Chief Development Officer

Featured

Sep 16

Human Rights Watch
This position is preferably based in HRW's New York office, with other HRW offices a possibility, and requires a flexible schedule to accommodate colleagues across multiple time zones. The role involves both domestic and international travel, approximately 25–40% of the time.

Anticipated Start Date: Open

Description

This position is preferably based in HRW's New York office, with other HRW offices a possibility, and requires a flexible schedule to accommodate colleagues across multiple time zones. The role involves both domestic and international travel, approximately 25–40% of the time.

Responsibilities

The Chief Development Officer (CDO) will bring fresh vision and strategic leadership to build on and boldly advance the organization's fundraising, marketing, and donor and community engagement efforts, deepening impact and expanding reach at a pivotal moment for HRW.

This is a critical position for the organization and an exciting opportunity to shape and accelerate the fundraising strategy and roadmap for HRW's future, developing and implementing ambitious fundraising, outreach, and constituency building strategies. The CDO must be committed to HRW's mission to take on human rights abuses around the world, communicate passionately about its work, and inspire its staff, volunteer teams, and donors.

The CDO will report directly to Executive Director Philippe Bolopion and will serve on HRW's Executive Committee, the organization’s senior leadership team. The CDO will lead a high-performing Development & Outreach Team of approximately 110 staff members, spanning leadership and principal giving, donor committees and council fundraising, Board of Directors engagement, foundation giving, marketing, planned giving, and fundraising systems and data analysis.

Requirements

Candidate Profile

The Chief Development Officer will be a collaborative, innovative, and visionary leader with exceptional people, communications, and management skills and the passion and capacity to lead a sophisticated global fundraising operation.

They will bring high intellectual and emotional intelligence, sharp cultural awareness, and the ability to communicate and influence effectively across a complex, highly distributed organization. The ideal candidate will understand the nuances of fundraising across multiple geographies and cultures, inspire and motivate experienced teams, and embody a deep commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

They will be passionate about HRW's mission and able to articulate a compelling vision that engages staff, volunteers, advocates, and donors, and catalyzes giving. The successful candidate will bring at least 12 to 15 years of fundraising experience, with at least five (5) years of experience in a senior role such as chief development officer, deputy chief development officer, or equivalent.

Required Qualifications

A deep commitment to HRW's mission of defending the rights of people worldwide, and the ability to communicate about its work with passion and conviction.
Proven experience leading and motivating fundraising teams in a complex, global organization, setting ambitious objectives, managing performance, and driving results.
Expertise across major gift fundraising, marketing, capital campaigns, and planned giving, with a keen awareness of evolving trends and best practices.
A strong track record of cultivating and closing transformational gifts from major donors, including foundations.
The ability to master, represent, and compellingly communicate the organization's mission and programs to diverse audiences.
A global perspective on philanthropy and the cultural competency to work effectively with staff, donors, and board and committee members across geographies.
An ability to foster an inclusive team culture characterized by creativity, collegiality, mutual respect, and professional growth.
Outstanding oral and written communications skills in English; proficiency in additional languages is a plus.
A data-driven approach to developing, implementing, and measuring fundraising strategies, with a demonstrated ability to drive transformational growth.
Superior analytical, strategic planning, and problem-solving skills.

Equal Opportunity Employer Human Rights Watch is strong because it is diverse. It actively seeks a diverse and global applicant pool and encourages candidates of all backgrounds to apply. Human Rights Watch does not discriminate on the basis of disability, age, gender identity and expression, national origin, race and ethnicity, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, or criminal record. It welcomes all kinds of diversity. Its employees include people who are parents and non-parents, the self-taught and university educated, and from a wide span of socio-economic backgrounds and perspectives on the world. Human Rights Watch is an equal opportunity employer.

Salary Range and Employee Benefits

The annual base salary for this role is expected to range from $350,000 to $400,000, commensurate with experience.

How to Apply for this Job

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About the Organization

Human Rights Watch (HRW) was founded in 1978 as “Helsinki Watch,” when they began investigating rights abuses in countries that signed the Helsinki Accords, most notably, those behind the Iron Curtain. Since then, their work has expanded to five continents. They have investigated massacres and even genocides, along with government take-overs of media and the baseless arrests of activists and political opposition figures.

At the same time, HRW expanded their work to address abuses against those likely to face discrimination, including women, LGBTQ+ people, and people with disabilities. When families victimized by war crimes found no justice at home, HRW championed international justice and international courts.

While they rely on in-person interviews, their research methods have also changed with the times, and today they use satellite imagery to track the destruction of villages and city blocks, and mine big data for patterns in arrest rates or the deportation of immigrants. Everything they do circles back to a commitment to justice, dignity, compassion, and equality.

Who We Are

Human Rights Watch investigates and reports on abuses happening in all corners of the world. We are roughly 550 plus people of 70-plus nationalities who are country experts, lawyers, journalists, and others who work to protect the most at risk, from vulnerable minorities and civilians in wartime, to refugees and children in need. We direct our advocacy towards governments, armed groups, and businesses, pushing them to change or enforce their laws, policies, and practices.

To ensure our independence, we refuse government funding and carefully review all donations to ensure that they are consistent with our policies, mission, and values. We partner with organizations, large and small, across the globe to protect embattled activists and to help hold abusers to account and bring justice to victims.

What We Do Investigate: Our researchers work in the field in 100 some countries, uncovering facts that create an undeniable record of human rights abuses.

Expose: We tell the stories of what we found, sharing them with millions of social media and online followers each day. News media often report on our investigations, furthering our reach.

Change: We meet with governments, the United Nations, rebel groups, corporations, and others, to see that policy is changed, laws are enforced, and justice is served.

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