Managing Director Greater Boston, MA Area

U.S. Managing Director

Organization Overview

FAME is an organization entirely focused on advancing quality medical care in rural Tanzania. From the beginning, we set out to give communities in the Northern Highlands of Tanzania a unique healthcare experience, one marked by patient-centered care and high-quality service. In that spirit, FAME works to meet the medical needs of ordinary Tanzanian people, including underserved populations in the most rural parts of the region.

FAME is located just outside the rim of Ngorongoro Crater. The hospital has an on-site laboratory, a radiology department with a CT scanner and X-ray machine, an outpatient clinic, an inpatient ward, operating rooms, an emergency room, and a maternal health wing. Our catchment area stretches 85 miles and reaches 2.9 million people, and our all-Tanzanian medical team sees more than 40,000 patients each year.

What our tenets mean for you

Our culture shapes everything we do. The right person for this role will bring these tenets to life:

• Patient-centered care → You go above and beyond. Every dollar raised and every donor relationship ultimately serves a patient in Karatu. You take ownership of the outcome rather than just completing the task, and you go the extra step, like the personal follow-up that turns a first-time donor into a lifelong partner.
• High-quality service → You bring real expertise. You bring a proven fundraising track record and hold yourself to a high standard. You raise the bar for the Development Team, the Board and the systems that support our work.
• Equitable access → You're scrappy. FAME U.S. is a lean organization, because we direct every resource we can toward patient care. You find creative, practical ways to grow revenue and get things done with a small team and a modest budget.
• Life-long learning → You're up for new challenges. In a single week you might push a capital campaign, prepare a Board agenda and fix a donor database issue. You move easily between big-picture strategy and hands-on execution, and you see unfamiliar problems as a chance to grow.
• Local leadership → You work independently and keep the team informed. You run a broad role from Boston without close oversight while keeping the Board, Co-Founders and Tanzanian leadership in the loop. You make sure the story you tell U.S. donors reflects the voices and priorities of our Tanzanian staff.
• Community partnership → You hustle and handle ambiguity well. Fundraising rarely goes to plan. A grant falls through, a new opportunity appears and priorities shift. Across time zones, on fundraising tours and during trips to Tanzania, you stay steady, make sound decisions and keep things moving.

Position Overview

The U.S. Managing Director is the senior leader of FAME’s U.S. organization and leads its fundraising, development and broader organizational strategy. Fundraising is at the heart of the role: the Managing Director sets the strategy for revenue growth, builds and stewards relationships with major donors and institutional funders, leads the U.S. development team and works closely with the Board to ensure FAME has the resources to achieve its goals. The role also provides leadership across Board partnership, communications, operations and team development.

The Managing Director works closely with FAME’s Co-Founders and Tanzanian leadership to ensure U.S. fundraising and engagement are closely connected to FAME’s work in Tanzania. This is an opportunity to take significant ownership of FAME’s U.S. growth, translate the organization’s impact for U.S. audiences and help shape how donors, volunteers and partners engage with the work. The ideal candidate will bring strong fundraising expertise, strategic leadership, excellent relationship-building skills and the ability to move comfortably between big-picture strategy and hands-on execution.

Responsibilities

Organizational Strategy & Leadership

Partner with FAME’s U.S. Board of Directors, Co-Founders and Tanzanian leadership to advance FAME’s mission, vision and strategic priorities.

Participate in organization-wide strategic planning and leadership discussions, ensuring strong alignment between the U.S. and Tanzania organizations.

Translate FAME’s programmatic priorities into effective U.S. fundraising, donor engagement and communications strategies.

Develop strategies for revenue growth, donor engagement and long-term organizational sustainability.

Serve as a key liaison between the U.S. and Tanzania teams, supporting effective communication and coordination across the organizations.

Provide leadership in strengthening the U.S. organization’s governance, policies, processes and organizational infrastructure.

Fundraising & Development

Develop and execute FAME U.S.’s comprehensive annual fundraising strategy in partnership with the Board, organizational leadership and Development Team.

Develop annual fundraising projections and revenue plans to inform organizational budgeting and Board decision-making.

Lead efforts to achieve annual fundraising goals across individual, foundation and institutional support.

Personally cultivate, solicit and steward major donors while providing strategic direction for the broader individual donor portfolio and expanding opportunities for major gifts, annual giving and other forms of support.

Oversee annual appeals and special fundraising campaigns and lead major multi-year fundraising initiatives, including capital campaigns.

Monitor fundraising performance and adjust strategy throughout the year to respond to opportunities, risks and changing organizational needs.

Institutional Giving & Grants

Lead FAME U.S.’s foundation and institutional giving strategy, including existing funder relationships and identification of new opportunities.

Build and maintain a strong pipeline of prospective institutional funders and long-term relationships with program officers, trustees and other key stakeholders.

Oversee the development and submission of proposals, letters of inquiry, reports and other funder communications.

Work with the Development Team and Tanzania leadership to ensure funding proposals and reports accurately reflect FAME’s programs, priorities, outcomes and financial needs.

Evaluate external opportunities, partnerships and engagements based on their potential to strengthen fundraising, visibility and strategic relationships.

Donor Engagement & Fundraising Events

Develop and oversee FAME U.S.’s donor engagement and fundraising events strategy.

Lead FAME’s two annual U.S. fundraising and cultivation tours, providing strategic direction and oversight to the Development Team.

Cultivate prospective donors, event hosts and members of FAME’s philanthropic community through year-round relationship building and engagement.

Represent FAME at donor meetings, conferences and other external events.

Provide strategic direction for key donor and community engagement initiatives, including the Volunteer Alumni Network, Community of Care and Spotlight Webinar Series.

Develop opportunities to engage FAME’s volunteer community as donors, ambassadors and advocates for FAME’s mission.

Board Partnership & Governance

Serve as the primary staff partner to the U.S. Board of Directors, supporting effective Board engagement, governance and decision-making.

Partner with Board leadership to establish the annual Board calendar, priorities, agendas and meeting materials.

Lead planning and coordination of quarterly remote and annual in-person Board meetings, including logistics, materials, facilitation and follow-up. Coordinate monthly Board update calls, including developing reports.

Coordinate and support Board meetings held in Tanzania, including travel and on-site logistics.

Support the development and functioning of Board committees and maintain clear communication and follow-up between meetings.

Provide the Board with regular updates on fundraising performance, organizational priorities, financial performance, opportunities, risks and challenges while supporting Board engagement in fundraising and organizational growth.

Financial & Operational Management

Develop and manage FAME U.S.’s annual operating budget, including revenue and expense projections.

Monitor financial performance, cash flow and budget-to-actual results and work with the Board Finance Committee to maintain sound financial management.

Maintain appropriate financial controls and ensure U.S. operations are managed responsibly and in accordance with organizational policies.

Oversee the day-to-day operations of FAME’s Boston office and the systems that support the organization’s fundraising and administrative work.

Oversee the U.S. donor database and fundraising technology, ensuring strong data integrity and effective use of systems.

Evaluate and improve organizational systems and processes as FAME U.S. grows.

Communications & Public Engagement

Provide strategic leadership for FAME U.S.’s communications in support of fundraising, donor engagement and organizational visibility.

Establish clear and consistent messaging about FAME’s mission, programs, impact and funding priorities.

Work collaboratively with the Tanzania-based Digital Media Manager to develop communications and storytelling strategy while providing strategic oversight of digital communications execution.

Provide direction to the Development Team on fundraising communications, including appeals, donor communications, newsletters, campaign materials and other development content.

Ensure strong alignment between U.S. and Tanzania communications and identify opportunities to strengthen FAME’s visibility and reputation.

Serve as a spokesperson and representative for FAME in appropriate external settings.

Team Leadership & Human Resources

Lead and supervise the U.S. Development Team while providing strategic direction and oversight to the Tanzania-based Digital Media Manager.

Establish clear goals, priorities and performance expectations and provide ongoing coaching, feedback and professional development.

Recruit, onboard and develop U.S. staff and foster a collaborative, professional and mission-driven working environment.

Ensure effective delegation, collaboration and accountability across the Development & Communications Team.

Develop and maintain policies and processes that support effective management of FAME’s U.S. staff and operations.

Advise organizational leadership and the Board on staffing, compensation, benefits and other human resource matters as appropriate.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will bring a combination of fundraising expertise, organizational leadership, strategic thinking and strong relationship-building skills. They should be able to operate independently in a broad role while working collaboratively across a geographically distributed organization.

Required qualifications and experience:

5+ years of nonprofit experience with a demonstrated track record of fundraising and individual donor development.

3+ years of management and supervisory experience.

Experience developing and executing fundraising strategies and managing revenue goals.

Exceptional relationship-building skills with donors, Board members, volunteers, funders, staff and organizational partners.

Strategic thinker who can translate organizational priorities into clear plans, action and results.

Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with strong judgment and attention to detail.

Strong organizational, project management, budgeting and financial management skills.

Experience with donor databases/CRM systems and the ability to evaluate and improve organizational systems.

Ability to work independently and collaboratively across a distributed, international team.

Willingness to travel regularly within the U.S. for donor engagement and twice a year to Tanzania.

Bachelor’s degree required; master’s degree preferred.

Interest in global health, international development or FAME’s mission strongly preferred. Tanzania or East Africa experience is a plus.

Location & Employment

Location: Boston, Massachusetts, with a regular in-person presence at FAME’s Boston office and flexibility for remote work as appropriate.

Employment: Full-time, exempt.

Travel: Regular travel within the United States for donor cultivation, fundraising events and organizational meetings, as well as twice a year travel to Tanzania.

Work authorization: Must be legally authorized to work in the United States. FAME does not provide visa sponsorship or relocation assistance.

Compensation & Benefits

Salary: $115,000 - $130,000 annually, commensurate with experience and qualifications.

Paid time off: 20 days annually.

Paid holidays: 10 U.S. public holidays annually.

Health insurance: Stipend covering 100% of monthly health insurance premium, up to $400 per month.