Senior Development Officer

Sep 14

Center for Science in the Public Interest
Washington, DC or Remote

Anticipated Start Date: November or December 2026

Description

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) seeks a strategic and relationship-driven Senior Development Officer to lead cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of private foundations, family foundations, state-based foundations, and other institutional funders. The person in this leadership role will build and manage a portfolio of foundation prospects and donors, develop compelling funding proposals aligned with CSPI's programmatic priorities, and work in close partnership with the Senior Development Director, who oversees CSPI's foundation fundraising program as a whole, to advance a coordinated, growing pipeline of institutional support.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced fundraiser with expertise in foundation fundraising and a commitment to CSPI’s mission to improve health and well-being for people in communities, regardless of race, income, education, or social factors. The successful candidate will help expand CSPI’s institutional funding base at a pivotal moment for food safety, nutrition and health policy, with potential for growth into an advanced role as CSPI’s development program evolves. The Senior Development Officer is part of a five-person Development Department and reports directly to the Senior Development Director.

This role works closely with executive leadership, finance, grants management, and program staff across the organization to align fundraising strategy, donor stewardship, grant compliance, and organizational priorities. The ideal candidate is a skilled relationship builder and project manager who can connect the dots across teams. CSPI’s office is in Washington, D.C., where we offer a hybrid work environment with D.C.-based staff free to work from home but available for occasional in-person meetings based on team needs. Our staff outside of the D.C. area work remotely at locations across the U.S. We will consider DC-based or remote applicants within the U.S. for this position.

Responsibilities

Fundraising Strategic Planning

Work with Senior Director of Development, Development Team members, and program staff to develop and implement the overall foundation fundraising strategy, set portfolio goals, and coordinate outreach across the full foundation fundraising program.
Oversee all aspects of execution of the fundraising plan, including stewardship and growth of foundation funders. Engage board members and organizational leadership in cultivation and stewardship efforts.
Stay abreast of philanthropic trends, sector best practices, and evolving foundation funding priorities, and apply that knowledge to strengthen and continuously improve CSPI's foundation fundraising program. Ensure all fundraising is consistent with CSPI’s Gift Acceptance Policy.

Portfolio Management & Relationship Cultivation

Grow philanthropic revenue by managing and expanding a portfolio of foundations, institutional funders, family foundations, and state-based foundations. Develop annual cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, and revenue strategies for each assigned relationship.
Cultivate program officer relationships through regular one-on-one outreach via meetings, calls, virtual meetings, and stewardship. Develop and monitor annual revenue budgets for all foundation funders.

Prospect Research & Pipeline

Management Manage foundation prospect research and cultivation aligned with CSPI’s mission and program areas.
Develop and maintain a foundation prospect list and prospect file, including institutional funders, formal family foundations, state-based foundations, and donor-advised funds.

Proposal & Grant Development

Work with team leads to develop foundation prospects, funder briefs, letters of inquiry, proposals, budgets and reports; and provide coaching to strengthen budgeting and program summary preparation skills.
Translate CSPI’s scientific and policy work into compelling, funder-ready narratives in partnership with program staff.
Draft and edit foundation fundraising letters, proposals and reports, and develop fundraising outreach publications, as needed. Coordinate the submission of grant proposals and grant reports (and accompanying materials for both).
Maintain calendar and deadlines related to foundation fundraising. Track proposal and report deadlines, ensuring on-time, high-quality submissions across the portfolio.

Funder Communications & Stewardship

Develop and execute stewardship plans for current funders, including impact updates, acknowledgements, and media updates. Ensure accurate, up-to-date donor records and grant tracking in CSPI’s donor systems.
Contribute to the Development Department's shared outreach mailings, calls with funders, and events.
Arrange and participate in meetings between CSPI staff and foundations, as needed. Represent CSPI to the foundation funding community and serve as the staff liaison with foundations.

Requirements

8 + years of progressive experience in foundation relations, institutional giving, or grant-focused fundraising, ideally in public health, science, or advocacy-related nonprofits working at both the federal and state levels.
Demonstrated success securing and stewarding six-figure and above foundation grants and building long-term funder relationships.
Demonstrated ability to develop and execute institutional fundraising strategy, including setting revenue goals, building prospect pipelines, and growing the portfolio over time.
This includes foundation fundraising material development, tracking, stewardship, and solicitation. Exceptional written and verbal communication skills; able to craft compelling proposals, reports, and funder presentations tailored to diverse audiences.
Strong strategic thinking and the ability to translate complex program work into clear cases for support.
Strong interpersonal skills, maturity, tactfulness, and good judgment; and capable of handling confidential information with discretion.
Exceptional relationship builder with the ability to effectively engage CSPI’s senior leaders and board members with current foundation funders and prospects, and individual donors.
Exceptional organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple complex projects effectively; ability to work both independently and in a collaborative environment.
Must have an interest in nutrition, food safety, and public health issues; and a commitment to public interest advocacy. Computer proficiency with Microsoft 365 and fundraising software and databases.
Ability and willingness to travel. Interest and commitment to CSPI’s work and mission and embracing CSPI’s core values (described below).

Salary Range and Employee Benefits

The salary range is $111,000 to 145,000, based on experience.

The actual salary offered will take into consideration many factors, including but not limited to job-related knowledge, skills, and experience, internal pay equity, and business needs.

CSPI offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes:

3 weeks of annual vacation leave; additional paid holiday leave between December 24 and January 1; 8 weeks of paid parental leave; excellent medical and dental insurance with CSPI paying a significant portion of employee and dependent premiums; and a 3% employer match contribution to the retirement plan after six months of service.

We also offer ½ day Fridays, which means full-time staff work 36 hours per week.

How to Apply for this Job

Apply Now

About the Organization

CSPI, your food and health watchdog, is one of the nation’s leading public health advocacy organizations with a 50-year record of fighting for science in the public interest. We’ve led efforts to win passage of many state and local policies to improve school foods, put calories on chain restaurant menus and menu boards, and remove sugary drinks from children’s menus. National policy successes include the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act; Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act; Food Safety Modernization Act; and Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act.

CSPI Core Values

CSPI is committed to including and valuing diverse voices and fostering a culture that ensures all staff feels a sense of belonging and are encouraged to be their best selves.

In that spirit, each of us is committed to putting in constant work to live up to our organization’s core values:

We are inclusive. We seek to foster an environment where all staff feel a sense of belonging and are affirmed. We are not looking for everyone to think and look the same. We actively welcome and value staff with different experiences, backgrounds, attributes, abilities, and perspectives.
We are open. We are honest and direct in how we communicate with each other in order to build trust and integrity within our organization.
We are accountable. We acknowledge and assume responsibility for our actions.
We are kind. We communicate and treat one another in a respectful, generous, considerate, and compassionate way.
We are collaborative. We work together for the common good and shared success.

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