JOB DETAILS

Director of Development Operations

CompanyUnitarian Universalist Assoc of Congregations.
LocationEssen
Work ModeRemote
PostedAugust 7, 2026
About The Company
The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) is a religious organization that combines two traditions: the Universalists, who organized in 1793, and the Unitarians, who organized in 1825. They consolidated into the UUA in 1961. Both groups trace their roots in North America to the early Massachusetts settlers and to the founders of the Republic. Overseas, their heritages reach back centuries to pioneers in England, Poland, and Transylvania. Each of the 1,000+ congregations in the United States, Canada, and overseas are democratic in polity and operation; they govern themselves. They unite in the Association to provide services that individual congregations cannot provide for themselves. Each congregation is associated with one of the UUA’s 19 districts. Unitarian Universalism is a liberal religion with Jewish-Christian roots. It has no creed. It affirms the worth of human beings, advocates freedom of belief and the search for advancing truth, and tries to provide a warm, open, supportive community for people who believe that ethical living is the supreme witness of religion.
About the Role

Updated:August 1, 2026

Title:Director of Development Operations

Staff Group:Stewardship and Development

Reports To:Vice President for Communications and Development

Location:Open*

Job Category:Program Director II

Hours/Week:35


* Location is open in the continental United States. You should have easy access to a major airport due to the travel requirements of this position. 

Purpose

The Director of Development Operations ensures that the administrative and operational systems of the department fully support the fundraising goals of the Association by translating fundraising strategy into reliable systems, policies, and workflows that scale as the organization grows and that strengthen donor retention and lifetime value. The senior director leads the day-to-day operations for gift processing, donor database and related systems support, including donor data integrity; supervises staff; and ensures consistent, timely, and personalized donor experiences across channels. 

Principal Responsibilities 

  1. Operations and Process Management 
  • Oversee gift processing, acknowledgement, receipting, and donor record maintenance to ensure accuracy and timeliness. 
  • Design, document, and enforce standard operating procedures (SOPs) for all stewardship and development operations. Provide data analysis and data modeling for program evaluation and new initiatives.  
  • Train and support the department inappropriate use of adopted workplace management tools including Asana.  
  • Manage vendor relationships and third-party platforms used for donor CRM, including acknowledgements, and reporting. 
  • Serves as the budget manager for the department. This includes acting as a liaison to the Finance Department and resource person for the department on all financial management issues, such as annual budget process, expense management, quarterly income and expense forecasts, etc. 
  1. Team Leadership and Development 
  • Directly supervises, coaches, and develops a team off our stewardship and operations staff; set clear goals, conduct performance reviews, and foster a culture of accountability and service. 
  • Provide training and cross-functional support to frontline fundraisers, program staff, and volunteers on stewardship best practices and systems use. 
  1. Data, Systems, and Reporting 
  • Oversee professional stewardship of the donor database (Virtuous CRM) for stewardship-related data; ensure data integrity, segmentation, and hygiene. 
  • Build and maintain dashboards and regular reports that track stewardship KPIs (acknowledgement timeliness, donor retention, upgrade rates, gift processing metrics).  
  • Research and analyze data for fundraising trends and patterns, including comparison to historical data as well as external benchmarks.  
  • Partner with data/analytics and ITSto implement automation, integrations, and system improvements that reduce manual work and risk. 
  1. Program Leadership and Strategy Support
  • Partner with the Senior Director of Development Programs and the Vice President of Communications and Development to implement donor strategy.  
  • Lead continuous improvement initiatives to increase donor retention, upgrade rates, and stewardship efficiency. 
  1. Cross-Functional Collaboration 
  • Work closely with key stakeholders across the Association to align stewardship practices and ensure seamless donor experiences. 
  • Acts as a liaison to Human resources for training and skill-building in best practices.
  • Performs other duties as requested by supervisor, theVice Presidents, or the President.

Qualifications

This position has a salary midpoint of $103,300. Compensation may vary based on factors such as experience, qualifications, and geographical location, with offers potentially ranging from 10-15% higher or lower than the midpoint. Requirements include:


Required 

  • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience. 
  • 7+ years of progressively responsible experience in development operations, stewardship, or nonprofit fundraising 
  • Demonstratedexpertisewith donor databases (e.g., Virtuous CRM, Raiser’s Edge, Salesforce, or similar) and CRM-driven stewardship workflows. 
  • Strong operational skills: process design, project management, SOP development, and vendor management. 
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills with strong attention to detail. 
  • Proven ability to manage competing priorities, lead cross-functional projects, and deliver consistent results under deadlines. 
  • Experience using data to drive program improvements.
  • Experience supervising and managing teams
  • Understanding of issues around anti-racism, anti-oppression, and multiculturalism 
  • Work or lived experience with BIPOC communities is of particular value 
  • Eagerness to work in an organization in which the dismantling of white supremacy is a high priority

Preferred 

  • Experience working in a mid-to-large nonprofit with complex funding streams and restricted funds. 
  • Familiarity with gift processing platforms, payment processors, and data integration tools. 

How to Apply

People with disabilities, people of color, indigenous people, Hispanic/Latinx, and LGBTQ candidates are encouraged to apply. The UUA is committed to developing a diverse and talented staff team. If you are excited about this role, but are unsure whether you meet 100% of the requirements, we encourage you to inquire and/or apply. Please submit your resume and cover letter via our applicant portal (ADP WorkforceNow) on uua.org/jobs. If you have any questions, please reach out to careers@uua.org.


For transparency: this role has internal candidates who are being considered. We encourage all interested applicants to apply, as the position remains open to all who are interested, but will be posted for a shorter duration.

About the UUA

The Unitarian Universalist Association is a progressive religious denomination headquartered in Boston’s waterfront Fort Point Innovation District. Our faith community of more than 1,000 self-governing congregations brings to the world a vision of religious freedom, tolerance, and social justice. Our normal workweek is 35 hours, we pay 80% contribution towards health insurance premiums, 10% towards retirement (after one year), and have generous paid time-off policies. We are a great place to work, and we value diversity. The UUA is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to the full inclusion of all. As part of this commitment, the UUA will ensure that applicants and staff with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact the Department of Human Resources at careers@uua.org. For more information on the UUA, visit us online at UUA.org and uuworld.org.

Support for the Mission and Values of the Association 

The Unitarian Universalist Association is a progressive and historic religious denomination. All UUA staff members are expected to perform their job duties in accordance with the UUA’s values, principles, and mission. Unitarian Universalism puts love at the center of our commitments, which embrace the Shared Values of justice, equity, transformation, interdependence, pluralism and generosity. The following points drawn from these Shared Values are of particular importance for the UUA’s work environment and staff culture: 

  • Pluralism and generosity: We affirm the need for a human-centered workplace that allows our diverse staff to flourish. We also understand that our wider culture and societyoppressesand denies human dignity, and weseekto counter the effects of that oppression in our hiring and workplace culture so that each person feels whole and valued.
  • Justice and equity: We speak openly and publicly of our support for social and political issues, including LGBTQ equity, racial justice, climate justice, gender equity, and reproductive justice.
  • Interdependence and transformation: We recognize that the liberation of all people is interwoven, and we work to counter patriarchy, white supremacy, colonialism, homophobia, transphobia, environmental exploitation, and other interrelated systems of marginalization.
Key Skills
Development operationsStewardshipNonprofit fundraisingDonor database managementCRMProcess managementProject managementSOP developmentVendor managementData analysisBudget managementTeam leadershipPerformance managementStrategic planningCross-functional collaborationCommunication
Categories
Management & LeadershipSocial ServicesAdministrativeData & AnalyticsFinance & Accounting
Benefits
Health insuranceRetirement planPaid time off
Job Information
📋Core Responsibilities
The Director of Development Operations manages administrative and operational systems to support fundraising goals, including gift processing, donor database integrity, and budget oversight. They also lead a team of stewardship staff and collaborate across departments to implement donor strategies and improve retention.
📋Job Type
full time regular
💰Salary Range
$87,800 - $103,300
📊Experience Level
5-10
💼Company Size
578
📊Visa Sponsorship
No
💼Language
English
🏢Working Hours
35 hours
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