Job Description
Job Description
The Organization: MassChallenge
The Role: Vice President of Advancement
Location: Boston, MA
Reports to: Chief Growth Officer
Target Compensation: $220,000 ($175,000 base plus bonus & incentive payments)
MassChallenge is a globally recognized network for innovators who are working to solve some of humanity’s biggest challenges. We connect startups, experts, corporations, and communities to grow and transform businesses and economies. Our mission is to equip bold entrepreneurs to disrupt the status quo and create meaningful change. Our mission is BIG, and thus we are a team that gives 100% every day. Our MC values ensure we stay true to our mission and our core beliefs.
MassChallenge is currently seeking a Vice President of Advancement to join our Boston-based office.
Position Summary
The Vice President of Advancement will oversee all aspects of MassChallenge’s grant and donor development and mission funding strategy and operations. In addition, this role will serve as a senior external-facing leader responsible for advancing MassChallenge’s philanthropic narrative, strengthening funder and board engagement, and aligning external relationships to support long-term institutional growth.
You will help MassChallenge achieve our five-year vision to be the global destination for innovators solving humanity’s most complex, highly regulated, and system-dependent challenges. Reporting to the Chief Growth Officer, the Vice President of Advancement will be responsible for securing mission-aligned funding by developing strong relationships with Local Government, Corporate Foundations, Family Offices, major donors, and Foundations. You will lead the Development team to develop competitive proposals and secure major gifts from these sources.
In this critical role, you will help MassChallenge craft a renewed Development and Donor strategy; one that integrates fundraising excellence with institutional storytelling, senior stakeholder engagement, and long-term advancement priorities to ensure sustained funding for years to come.
Location
This role is hybrid and will be expected to work from the Boston office for at least two days per week, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Additional in-person event and meeting attendance will be required as well as potential for some travel.
PLEASE NOTE: You must reside in the greater Boston region to be considered.
What You’ll Do
- In collaboration, create annual development strategy and revenue goals
- Collaborate withMassChallenge’sChief Growth Officer and Chief Executive Officer in building short- and long-range grant strategies with a focus on major and multi-year commitments
- Target, prioritize, and foster relationships with large philanthropic donors, family offices, and public and private foundations
- Serve as a senior steward of MassChallenge’s philanthropic narrative, ensuring that funding strategies, proposals, and funder engagement consistently reflect the organization’s mission, long-term vision, and measurable impact
- Lead our efforts to identify, build, develop, and maintain a global network of leaders, major influencers, thought leaders, and philanthropists who will become advisors, major donors, and brand ambassadors
- Partner with executive leadership to engageMassChallenge’sBoard and senior advisors in philanthropic cultivation, stewardship, and donor relationship-building activities
- Support board members in their roles as ambassadors and champions for MassChallenge’s mission and funding priorities, including preparation for funder meetings and external engagements
- Represent MassChallenge externally with philanthropic, civic, and institutional partners at events, convenings, and meetings, elevating the organization’s visibility among mission-aligned funders
- Partner with internal leaders to translate programmatic outcomes and ecosystem impact into compelling cases for philanthropic investment and long-term partnership
- Design and implement an alumni engagement strategy that fosters stronger donations from successful MC founders and supports our MC Network Team
- Oversee all activities pertaining to grant writing and research for existing and prospective funders, including Federal, State, Foundation, Major Donors, and corporate grant opportunities
- Ensure alignment between MassChallenge’s external funding priorities and its broader growth, innovation, and ecosystem strategy
- Establish, grow, and manage the development team and provide leadership and direction to the team as well as external consultants and freelancers
- Establish and manage the portfolio of grants and steward MassChallenge’s relationships among grantors, including organizing regular exchanges, briefings, and other contacts between relevant MassChallenge staff and funders
- Develop policies, procedures, and communications to administer grants, monitor progress against performance indicators, including required financial and impact reporting, and track cycles and renewals
- Be a thought leader and expert on the changing landscape of philanthropy, government funding, and grant management—ensuring MassChallenge remains ahead of trends
- Coach colleagues and team members on how to effectively manage grants, including their fiscal and programmatic reporting requirements, scope of services, terms, project closeout, and other related activities, specific to each grant, as needed
Who You Are & What You Bring
Education & Experience Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree and 12+ years of experience in the cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of government, foundation, major donor, and/or corporate funder relationships, with a proven record of successful proposal submission and grant management
- Proven experience managing a complex funding portfolio with the ability to develop and foster lasting funder relationships
- Demonstrated ability to operate as a senior external-facing leader, representing an organization with credibility and clarity among philanthropic and institutional partners
- High degree of personal integrity and a passion for wanting to change the world
- Ability to network and build trust-based relationships with funders, board members, and senior stakeholders
- Strong collaborative orientation and ability to work closely across teams and leadership levels
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to write and edit clear, structured, and persuasive proposals and reports and prepare budgets
- Ability to handle ambiguity and juggle multiple initiatives in a fast-paced environment while maintaining organization and attention to detail
Who We Are
MassChallenge is the global network for innovators who are working to solve massive challenges. We connect startups, experts, corporations, and communities to grow and transform businesses and economies. At MassChallenge we:
- Help entrepreneurs build the next generation of transformational businesses by connecting them with the resources, partnerships, and communities that help them launch, grow, and scale their startups
- Help our partners build, grow, and evolve their corporate innovation practices
- Leverage the power of philanthropy to strengthen global innovation ecosystems
Why You Should Join Us
We believe working at MassChallenge is fulfilling because of the mission, challenging because of the pace and work, and rewarding because you get to build to the next step in your career here. When you join MassChallenge, you join an incredible team and network of innovators and entrepreneurs, take ownership over significant and strategically important projects, focus on impact and output, and help strengthen the global innovation ecosystem.
Our Core Values
- Founder Mindset: Optimism, Tenacity, Love the Problem
- Connect & Collaborate: Empathy & Inclusion & Fun, Build Community, Connect the Dots
- Progress over Perfection: Build on Experience, Fail Fast,DemonstrateTraction
Compensation
- MassChallenge offers competitive salaries, excellent benefits, and a supportive working environment
- Salary is based on a nonprofit scale and commensurate with skills and experience
- For this position, the annual base salary is $175,000 plus bonus and incentive potential of up to $45,000 based on organizational and personal performance
- Internal equity considerations and the average salary of the peer range will be reviewed before making a final offer
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MassChallenge is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We seek individuals from a broad variety of backgrounds with varying levels of experience who have a desire to do meaningful work. We recruit, employ, train, compensate, and promote regardless of race, color, gender, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, disability, age, veteran status, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by law.