Head of Philanthropy

• Develop and lead a multi-year philanthropic strategy aligned with BioSTL’s priorities in startup creation, global recruiting, inclusive workforce programs, and public policy leadership.
• Translate strategy into annual revenue goals, multi-year projections, and clear performance metrics with accountability for results.
• Provide leadership to an internal and external development team and collaborate with BioSTL’s VP of Grants and other senior leaders.
• Build and reinforce a culture of philanthropy across staff, program leaders, and board partners emphasizing shared ownership of donor relationships.
• Major Gifts & Donor Relations
• Manage a personal portfolio of high-capacity individuals, foundations, and corporate partners.
• Secure six-and seven-figure philanthropic investments through relationship-based fundraising grounded in trust, alignment, and demonstrated impact.
• Develop compelling cases for support tied to measurable impact, regional economic outcomes, and innovation’s positive impact on the human condition, that connect donor interests to BioSTL’s work.

• Lead strategy for foundation and corporate philanthropy, including proposal development, reporting, and stewardship for major funders.
• Expand BioSTL’s funding base by cultivating relationships with national and global funders aligned with BioSTL’s role in helping to solve important global challenges in human health and agriculture.
• Create partnership models for corporate donors interested in innovation, STEM workforce pipelines, and startup collaboration.

Campaign & Initiative Development??

• Partner with senior leadership on potential capital or strategic campaigns aligned to BioSTL’s priorities, including regional infrastructure (e.g., labs, greenhouses, innovation districts).
• Package and communicate clear fundable opportunities across BioSTL’s portfolio, ensuring alignment between donor interest and organizational priorities.
• Support the CEO and Board in donor strategy, solicitation planning, and high-level relationship management.

Stewardship, Systems, & Reporting?

• Ensure donor-centric stewardship and timely high-quality impact reporting that reinforces trust and long-term engagement and legacy building.
• Use CRM and analytics tools to maintain a healthy diversified pipeline and forecast revenue accurately and track performance.
• Partner with Finance for accurate gift accounting and compliance, and financial transparency.

• 8+ years progressive fundraising leadership experience with direct accountability for setting and achieving annual and multi-year revenue goals.
• Demonstrated success securing major gifts at the six- and seven-figure level, including managing a personal portfolio of high-capacity donors, foundations, and corporate partners.
• Proven ability to build and sustain long-term, trust-based relationships with senior philanthropic corporate and civic leaders.
• Experience translating complex programs or initiatives into digestible stories for donors (or the ability to quickly learn).
• Understanding of philanthropic funding dynamics in universities, healthcare, foundations, and regional ecosystems.
• Strong strategic planning, communication, and relationship-building skills.
• Demonstrated ability to partner with executive leaders, and civic stakeholders.

• Experience in economic development, bioscience, technology innovation, or STEM-related philanthropy.
• Familiarity with cross-sector fundraising, federal/private grants, and impact-driven reporting.
• Knowledge of St. Louis philanthropic landscape.

• Strategic thinking and systems orientation
• Donor-centric engagement
• Exceptional communication and storytelling
• Self-Driven to achieve results with an ability to work with autonomy
• Demonstrated skill in cultivating trust and rapport with diverse individuals and groups
• Cross-sector collaboration (corporate, university, civic, foundation)
• Leadership and talent development
• Data-driven planning & forecasting
• Ability to function as a sole contributor responsible for delivering outcomes independently and managing workload without an extensive team.

• Total philanthropic revenue growth (annual + multi-year commitments)
• Portfolio health (moves, proposals, close rate, gift size)
• Individual, foundation, and corporate award growth
• Donor retention and upgrade rates
• Pipeline diversification (local, regional, national donors)
• Impact reporting quality and timeliness
• Team effectiveness and partnership satisfaction across BioSTL programs

• Competitive salary commensurate with leadership roles in the St. Louis nonprofit sector.
• Generous benefit package including annual bonus potential