Corporate Development Officer

Job Summary

The San José Museum of Art has an exciting opportunity for a Corporate Development Officer. The Development Department (DD) is part of a small team of creative and dedicated museum professionals. The corporate development officer works to diversify and aggressively expand a corporate portfolio of $500K+ annually and plays a key role in special campaigns. The corporate development officer is responsible for the solicitation and stewardship of an existing pipeline of corporate donors for operating, program, and event support—and expanding the prospect pool with new donors to increase corporate funding by 10% in FY19. This position manages a group of active volunteers, the Corporate Leadership Council, to produce two corporate networking events each year and plays a key role in securing corporate sponsors for the annual gala. This position is also responsible for writing grants and reports for corporation foundations.

The corporate development officer reports to the director of development and works in close collaboration with the Board’s development committee, assistant director, strategic initiatives, major gifts officer, and fundraising team to develop plans for special funding opportunities and to ensure their success.

This position is vital to the income strategies of San José Museum of Art and as such has specific and agreed upon responsibilities for meeting identified revenue goals for each fiscal year. 

About Us

Founded in 1969 by artists, SJMA presents modern and contemporary art exhibitions and programs that are international in scope and celebrates the cutting-edge vision of California and Pacific Rim artists. Given its location in the heart of Silicon Valley, the Museum has a substantial commitment to showing and nurturing visionary work in new media. SJMA’s permanent collection contains more than 2,500 works of art including paintings, sculpture, installations, new media, photography, drawings, prints and artist’s books. 

SJMA is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and is located on the Plaza de César Chavez in downtown San José. The Museum serves 100,000 people a year, including some 40,000 school children, and is the largest provider of arts education in Santa Clara County. 

The San José Museum of Art’s development division is responsible for gift solicitation and reporting, contributed revenue entry and acknowledgment, donor stewardship and record maintenance, audit compliance, revenue reporting and tracking, donor/fundraising event planning and production and administration of museum membership and event rental programs.

Duties and Responsibilities

  • Manage strategies in collaboration with the director of development for long and short-term fundraising for operating and programmatic initiatives;
  • Prepare, write, submit, and manage corporate grant proposals, interim reports, final reports and other necessary requirements to corporate foundation funding sources;
  • Develop and execute strategies to maximize corporate funding opportunities, including matching gifts, sponsorships, and direct giving;
  • Work with the development committee and Corporate Leadership Council to cultivate and manage key relationships with funders;
  • Identify new funding prospects that align with the organization’s strategic goals of supporting the SJMA’s general operations, programming and long-term investment in infrastructure;
  • Ensure proper stewardship, recognition, and acknowledgment of funders;
  • Collaborate with the development team in managing, planning and executing donor and fundraising events;
  • Work closely with program staff to become thoroughly familiar with the SJMA’s programs and communicate them in a compelling manner to funders, both verbally and in writing.

Qualifications

SJMA is looking for candidates who are comfortable engaging with business leaders, have demonstrated follow-through, are organized, detail-oriented and creative and have the ability to effectively interact with museum departments. Five years of professional work experience is required, as well as previous development and committee management experience.  Candidates must have exceptional writing, communication, and interpersonal skills and be proficient in Microsoft Office. Altru or other Blackbaud software experience is desirable. Business or corporate experience, commercial art gallery, auction house or related experience preferred. A Bachelor of Arts (M.A. desirable) in arts, humanities, Museum Studies or related field, and 5+ years related experience or the equivalent of education and experience is required.

  • Grant application and report writing experience required
  • Proven track record in cultivating, acquiring and increasing support from institutional sources
  • Experience managing and stewarding a portfolio of diverse, high-level corporate donors
  • Experience planning cultivation events
  • Knowledge of Bay Area corporate foundations/philanthropy and San José-Silicon Valley community
  • Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and meet grant and reporting deadlines
  • Thorough knowledge of professional museum standards and an interest in contemporary art preferred
  • Additional duties as assigned 

Driving own car is required for this position. Must have a valid California Driver’s license.

The position requires a background check and the ability to work weekends and evenings as required.

SJMA offers a competitive benefits plan including medical, dental, vision and paid sick and vacation time. The museum offers a generous retirement program.  

We are an equal opportunity employer. At SJMA, we value the diversity of individuals and the ideas, perspectives, insights, and values they bring to the workplace.

To Apply

To apply, please send a resume and cover letter to HRdept@sjmusart.org by Friday, August 17.

Due to the high volume of interest, regrettably, we cannot respond to individual applicants. If you are selected as a potential candidate, SJMA will contact you to schedule an interview.

No phone calls, please.

< Employment Opportunities