Director, Fundraising Strategic Initiatives

About Us:

The Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy (PICI) is radically changing the way cancer research is done. Founded in 2016 through a $250 million gift from Silicon Valley entrepreneur and philanthropist Sean Parker, the San Francisco-based nonprofit is an unprecedented collaboration between the country's leading immunotherapy researchers and cancer centers, including Stanford Medicine, the University of California, Los Angeles, the University of California, San Francisco, the University of Pennsylvania, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, and Gladstone Institutes. The institute also supports top researchers at other institutions, including City of Hope, Memorial Sloan-Kettering, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Institute for Systems Biology and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

By forging alliances with academic, industry and nonprofit partners, PICI makes big bets on bold research to fulfill its mission: to accelerate the development of breakthrough immune therapies to turn all cancers into curable diseases.

Help us create a world that doesn't fear cancer. Join us. www.parkerici.org

Overview of the Role:

The Director, Fundraising Strategic Initiatives is a high-impact, cross-functional role designed to increase the effectiveness, accountability, and growth of PICI's fundraising program. Reporting to the Chief Organizational Advancement Officer, this position serves as a strategic partner and multiplier across the Advancement team, connecting fundraising strategy, executive priorities, donor engagement, data, moves management, and execution.

The Director will function as a partner to the Chief Organizational Advancement Officer and team, providing high-level coordination, preparation, follow-through, project management, and strategic support, while also owning key fundraising initiatives and revenue goals. A central responsibility will be serving as the Advancement team's strategic point person for Salesforce, ensuring that the CRM is an accurate, actionable source of truth for fundraising activity, prospect pipelines, portfolios, goals, moves management, reporting, and performance.

Reporting Structure and Team

The Director, Fundraising Strategic Initiatives reports to the Chief Organizational Advancement Officer.

Essential Job Functions:

Fundraising Strategy & Strategic Initiatives

Partner with the Chief Organizational Advancement Officer to translate PICI's fundraising priorities into clear work plans, timelines, and measurable outcomes

Participate in high-priority fundraising initiatives from concept through execution, ensuring accountability and momentum

Support development and tracking of quarterly and multi-year fundraising goals across individual giving, major gifts, sponsorships, transformational philanthropy, events, and other strategic priorities

Develop dashboards and reporting mechanisms to monitor progress against revenue, pipeline, prospect, and activity goals

Identify opportunities to improve fundraising effectiveness, eliminate barriers, and accelerate results

Coordinate cross-functional projects involving Advancement, Finance, Marketing, Communications, Events, Programs, and Executive Leadership

Serve as a project management resource for priority institutional fundraising initiatives

Salesforce & Fundraising Data Leadership

Serve as the primary Advancement point person and internal champion for Salesforce

Establish and maintain best practices for prospect management, moves management, portfolio assignments, contact reports, gift tracking, forecasting, and donor stewardship

Partner with Finance, Operations, and Salesforce/technology resources to ensure data integrity and accurate reporting

Develop and maintain fundraising dashboards, reports, and performance metrics for leadership

Ensure fundraising teams consistently use Salesforce to document activity, manage pipelines, and track progress toward goals

Identify opportunities to improve workflows, automate processes, and make Salesforce more useful as a strategic fundraising tool

Train, coach, and support Advancement staff in effective Salesforce utilization

Help translate Salesforce data into actionable intelligence for the Chief Advancement Officer and senior leadership

Executive Partnership

Serve as a trusted strategic partner to the Chief Advancement Officer, operating with a high degree of discretion, judgment, and independence

Manage and prioritize the CAO's strategic fundraising priorities and follow-up items

Prepare the CAO for donor meetings, leadership meetings, board engagements, staff meetings, and other high-priority interactions

Develop briefing materials, donor profiles, meeting agendas, talking points, presentations, and follow-up plans

Track commitments, decisions, deadlines, and next steps to ensure consistent execution

Coordinate complex meetings and communications involving senior executives, donors, board members, and external partners

Anticipate needs and proactively identify issues requiring leadership attention

Serve as a central connector between the CAO and Advancement team to ensure priorities are clearly communicated and executed

Maintain a high level of confidentiality regarding donor information, organizational strategy, personnel matters, and executive communications

Fundraising Performance & Accountability

Support the development and implementation of individual fundraising goals for Advancement team members

Monitor progress against annual revenue and activity targets

Create regular reporting for the CAO and senior leadership that clearly communicates progress, risks, opportunities, and recommended actions

Help establish a culture of accountability, urgency, and measurable performance across Advancement

Track major gift pipeline health, prospect movement, solicitation activity, and anticipated revenue

Identify gaps in the fundraising pipeline and work with fundraising leaders to develop strategies to address them

Special Initiatives & Events

Support strategic fundraising events and special campaigns, including donor strategy, prospect identification, cultivation, solicitation, and follow-up

Coordinate special initiatives tied to PICI's institutional priorities, anniversaries, campaigns, scientific milestones, and other opportunities

Ensure fundraising opportunities are connected across major gifts, events, corporate partnerships, communications, and leadership engagement

Develop post-event and post-campaign reporting to measure revenue, donor engagement, and pipeline outcomes

Knowledge, Skills and Experience:

7–10+ years of progressive experience in fundraising, advancement operations, development strategy, nonprofit management, executive operations, or a related field

Demonstrated experience working with Salesforce or another sophisticated fundraising CRM; Salesforce expertise strongly preferred

Strong understanding of fundraising pipelines, moves management, prospect management, donor data, and fundraising performance metrics

Proven project management skills with the ability to manage multiple complex priorities simultaneously

Experience supporting a senior executive in a strategic capacity, preferably within fundraising, philanthropy, healthcare, science, or another mission-driven organization

Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail

Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities

Ability to turn data into clear insights and actionable recommendations

High level of discretion, professionalism, and emotional intelligence

Ability to work independently and effectively in a remote environment

Comfortable operating in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial organization where priorities can evolve quickly

Genuine interest in advancing PICI's mission and the future of cancer immunotherapy

Compensation & Benefits:

• Salary: $160k - $180k per year based on experience and qualifications
• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• 403(b) with company match

Additional Information:

• Must be authorized to work in the United States; we do not sponsor work visas
• This is a hybrid role
• No relocation assistance will be provided