Overview
Director of Development Operations Jobs in South Africa at Cherry Assistant
Title: Director of Development Operations
Company: Cherry Assistant
Location: South Africa
We are hiring a Director of Development Operations for a nonprofit organization in the nonprofit and community development industry. This is a full-time remote role for a Washington, D.C.-based company. This role is ideal for an experienced nonprofit development leader who is highly organized, strategic, and operationally focused, with a strong track record of managing development teams, fundraising operations, funding relationships, and multi-million-dollar fundraising portfolios. The ideal candidate is someone who can build systems, develop people, improve processes, and take full ownership of the Development Division’s performance.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead and manage the overall Development Division and its fundraising operations.
- Develop and execute the organization’s fundraising and development strategy.
- Build a diversified funding portfolio and identify new funding opportunities.
- Manage the grant pipeline, proposal workflow, and funding calendar.
- Oversee the quality and timely submission of grant proposals and funding applications.
- Ensure proposals meet organizational, budgetary, formatting, evaluation, and compliance requirements.
- Maintain complete visibility into active grants, pending applications, award amounts, reporting deadlines, renewals, and compliance obligations.
- Build and maintain strong relationships with foundations, government agencies, corporate partners, and donors.
- Lead donor stewardship, renewal planning, site visit coordination, executive briefings, and recognition activities.
- Develop and improve Development SOPs, quality assurance systems, internal approval processes, dashboards, and workflows.
- Monitor departmental capacity, delegate effectively, and establish clear performance expectations.
- Hire, coach, develop, and manage Development team members.
- Provide regular reporting to Executive Leadership on pipeline status, proposal and reporting calendars, revenue forecasts, funding risks, renewal opportunities, and department performance.
- Identify risks early and proactively address issues before they become major problems.
- Lead the implementation of AI, automation, and technology to improve Development efficiency and quality.
- Continuously evaluate and improve Development systems, processes, and operational performance.
Required Qualifications
- Minimum 7 years of progressively responsible nonprofit development experience.
- 7+ years of demonstrated experience managing Development teams.
- Proven success securing foundation, corporate, and government funding.
- Experience overseeing multi-million-dollar fundraising portfolios.
- Strong project management and organizational skills.
- Strong relationship management and stakeholder communication skills.
- Experience implementing systems and operational improvements.
- Strong financial and budget literacy.
- Experience using CRM platforms and development software.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Strong leadership, accountability, decision-making, and problem-solving abilities.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience building or scaling a nonprofit Development Division.
- Experience developing fundraising systems, SOPs, dashboards, and quality assurance processes.
- Experience with AI-assisted proposal development, research automation, workflow automation, or internal GPT tools.
- Experience managing relationships across foundations, government agencies, corporate partners, and donors.
- Experience forecasting revenue and identifying funding gaps and growth opportunities.
Required Skills & Tools
- Nonprofit Development & Fundraising
- Grant & Proposal Management
- Grant Portfolio Management
- Fundraising Strategy
- Team Leadership & Performance Management
- Project & Workflow Management
- CRM Platforms
- Development Software
- Budget & Financial Management
- Reporting & Compliance
- Revenue Forecasting
- SOP & Process Development
- Quality Assurance
- AI & Workflow Automation
- Excellent Written & Verbal Communication
Schedule & Pay
- Full-time position; working hours aligned with EST. business hours
- This is a fully remote job for a Washington, D.C.-based company.
- Pay ranges from R56 000 to R72 000, depending on experience and skill.
- Annual raises, bonuses, confirmed holidays, and PTO.
System Requirements
- Internet speed of at least 25 Mbps
- Computer with a 2.4 GHz processor or higher
- 8 GB of RAM or higher
- Windows 10 or newer, or Mac OS X 10.10 or newer
- HD 720p webcam
- Headset with a microphone
Benefits
- Competitive pay rates
- The company provides a US phone number and business email address
- Enjoy the flexibility of working remotely, from home or any location of your choice
- Eliminate commute time
- Consistent work with the same clients, fostering long-term professional relationships
- Opportunities for career advancement, dependent on the client
- Stable work hours and consistent pay
- A supportive and inclusive work environment that values diversity and individual growth
If you are an experienced nonprofit development leader who enjoys building high-performing teams, creating efficient systems, strengthening funding relationships, and taking ownership of results, we would love to hear from you. Apply today and join a team focused on building a stronger, more scalable Development operation.