Director of Donor Support Operations

Heifer International is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, status as a protected veteran, among other things, or status as a qualified individual with disability.

**About Heifer International**

In 1944, Heifer International’s founder, Dan West, began outlining a simple but groundbreaking plan to tackle hunger around the world. West, a farmer from the Midwest and Church of the Brethren member, had recently returned from feeding weary refugees during volunteer service in the Spanish Civil War.

He had seen firsthand that giving people food was a short-term solution, whereas providing them with animals offered a steady supply of nutritious food for an entire family. His philosophy still inspires Heifer’s work today. Partnering with farmers across a range of different livestock and crops, we create unique solutions to local challenges.

Today, Heifer International has operations in 19 countries around the world, working alongside local farmers, business owners and their communities, as they mobilize and envision their futures. Together, we build inclusive, resilient economies, so communities can develop effective ways to end global hunger and poverty in a sustainable way.

To date, we have supported more than 42 million farming families across Africa, Asia and the Americas and in the past five years alone. We have worked alongside 2.7 million families to close the living income gap or set them on a path to doing so. Between now and 2030, we will support an additional 10 million people to reach a living income by scaling up our signature programs. To achieve this, Heifer International relies on its passionate, committed, and highly skilled staff.

**ROLE FUNCTION**

Overview of the role

This role manages the teams responsible for the core pillars of donor support—donation processing (transaction engine), acknowledgment and fulfillment (post-gift execution), and donor support (service center)— with accountability for integrating these functions into a cohesive operating model aligned with strategic fundraising priorities and the end-to-end donor journey.

**THE SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATE**

Brings strong people leadership, customer service orientation, and operational excellence, with an emphasis on driving cross-functional alignment and continuous improvement. Service-minded, detail-oriented, collaborative, and goal-oriented, with demonstrated accountability, adaptability, and effectiveness in a fast-paced environment. Possesses strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work diplomatically across diverse teams, and leverages data and best practices to inform decisions and enhance performance.

**RESPONSIBILITIES & DELIVERABLES**

**Strategic Leadership & Integration (30%)**

- Provide strategic leadership and oversight across donor support functions, including gift processing, acknowledgment and fulfillment, and service center operations.
- Define and implement an integrated operating model that aligns processes, technology, and performance metrics across all functions.
- Align donor support operations with strategic fundraising priorities, campaigns, and the end-to-end donor journey.
- Ensure donor support functions collectively deliver a consistent, high-quality end-to-end donor experience.
- Lead cross-functional collaboration to improve coordination, reduce silos, and ensure a seamless donor experience.
- Contribute to and operationalize fundraising strategy by aligning operational capabilities with organizational growth goals.
- Lead change management efforts to evolve operations, systems, and team structures in response to organizational needs.

**Operational Excellence & Performance Management (30%)**

- Establish and monitor SLAs and KPIs across all donor support functions to ensure performance, quality, and donor experience standards are consistently met.
- Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and scalability of operations.
- Identify and implement technology solutions—including automation, workflow tools, and self-service capabilities—to streamline processes, reduce manual effort, and improve speed, accuracy, and donor responsiveness.
- Ensure operational readiness and capacity planning to support campaign growth and seasonal volume fluctuations.
- Leverage data, reporting, and analytics to inform decision-making and identify performance improvement opportunities.
- Ensure consistent implementation of quality assurance practices across all functional areas.

**People Leadership & Service Delivery (20%)**

- Lead and develop managers across donor support functions, fostering accountability, collaboration, and high performance.
- Establish clear goals, expectations, and performance management practices across teams.
- Promote a service-oriented culture that prioritizes donor exp