strategy aligned with Bay’s values and strategic priorities.
Departmental Leadership
- Supervise and offer outstanding mentorship, feedback, support, professional growth, and guidance to the development team, which currently comprises three full-time positions that report to the director, and a temporary contract position to manage the early stages of the campaign.
- Provide ongoing assessment of roles and responsibilities for the purpose of ensuring the development team has proper staffing aligned with fundraising goals and needs of the school, which may include augmenting the staff to support major gifts and alumni engagement.
- Implement best practices in data recording and management, gift acknowledgment and reporting, donor relations, giving policies and confidentiality of information.
- Report directly to the chief advancement & enrollment officer, liaise and partner regularly with the head of school, and perform other duties as assigned.
Requirements
QUALIFICATIONS
Professional Qualifications
- A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university; advanced coursework or degree preferred
- A proven track record of fundraising success, including an ability to cultivate, solicit, and secure major contributions through excellent relationship management skills
- Multiple years of increasing responsibility in fundraising and donor cultivation, preferably in an educational, nonprofit, or mission-aligned setting
- Experience leading and coordinating the work of a high-performing fundraising team
- Comprehensive understanding of advancement best practices and demonstrated proficiency with leading-edge fundraising technology
Leadership and Personal Qualities
- Proclivity for relationship-building across different constituencies, including alumni, trustees, parents and guardians, staff and faculty, and friends of the school
- Exceptional communication skills, both written and public speaking, with the ability to connect with diverse audiences
- Highly organized and detail-oriented, with robust analytical and problem-solving skills to manage multiple priorities effectively
- A relational and authentic leadership style to mentor and develop a high-performing team
- Good judgment and discretion, and the ability to foster collaborative relationships while maintaining confidentiality
- Deep cultural competency and a demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging
- An alignment with The Bay School mission, philosophy, and precepts
- An eagerness to actively participate in the full life of a high school, including community events that may occur outside of standard working hours
TO APPLY
For more information please visit the following link, which contains the job opportunity statement and complete application instructions.
