Director of Development

Theatre Calgary is seeking a Director of Development —someone who is passionate about the arts, deeply connected to community, and ready to help shape our future. The Director of Development will work closely with Theatre Calgary’s Executive Director, Artistic Director, Board of Directors, and senior leadership team to develop and execute strategies that enhance our revenue streams and relationships with key interest holders. The Director of Development is a dynamic and strategic leader responsible for leading the development team and fundraising activities.   

This role will be based out of the Theatre Calgary offices located in the heart of downtown at 220 – 9th Avenue SE, with some remote work possible.  This job description outlines the primary duties and responsibilities of the position and is not intended to be all-inclusive. The employee may be required to perform other duties as assigned by the Executive Director. This position requires availability outside of standard office hours, including some evenings and weekends to support performances, events, and community engagement activities.

Key Responsibilities

Fund Development

• Develop and implement comprehensive fundraising strategies to cultivate and solicit major gifts, corporate sponsorships, foundation grants, government grants, licensed gaming revenues and individual donations.
• Manage and maintain a portfolio of donors .
• Build and nurture strong relationships with current and prospective donors, ensuring high levels of engagement and satisfaction.
• Engage, leverage, and support the Board of Directors in fundraising activities.
• Oversee donor recognition programs and ensure meaningful stewardship practices are in place.
• Create and improve systems and processes for managing fund development programs, activities, tracking and reporting.
• Ensure that fundraising and stewardship events are planned and executed to the highest professional standards.
• Uphold ethical fundraising practices in alignment with the Donor Bill of Rights and the AFP’s Code of Ethical Principles and Standards.
• Provide leadership to the Development team; mentor and inspire the team to meet individual and team targets. 
• Participate as a key member of the leadership team and an executive liaison with the Board and Development Committee.
• Provide strategic oversight for the planning, execution, and assessment of development budgets, policies, systems, and procedures.
• Cultivate a high-performing, team-oriented work environment and culture that builds trust through consultation and transparency.
• Collaborate closely with the Marketing and Communications team to ensure consistent, compelling messaging and branding across all platforms that support fundraising initiatives, enhance donor engagement, and align with the organization’s strategic goals.
• Ensure alignment between campaign communications and ongoing sales and marketing efforts so they are cohesive, coordinated, and reinforce one another.
• Strengthen the organization’s brand and visibility in the community by championing its mission and impact.

Leadership 

• Provide leadership to the Development team; mentor and inspire the team to meet individual and team targets. 
• Participate as a key member of the leadership team and an executive liaison with the Board and Development Committee.
• Provide strategic oversight for the planning, execution, and assessment of development budgets, policies, systems, and procedures.
• Cultivate a high-performing, team-oriented work environment and culture that builds trust through consultation and transparency.

Marketing and Communications

• Collaborate closely with the Marketing and Communications team to ensure consistent, compelling messaging and branding across all platforms that support fundraising initiatives, enhance donor engagement, and align with the organization’s strategic goals.
• Ensure alignment between campaign communications and ongoing sales and marketing efforts so they are cohesive, coordinated, and reinforce one another.
• Strengthen the organization’s brand and visibility in the community by championing its mission and impact.

Government Relations

• Develop and maintain relationships with local, provincial, and federal government officials and agencies.
• Lead the efforts to secure government funding in support of both campaign and ongoing operations.
• Monitor legislative and regulatory developments that impact the theatre and provide timely updates to the Executive Director and Board.

Qualifications

• Degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Communications, Non-profit Management, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• Minimum of 7+ years of experience in fundraising, marketing, communications, or government relations, with a proven track record of leading successful campaigns and securing 6 figure+ gifts.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and implement strategic plans that achieve organizational goals.
• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to engage and inspire diverse audiences.
• Strong leadership and management skills, with experience supervising and mentoring a high-performance fundraising team.
• Proven ability to build and maintain relationships with donors, sponsors, government officials, and other key stakeholders.
• High level of accountability, integrity, professionalism, and commitment to the mission of the theatre. 
• Strong work ethic and positive team attitude.
• Experience and interest in the arts, cultural, or non-profit sectors is highly desirable.

Salary and Benefits

The salary range is $140,000 - $160,000, commensurate with experience.  In addition to the salary, a comprehensive benefits package is included.

After an initial probationary period of 3 months, employees will be eligible to join our group RRSP plan with employer matching and our comprehensive benefits program. 

About Theatre Calgary

Theatre Calgary’s vision is to stand amongst the best theatres globally as a leader in innovative, impactful and diverse programming. Our mission is to stimulate, provoke and delight through ambitious programming created to ignite local, national and international engagement in a sustainable manner. Theatre Calgary reflects the communities, the country, and the world we live in with ambitious programming, passionate community engagement and extraordinary productions. For more than 50 years, we have focused our energy on providing our community with the highest level of classic and contemporary plays, featuring the best artists from Calgary and across the country. 

Theatre Calgary encourages applications from our diverse community. Theatre Calgary is committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion. We recognize that increasing the diversity of our staff, on all levels, is integral to accomplishing this objective. We are creating policies, practices, and programs that work toward the goal of dismantling systemic racism. We welcome all applications from women and gender nonconforming people, people of color, indigenous peoples, people with disabilities, and people of all sexual orientations, and all others who may contribute to the further diversification of Theatre Calgary. 

In the spirit of reconciliation, Theatre Calgary acknowledges that we live, work and create on the traditional territories of the Blackfoot Confederacy (Siksika, Kainai, Piikani), the Tsuut’ina, the Îyâxe Nakoda Nations, Métis Nation of Alberta, districts 5 & 6, and all people who make their homes in the Treaty 7 region of Southern Alberta. They were the original occupants of this land and continue to be here to this day. Theatre Calgary is grateful to have the opportunity to present in this territory.

Please submit applications to careers@theatrecalgary.com with the subject line “Director of Development”

We thank all those expressing interest in the role but only those selected for interview will be contacted.

Closing Date for Applications:  Friday, July 11th 2025