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Deputy Director of Development
Development Department
Frontline Fundraising
Work Status:
Full Time
FLSA Status:
Exempt
Location of Job:
Davies Symphony Hall
San Francisco, CA
Salary:
Pay Grade C
$168,809.00 - $193,485.00
Schedule:
Hybrid
Regular Hours:
9 am-5 pm; intermittent evenings and weekends
Reports To:
Chief Philanthropy Officer
Supervisory:
Yes. Leads a team of 9 with 4 direct reports
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To be considered, please complete your application at: San Francisco Symphony Seeks Deputy Director of Development
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THE ORGANIZATION
The San Francisco Symphony is among the most adventurous and innovative arts institutions in the United States, celebrated for its artistic excellence, creative performance concepts, award-winning recordings, and standard-setting education and community engagement programs. Since it was established in 1911, the Symphony has grown in acclaim under a succession of distinguished music directors: Henry Hadley, Alfred Hertz, Basil Cameron, Issay Dobrowen, Pierre Monteux, Enrique Jordá, Josef Krips, Seiji Ozawa, Edo de Waart, Herbert Blomstedt, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Esa-Pekka Salonen. In May 2026, the Symphony announced Elim Chan as the 13th Music Director in its 115-year history, beginning with the 2027-28 season. One of the most sought-after artists of her generation, Elim Chan embodies the spirit of contemporary orchestral leadership with her crystalline precision and expressive zeal.
The San Francisco Symphony presents more than 200 concerts and presentations annually for an audience of nearly 350,000 in its home of Davies Symphony Hall and around the Bay Area. As a cornerstone of its mission, the San Francisco Symphony provides some of the most extensive education and community programs offered by any American orchestra. The Symphony's free music education experiences engage students in grades 1-12 throughout the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD), serving more than 25,000 students annually.
In 2001, the SF Symphony became the first American orchestra to launch its own in-house record label, SFS Media. Recorded live in concert and engineered at Davies Symphony Hall, SFS Media recordings showcase music by contemporary composers as well as core classical masterworks. San Francisco Symphony radio broadcasts, the first in the nation to feature symphonic music when they began in 1926, today carry the Orchestra's concerts across the country. In 2004, the SF Symphony launched the groundbreaking multimedia Keeping Score series on PBS-TV and the web; the series was made available for unlimited free streaming on the Symphony's YouTube channel in 2020. In 2014, the San Francisco Symphony inaugurated SoundBox, an experimental and eclectic live music series, which takes place in an alternative performance space located backstage at Davies Symphony Hall. In 2023, the San Francisco Symphony partnered with Apple for the launch of a new classical music streaming app, Apple Music Classical, and has since released 17 spatial audio recordings of live concert performances through the app. For its adventurous programming, the Symphony has been honored 19 times by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, and the Symphony's recordings have garnered France's Grand Prix du Disque and Britain's Gramophone Award, as well as 17 Grammy® Awards.
JOB SUMMARY
Reporting to the Chief Philanthropy Officer, the Deputy Director of Development (DDD) is a key strategic leader and the second most senior position on the San Francisco Symphony's Development Team. Serving as a senior partner and proxy to the Chief Philanthropy Officer, the DDD plays a central leadership role in departmental strategy, contributed revenue growth, team performance, and organizational planning across the Symphony's philanthropy operation.
The DDD provides leadership for the Symphony's frontline fundraising efforts, the largest fundraising vertical within the Development department, and oversees a team of nine development professionals, including senior fundraising leaders responsible for major gifts, leadership annual giving, new philanthropy, and foundation and government support. Through this leadership structure, the DDD guides strategy, performance, and contributed revenue growth across a broad portfolio of fundraising activity and donor engagement initiatives.
Working closely with the Chief Philanthropy Officer, Board leadership, fundraising volunteers, and senior institutional leadership, the DDD helps advance the Symphony's philanthropic priorities and foster a culture of ambitious, relationship-driven fundraising across the organization.
As a senior frontline fundraiser, the DDD personally manages a select portfolio of approximately 45-50 leadership and major gift households and prospects, with annual fundraising responsibility totaling approximately $3M-$5M for the Annual Fund and broader institutional priorities.
The ability to travel as needed to represent the Symphony throughout the Bay Area and Northern California, and to attend evening and weekend concerts and events, is required.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Strategic Leadership

• Serve as a senior strategic and operational partner to the Chief Philanthropy Officer in departmental planning, contributed revenue strategy, organizational leadership, and overall philanthropy operations.
• Lead strategy and performance for the Symphony's frontline fundraising efforts, including major gifts, leadership annual giving, foundation and government support, and new philanthropy initiatives.
• Provide leadership, direction, and mentorship for senior fundraising leaders and their teams to ensure strong portfolio management, strategic donor engagement, and achievement of ambitious contributed revenue goals.
• Oversee and guide contributed revenue growth strategies, donor pipeline development, and fundraising performance across frontline fundraising programs and donor segments.
• Serve as a member of the Development Leadership Team, contributing to department-wide planning, cross-functional collaboration, and organizational strategy.
• Manage a select portfolio of approximately 45-50 leadership and major gift households and prospects through all stages of identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship, with annual fundraising responsibility of approximately $3M-$5M.
• Collaborate with senior leadership and volunteer leaders to identify, cultivate, and engage prospective Board members and philanthropic leaders.
• Represent the Development department internally and externally as a senior institutional leader and ambassador for the Symphony's mission, vision, and philanthropic priorities.
• Take on other strategic leadership and organizational responsibilities as needed.

Board and Donor Engagement

• Partner closely with the Chief Philanthropy Officer, Board leadership, and fundraising volunteers to strengthen philanthropic engagement and advance contributed revenue goals.
• Attend and participate in Board and committee meetings, including Development, Gift Planning, Committee on Governors, and other meetings as needed.
• Advise Board members and volunteer leaders on donor engagement strategies, cultivation planning, philanthropic best practices, and community ambassadorship.
• Help shape and support strategies that build meaningful pathways for the Bay Area's diverse communities to engage with and support the Symphony as donors, partners, advisors, and ambassadors.
• Foster strong relationships with donors, trustees, institutional partners, and community stakeholders in support of the Symphony's fundraising and engagement priorities.
• Take on other Board and donor engagement responsibilities as needed.

Team and Organizational Oversight

• Provide strategic leadership, coaching, and management for senior fundraising staff and their teams to maximize performance, collaboration, accountability, and contributed revenue growth.
• Ensure fundraising portfolios and donor strategies are managed according to best practices and aligned with institutional fundraising priorities and annual goals.
• Guide and support the development of robust donor pipeline and discovery strategies across multiple channels and donor segments.
• Partner collaboratively with colleagues across Development, including Donor Engagement, Development Operations, and Legacy Giving, to strengthen integration, communication, and overall departmental effectiveness.
• Help foster a collaborative, high-performing, and team-oriented culture grounded in accountability, professionalism, respect, and shared purpose.
• Maintain a broad understanding of charitable giving strategies, tax considerations, and philanthropic trends relevant to high-net-worth donors and institutional fundraising.
• Take on other team leadership and organizational responsibilities as needed.

QUALIFICATIONS

• A minimum of seven to 10 years of proven organizational, supervisory, and fundraising leadership experience is essential. Relative experience outside the nonprofit environment working with high-net worth individuals will be considered.
• A successful record of conceptualizing and executing fundraising plans across donor categories (individual giving, foundation and government support) is required.
• Proven success in cultivating, stewarding, and soliciting prospects at the $100,000+ level is required.
• Ability to successfully manage a team in a sophisticated, fast paced, and complex fundraising environment is essential. The ability to lead and mentor an experienced team is essential.
• Strong organizational skills, ability to manage multiple tasks and priorities, and meet deadlines in a high-volume, fast-paced environment is needed.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, especially regarding the Symphony and its mission, vision, and values are essential. Ability to professionally and diplomatically communicate and interact with a wide variety of internal and external stakeholders.
• Familiarity with and/or passion for orchestral music is a plus, and experience working in the arts is highly desired.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and donor database software is needed; Tessitura experience is preferred.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES
Oversee department of nine full-time staff.
Direct supervision of:

• Senior Major Gift Officer
• Senior Giving Officer, Maestro's Circle
• Senior Giving Officer, New Philanthropy
• Senior Giving Officer, Foundation & Government

WORKING RELATIONSHIPS
The internal and external constituents with whom this position most frequently interacts include:

• Frontline Fundraising team and Development Leadership Team
• CPO, CEO, some Leadership Team members
• Board and Life Governors

EEO STATEMENT
In alignment with the values statement above, the San Francisco Symphony is committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy (including childbirth, lactation and related medical conditions), national origin, age, physical and mental disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information (including characteristics and testing), military and veteran status, and any other characteristic protected by applicable law.