Senior Director of Development

The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that promotes and protects human rights globally, with a focus on closed societies. HRF brings together activists, artists, writers, and thinkers to defend civil liberties and challenge authoritarian governments around the world. HRF’s programs — including the Oslo Freedom Forum, Tyranny Tracker, Financial Freedom, and Bitcoin Development — reach donors, advocates, and audiences across more than 100 countries.

The Opportunity

HRF is seeking a Sr. Director of Development to lead the organization’s fundraising program at a pivotal moment in its growth. Reporting directly to Celine Assaf Boustani, President, the Sr. Director of Development will serve as the senior-most development officer at HRF — accountable for creating the development plan & strategy, setting and hitting annual revenue goals, owning the development budget, planning major development events, playing a major role in planning and executing the Oslo Freedom Forum, and leading a team of 5-7 development professionals to hit those goals.

The Sr. Director of Development will grow a portfolio of high-capacity donors and prospects and represent HRF y will set and execute strategy, own outcomes, and manage the infrastructure that makes HRF’s fundraising program sustainable long-term.

The Director will also work closely with the Chief Strategy Officer to inform priorities. This role interfaces regularly with Marketing and Communications, Finance, and Operations, and serves as the development team’s representative to senior leadership. The right candidate brings a genuine belief in human freedom, a proven track record of closing major gifts, and the leadership presence to represent HRF at the highest levels of donor engagement.

What You’ll Own

Team Leadership and Budget Ownership

• Leading a team of 5-7 development professionals, with full accountability for individual and team performance
• Setting annual revenue goals (for the organization and each revenue generating staff position), owning the development budget, and reporting to Celine and the board on progress against targets
• Hiring, onboarding, and developing team members; building a high-performance development culture with clear expectations and growth paths
• Working in close partnership on team operations, pipeline accountability, and reporting; retaining and building the pipeline of mid-level donors is a key priority

Fundraising Strategy and Revenue Accountability

• Setting and owning HRF’s annual and multi-year fundraising plan and revenue targets in partnership with the President
• Managing the development budget, including tracking spend against plan and making resourcing recommendations
• Identifying opportunities to grow revenue across individual giving, institutional partnerships, and planned giving
• Improving processes around donor segmentation, pipeline management, and portfolio strategy across the full development team
• Reporting on fundraising performance to the President and the board, including quarterly pipeline reviews, revenue forecasts, and year-end results

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Working closely with the President to align fundraising priorities with HRF’s organizational strategy and programmatic direction
• Working closely with the Chief Strategy Officer on organizational priorities and donor-facing strategy
• Partnering with Marketing and Communications on donor-facing content, appeals, and the annual report
• Working with Finance on revenue forecasting, gift accounting, and budget reconciliation
• Coordinating with Operations on systems, logistics, and cross-departmental workflows that support the development function
• Manage and mentor the Major Gift Officer and Senior Advisor who each manage portfolios for…