Director of Development Operations

Empower the organization that is making alternative proteins no longer alternative

The Good Food Institute (GFI) is a nonprofit think tank working to make the global food system better for the planet, people, and animals. Alongside scientists, businesses, and policymakers, GFI’s teams focus on making plant-based, fermentation-enabled, and cultivated meat delicious, affordable, and accessible. Powered by philanthropy, GFI is an international network of organizations advancing alternative proteins as an essential solution needed to meet the world’s climate, global health, food security, and biodiversity goals.

How you will make a difference 

GFI is 100% supported by philanthropy. In this position, you will directly impact the transformation of the global food system by leading the Development Operations team to continued success and driving the systems, data, budgets, and projects essential to GFI’s fundraising efforts. Working with the Vice President (VP) of Development and the Development Leadership Team, the Director of Development Operations will be responsible for:

• Managing a team, including directly managing a Senior Prospect Research Manager and a Senior Development Project Manager, as well as dotted line management of the Senior Salesforce Analyst, Donor Services.
• Overseeing all development operations on the U.S. Development team, including the hiring, training, and professional development of team members, reporting processes, and SOPs.
• Serving as a core member of the Development Leadership Team, jointly responsible for department-wide strategy, goal setting, and team culture.
• Leading the development and continuous improvement of development operations practices across GFI’s U.S. and affiliate teams (currently 28 professionals across four regions) in partnership with GFI Europe counterparts, ensuring that, where practicable, our systems, processes and strategies align and are implemented across the team and the organization.
• Shaping team strategy by overseeing the creation, evaluation, and recalibration of Development team objectives and key results, including best practice metrics for frontline fundraisers, and ensuring Development team members are meeting metrics.
• In partnership with the VP of Development, setting the vision for development-wide stewardship strategies and cross-functional initiatives and ensuring they support organizational goals and resonate with target audiences.
• Leading the projection of data-informed fundraising targets and overseeing development budgets, in close collaboration with the Vice President of Development, and reporting progress regularly to leadership and the board.
• Partnering with the Finance team in the U.S. and affiliates, as needed, to ensure accuracy of gift processing and to track restricted gifts.
• Identifying Salesforce needs and opportunities, establishing and refining systems (reports, dashboards, automations, and standards), and ensuring team-wide data integrity and consistent use of donor information to enable effective fundraising strategy and insights with support from the Senior Salesforce Analyst, the broader Salesforce team, and the Development Leadership Team.
• Acting as a strategic partner to our fundraising teams by working with others in Development Leadership to ensure that cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies are informed and supported by strong data and prospect research outputs. 
• Building strong internal relationships to ensure consistent, accurate information exchange between the Development team and other GFI departments, including six affiliate regions.
• Serving as a thought partner to the VP of Development in campaign planning, forecasting, and budgeting.
• Driving fundraising growth and organizational impact by fostering a culture of accountability and data-driven decision-making.
• Cultivating a positive and collaborative team environment, helping to motivate the Development Operations team and managing team workflow.
• Performing other duties as assigned.

Who we’re looking for 

An ideal candidate for the Director of Development Operations position will have experience that reflects the following:

• At least ten years of experience in a development position, including at least three years of experience in a development leadership position.
• Experience using tactical fundraising systems; e.g. prospect tracking and scheduling, CRM maintenance (Salesforce preferred), etc. 
• Experience managing teams, with the ability to mentor and inspire team members.
• The ability and confidence to act as a strategic partner to fundraisers and development leadership peers: making recommendations for fundraising strategies, and creating and ensuring team members are held accountable to fundraising metrics and best practices.
• Strong data literacy and experience with prospect research, business intelligence tools, and performance metrics.
• Exceptional organizational skills, strategic thinking, and the ability to execute high-level initiatives in fast-paced, high-stakes environments.
• Strong collaborative problem-solving skills in which you seek to understand and make smart decisions through effective communication and leading by example.
• Exceptionally strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong process optimization skills: mapping workflows, spotting gaps or bottlenecks, and implementing practical solutions.
• Understanding of nonprofit budgeting, accrual revenue recognition, and auditing processes.
• A commitment to maintaining the confidentiality, integrity, and security of donor data, with a strong understanding of privacy and data protection best practices and global regulatory requirements.
• A commitment to fostering a work environment that is respectful, supportive, fair, and welcoming to all.
• Comfort working remotely in a collaborative, caring, and high-performing culture that values inclusion and innovation. 
• Strong support for GFI’s philosophy and mission; demonstrated interest in plant-based & other alternative proteins, public health, environmentalism, climate change, animal protection, or hunger relief.
• A commitment to GFI’s values: believe change is possible, do the most good we can, share knowledge freely, act on evidence, and invite everyone to the table.

GFI wants the best people and is committed to a fair hiring process. We use a third-party anonymizing tool to redact personal information from submitted applications — including name, location, contact details, and several other factors — to increase fairness in our process. We also prioritize an inclusive work environment absent of discrimination and harassment during the application process and after you join the team. Please see our full Equal Opportunity Statement: https://gfi.org/careers/#EEOC-and-visa-disclaimer. 

If you are passionate about GFI’s mission, think you have what it takes to be successful in this position, and meet many of the job requirements — even if you don’t check all the boxes — please apply. We’d appreciate the opportunity to consider your application. 

The fine print

• Terms of employment: Full-time, exempt 
• Reports to: Rachel Colombana, Vice President of Development 
• Direct reports: Amy Sacco, Senior Prospect Research Manager; Megan Kellums, Senior Development Project Manager (Indirect reports: Emma Adkisson, Senior Donor Services Assistant and Development Communications Specialist) 
• Location: Remote; United States 
• Travel: Up to two weeks per year for organization retreats (reasonable accommodations for and exemptions from organization retreats considered on a case-by-case basis).
• Benefits: Working from home; paid employee base medical coverage; dental, vision, and other medical insurance options; a 401(k) plan with employer match; 14 paid holidays; personal, sick, and vacation time; paid family/parental and medical leave; lifestyle spending account; opportunity for advancement; and, respectful and collaborative culture. More information here: https://tinyurl.com/GFIBenefits. 
• This is a U.S.-based position: In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work for any employer in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire. At this time, GFI's policy is not to sponsor or take over sponsorship of employment visas.
• Salary: $136,884.54-$143,728.78 (depending on experience and qualifications)

Important dates

Application deadline: December 23, 2025

Anticipated start date: February 2, 2026 

Decided not to apply? If after reviewing this job description, you have decided not to apply, please let us know why by completing this short survey: https://tinyurl.com/GFIJobSurvey

Interested in working at the Good Food Institute? Join us for the Career Opportunities Webinar to learn more about our work and ask questions about specific job opportunities! See upcoming webinar dates and more information at https://tinyurl.com/GFICareers

Application instructions

GFI uses an anonymized hiring system that redacts key identifying personal information from all applications. We use this tool as part of a wider effort to reduce bias in our hiring process. Following these instructions will help to ensure your application is not delayed by a failed redaction. 

• Where possible, limit the creative formatting of your documents. If the name on your resume is an inserted image file or is styled with large spaces between each letter, for example, the redaction is likely to fail. Colors and designs are OK, but wherever possible, the text itself should just be regular text. 
• Please use consistent names. It helps to ensure that the name you use in your resume and cover letter is the same as the name you type into the application below. For example, if your name is Jennifer, please sign your cover letter as “Jennifer” rather than “Jenny.” 
• Submit PDF or .docx files only. Other file formats, like .txt, are likely to fail redaction. 
• Please do not include personal identifying information in your responses to the application questions. Referencing past education, work experience, and mission-alignment is OK. 
• If you use smart technology, use it wisely. We want to get to know you — not a robot. Please ensure your application materials reflect your own voice and experience. 
• Please do not contact the role’s supervisor or any potential member of the hiring team. If you have questions, please email [email protected]. 

Thank you for helping us to ensure that the redaction process works smoothly and to review your application as quickly as possible!