Senior Director, Development – Northern California

Job Title: Senior Director, Development – Northern California

Department: Development

Location: Remote/Virtual, within Northern California (San Francisco Bay Area preferred)

Reports to: Senior Vice President, Development

Classification: Exempt

Position Type: Full-Time Employee

Anticipated Pay Range at Commencement of Employment: $106,000 - $146,000

*The Senior Director must reside in Northern California.

Blue Star Families

Blue Star Families is the largest nonprofit dedicated to making military life better for families. Each year, we support over 1.5 million military- and veteran-connected family members through a national network of 300,000+ members and local chapters in communities across the country.

Our mission is simple and bold: We make military life awesome for families. 

We listen, share, partner, and act to deliver evidence-based, data-driven solutions that work for real people. We’re a lifestyle organization, a friend and neighbor, and a trusted partner. Our approach is collaborative, human-centered, and designed with the whole family in mind.

A Blue Star Family is one with an immediate family member — a spouse, parent, or child — actively serving in the U.S. Armed Forces, including the Guard and Reserves. These families face unique challenges: frequent relocations, deployments, career disruption, and isolation. We respond with research-informed programs that create connection, build resilience, and foster a true sense of belonging.

We serve with urgency but build trust over time — because change happens at the speed of trust. Whether we’re driving spouse employment, supporting caregivers, or helping communities welcome military families, we strive for upstream solutions.

Who We’re Looking For:

• Bold thinkers. Fast movers. Smart collaborators. People who want to build, lead, and drive measurable change — and who care deeply about making an impact that matters.

What You’ll Do Here:

• Solve complex challenges with data, heart, and humility
• Build cross-sector partnerships that get things done
• Help military families feel at home wherever they live

If you're ready to work in a high-performance, mission-driven environment — and to make life better for those who serve — Blue Star Families is where you belong.

General Description

The Senior Director, Development – Northern California serves as the lead fundraising strategist and major gifts officer for Blue Star Families within the Northern California region. This role is responsible for cultivating high-net-worth individuals, corporate leaders, family foundations, and institutional partners across the Bay Area and broader Northern California market.

Northern California represents a high-opportunity philanthropic market characterized by significant wealth concentration, corporate philanthropy, technology sector leadership, and innovation-driven giving. The Senior Director must possess strong working knowledge of the regional philanthropic climate, including venture philanthropy, donor-advised funds, family foundations, and corporate social responsibility networks.

This position manages a defined major gift portfolio and is accountable for revenue generation, pipeline development, and strategic donor engagement within the region. The Senior Director collaborates closely with Development leadership, Chapter Support, Events, and national fundraising initiatives to maximize regional impact.

While this role is remote, regular local travel and periodic out-of-town, overnight travel is an essential function. In-person time is critical to how we work — enabling deep collaboration, team alignment, creative problem-solving, and a shared sense of purpose. Team members are expected to travel several times per year for offsites, planning sessions, and company-wide gatherings. These events are essential for contributing to team outcomes, building trust across the organization, and staying aligned in a distributed environment. Participation in these in-person gatherings is a required part of the role and integral to successful performance in our remote-first organization.

Key Job Functions

• Develop and manage a portfolio of high-capacity donors and prospects with a focus on gifts of $25,000 and above.
• Identify and cultivate major and principal gift prospects within the Northern California market.
• Build and implement a regional fundraising strategy aligned with enterprise revenue goals.
• Engage technology-sector leaders, corporate partners, and family foundations.
• Leverage regional events and engagement opportunities as cultivation and pipeline-building platforms.
• Partner with Development leadership to align Northern California fundraising efforts with capital, annual, and national campaigns.
• Track portfolio activity, pipeline progression, and revenue forecasting using CRM systems.
• Represent Blue Star Families at regional philanthropic, corporate, and civic gatherings.
• Travel regularly within the region and nationally as required.
• Perform other duties as assigned. 

Required Experience, Skills & Background

• 7–10+ years of progressive nonprofit fundraising experience.
• Demonstrated success securing major gifts of $25,000+ and principal gifts.
• Strong understanding of Northern California’s philanthropic and corporate landscape.
• Experience engaging high-net-worth individuals, technology leaders, and family foundations.
• Ability to operate independently in a regional leadership role.
• Proficiency with CRM systems (Salesforce preferred).
• Ability to travel regionally on a regular basis.
• Ability to travel overnight several times per year for organizational gatherings and donor engagement.
• May be required to work nights, weekends, and holidays as necessary to carry out key job functions.
• Ability to lift and carry supplies and equipment up to 30 lbs.

Desired Experience, Skills & Background

• Experience fundraising within high-wealth markets.
• Familiarity with donor-advised funds and venture philanthropy models.
• Experience working in national nonprofit organizations with regional structures.
• Established relationships within Bay Area philanthropic networks.

More About Blue Star Families

Blue Star Families empowers military and Veteran families to thrive by connecting them with their civilian neighbors — both people and organizations — to create strong communities of mutual support. We believe we're all stronger when we take care of one another.

Our groundbreaking research is raising the nation's awareness of the unique challenges of military family life. With the help of neighbors across the country, Blue Star Families is overcoming the isolation and alienation of frequent moves, deployments, and reduced support from the government. Our innovative programs are solving specific challenges for military families, including fighting economic insecurity with resources that foster spouse career development, creating family strength with rich family programming, and providing critical peer support for caregivers, whose numbers are only increasing.

Blue Star Families is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. 

EEO Policy

Blue Star Families is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Why Blue Star Families?

• Mission-driven work supporting military service members and their families
• Flexible work options (remote, or hybrid depending on the role)
• Competitive salary
• Comprehensive benefits, including health, dental, and vision insurance
• 403(b) retirement plan with employer match
• Flexible Spending Accounts, life insurance, and disability insurance
• Communications allowance
• Professional development and career growth opportunities
• PCS leave for Active Duty military spouses