Senior Development Manager

Boston Lyric Opera

Job Description

The Senior Development Manager plays a critical role in the Development team of Boston Lyric Opera as a strong collaborator within the development department and between interdepartmental teams. In this role, the Senior Development Manager is responsible, in partnership with the Senior Director of Development, for designing and implementing programs that engage, solicit and steward donors, while implementing and maintaining best practices within the team’s operations.  The ideal candidate is a creative, organized person who is enthusiastic about the arts and able to communicate effectively through a variety of mediums. This role reports into the Senior Director of Development and has potential leadership responsibilities for development support.
 
What you’ll be doing:
  • Collaborate with internal departments to ensure each donor's experience is consistent and exemplary of BLO;
  • Design and implement best practices that deliver efficient and consistent outcomes for the Development team and broader organization;
  • Write appeals, stewardship, and cultivation details internally for BLO
  • Manage the data analysis of Tessitura and other integrated platforms (i.e. iWave, Prospect2, Donate2) to utilize the data to report on and help drive business decisions while effectively collaborating with Marketing and Communications. You will also be encouraged to create new reports and perspectives that further advance BLO;
  • Gain experience managing a portfolio of Annual Fund donors (up to $3,000), developing strategies with the Director of Major Gifts and Senior Director of Development to steward and elevate donors in the current portfolio;
  • Support stewardship of BLO donors and prospects by developing strategies for engaging patrons of both live and digital products;
  • Prepare for and staff various development events, which may include evening and weekend time.
 
What success looks like:
3 months
  • Become familiar with BLO practices and Development History;
  • Begin reporting development data and communicate details internally to BLO;
  • Establishing relationships with external donors;
  • Begin writing appeals as well as stewardship and cultivation pieces.
 
6 months
  • Partner with internal teams to formulate the cultivation strategy for new audiences post digital and live productions;
  • Manage daily collaboration with Marketing, Box Office, and Community Engagement on messaging, content development, and segmenting of messaging as it relates to cultivation, stewardship, and board communications;
  • Manage the daily financial operations of the department.
 
What you’ll bring:
  • 3+ years of experience in arts administration, development, database management, or related field;
  • Knowledge of opera and/or classical music, music production, or musical theater a plus;
  • Excellent interpersonal communication skills with a strong creative mind; a team player mindset that can define and support a strategy, offer solutions and manage projects;
  • Knowledge of Tessitura CRM strongly preferred, proficiency with Microsoft Office required.
 
What you’ll get:
  • The opportunity to play a key role in the advancement of the longest-lived opera company in New England.
  • A collaborative team that shares a love of performing arts and are passionate about celebrating the art of the voice through innovative programming and community engagement initiatives that redefine the opera-going experience and have a great time while doing so.
  • Benefits package including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, 401k, and unlimited PTO.
  • Opportunity to build and maintain a small portfolio of donors, as well as a small team.
 
* This role summary is a high-level overview of the job.  A complete description of scope of work and responsibilities is available upon request and will be reviewed with each candidate during the interview process.

Salary
The salary for this position is based on a candidate’s experience and skills, with a salary range of $66,000 - $74,000 in addition to a benefits package which includes an Unlimited Vacation policy, 8-hours of paid Volunteer time, and 401k retirement plan.

About Us
Both locally and beyond, Boston Lyric Opera leads the way in celebrating the art of the voice through innovative programming and community engagement initiatives that redefine the opera-going experience. Now in its 44th Season, BLO is the largest and longest-lived opera company in New England. Since its founding in 1976, the company has staged world premieres, U.S. premieres, co-productions and co-commissions of note with organizations such as The Royal Opera, Covent Garden, Scottish Opera and San Francisco Opera and continues to be a destination for some of the leading artists, conductors, directors and designers from around the world.
BLO values diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age or veteran’s status or any other protected category. BLO is an equal opportunity employer.