Director, Operations and Systems (Development and External Affairs)

Organization Summary

Upstream USA is a growing, national nonprofit committed to ensuring that equitable, patient-centered contraceptive care is made available to any patient and is fully integrated into the health system as part of basic health care. We envision a future where all patients are screened for their contraceptive needs and offered patient-centered contraceptive counseling that’s free from bias, noncoercive, trauma-informed, and delivered by knowledgeable providers and support staff following best medical practices and evidence-based guidelines. We believe all patients should be able to access the contraceptive service of their choice – when they want it and where it is convenient for them to get it.

We do this by partnering with healthcare organizations to provide them with free training, education and technical assistance – from urban to rural, from large hospitals to small clinics. We know patients and providers want options that meet their individual needs, and our team of practice change experts work hand-in-hand with healthcare organizations to uplift contraceptive care services and drive exceptional patient outcomes, all at no cost to them.

Across the nation, there are challenges to accessing the high-quality, patient-centered contraceptive care patients deserve. To meet this growing need, Upstream is in the midst of a national expansion to transform contraceptive care. We began by partnering with a single healthcare organization in 2014, when Upstream was founded; today, we have partnered with more than 150 across the nation, and we’re on a path to serving 5 million patients by 2030.

Upstream is funded primarily through philanthropic individuals and foundations, and does not accept funding from pharmaceutical companies. Upstream’s budget has grown from $1.7 million just six years ago to approximately $60 million in 2024. Upstream’s work has also garnered attention from many leading publications, including Harvard Public Health,  Bloomberg, MedPage Today, and Politico.

Position Summary

Reporting to the Chief Development and External Affairs Officer, the Director is responsible for equipping the Development and External Affairs function with the operational systems, policies and processes to meet ambitious goals supported through strong fundraising, relationship management and engagement of Upstream’s Board of Directors. The Director will bring a strong background in development operations, revenue reporting and CRM management with a spirit of agility and adaptability that can be applied to a growing organization and function operating at a fast-pace. The Director will bring a focus on continuous improvement and excellence in support of stewarding our key relationships and revenue goals.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• In partnership with Upstream’s central Data, Analytics, and Technology (DAT) team, oversees Development and External Affairs team’s utilization of Salesforce in support of development and external affairs goals ranging from portfolio management, fundraising and stewardship, gift accounting, stakeholder engagement and investor/stakeholder communication. This includes creating and maintaining policies and procedures, supporting data clean up and hygiene and training/support.
• Accountable and responsible for team’s portfolio of reporting obligations to both internal teams and external audiences (e.g. Board, Finance Committee, and funders); set and manage prioritization and execution of fundraising and other data requests in order to meet reporting deadlines in a timely manner.
• Oversee grant deliverables program and provides vision to ensure the systems, processes, and workflows to effectively steward and report to donors across all areas of giving.
• Oversee development, refinement and execution of key team processes including: SWAG management, goals tracking, functional on-boarding, executive activity tracking, team retreats, professional development opportunities, team building, calendar scheduling, and others that could be shared across teams.
• Lead comprehensive budgeting across Development and External Affairs teams; train team members in budgeting and expense management best practices and expectations.
• Oversee and coordinate gift processing and gift acknowledgement.
• Serves as a liaison to the Finance Department on financial reporting, reconciliation, tracking, projections, restricted fund monitoring and other issues.
• Lead revenue budgeting process in partnership with fundraising teams working with Upstream’s philanthropic revenue streams
• Align and operationalize central and dedicated communications staff, systems and resources in support of key audiences within Development, External Affairs and Board
• Maintain team calendar and regular internal communications
• Additional duties as assigned

Required Experience, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Upstream celebrates and fosters an inclusive work environment and encourages people of all identities, perspectives and backgrounds to apply.   

• 8-10+ years of progressively responsible experience inclusive of development operations
• Experience working with donor databases and reporting, preferably Salesforce
• Ability to balance operational systems with multiple projects and deadlines in a growth environment.
• Advanced MS Excel skills and an aptitude for data and analysis
• Ability to solve problems creatively in order to meet organizational goals and objectives within capacity constraints
• Proven ability to learn and communicate new systems, processes, and concepts quickly and accurately
• Exercises independent judgment and decision making on complex issues regarding job duties and related tasks, and works under minimal supervision. Consults with leadership on final implementation of high-profile or high-impact solutions.
• Experience working with diverse teams of partners, cross-functionally and cross-geographically
• Keen attention to detail and able to exercise discretion
• Commitment to Upstream’s mission and to mission-driven work
• Awareness of the latest trends and industry practices in philanthropy, fundraising, and prospect research
• Ability to effectively deliver and receive both positive and constructive feedback
• Proficiency with Salesforce, Google and Microsoft Suites
• Sense of humor - knows how to put the “fun” in fundraising

Other Upstream Staff Expectations

• Upstream USA’s COVID-19 Vaccine Policy requires employees to have completed a COVID-19 vaccine primary series unless a medical or religious exemption is approved. As a condition of employment, newly hired employees must provide proof of their COVID-19 vaccination or, if applicable, request a medical or religious exemption.
• All Upstreamers must also be able to attend work-related in-person meetings and functions as needed.
• In our hybrid work environments, there is a basic expectation that our Upstreamers will ensure that their work from home setups will have reliable access to phone and Internet to ensure connectivity to their teams.
• At Upstream we gather for moments that matter for training, teaming and connection. Our teams come together for occasional in person meetings and organizational retreats. As part of our hybrid work practices, this travel expectation will be applicable for all Upstreamers, even those based remotely.
• Engage in EDI learning & development, community engagement, and culture building activities up to 5% FTE (i.e., 2 work hours per 40 hour work week). Examples include attending trainings, conferences and summits, volunteering time, participating in local community events, mentoring and learning, participating in Communities of Belonging or Culture Council, developing language acquisition, learning universal design principles, and using professional development benefits for EDI topics, among other activities.

Attributes

The ideal candidate will embody and embrace our core values which serve as our operating principles:

• We keep our mission at the center; Upstream's mission is to ensure that equitable, patient-centered contraceptive care is basic healthcare
• We trust each other; we are reliable, empathetic, compassionately direct, and confident in each others’ ability to do the same
• We work every day to build an equitable, diverse and inclusive culture; we respect the backgrounds contexts and experiences of individuals, teams and partners in our interactions
• We bring joy to our work; we create opportunities to celebrate, connect and strengthen relationships with one another.

Travel Requirements

This role will require up to 15%  business travel. All Upstreamers can expect a minimum of 8 days of business travel per year to attend 1-2 annual organizational retreats and two annual team/department meetings.

Upstream Benefits

Upstream USA offers a comprehensive benefit package including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, long and short term disability, 401K with a match, generous vacation, personal, sick and holiday time off, parental leave, professional development, a fitness and cell phone allowance for all full time employees and part time employees who work a minimum of 24 hours per week.  

Hiring Range

The hiring range for this role is $146,400 - $160,000.  Final offers for this position will be based upon several factors including the scope of the role, market compensation analysis, position requirements, candidate’s experience level and capabilities, internal pay equity considerations and will be made within the parameters of Upstream USA's compensation framework and philosophy.

Hiring Process

Candidates who advance in our preliminary review process will have an opportunity to discuss the position, their employment background and lived experience with a member of our talent acquisition team by telephone. Those who advance to subsequent steps in our interview process may participate in up to three rounds of meetings by Zoom or in person and in a thought exercise/case study assignment. Each round could consist of multiple meetings with various Upstreamers.

EDI Vision Statement

Internally, we envision promoting equity by reducing disparities in the Upstream talent lifecycle and engagement, cultivating a diverse workforce and inclusive culture, and fostering power sharing when we make decisions.

EDI Guiding Principles

Through Equity, both in the workplace and in contraceptive care, we address root causes that enable disparities to occur, acknowledge that different resources and opportunities may be needed to reach fairer outcomes, and implement systems-level changes that are sustainable over time.

Through Diversity, we acknowledge, respect, and celebrate the collective mixture of differences and similarities of Upstreamers and our community partners. At Upstream, we value the diversity of identities at all intersections, while at the same time centering racial diversity.

Through Inclusion, we succeed at creating a culture of belonging that embraces differences in identities and experiences by building trust, joy, and psychological safety. We cherish and elevate these differences through power-sharing in how things get done internally and in service of our mission.

Communities of Belonging

Serving as employee resource groups for Upstreamers, Communities of Belonging assist in advancing our equity, diversity, and inclusion journey. They assist in instilling organizational values in our work and support our EDI vision. Open to all employees, Communities of Belonging create opportunities for leadership development, community engagement, support, and resource mobilization.

Upstream Careers

At Upstream, we embrace diversity. We nurture it and we thrive on it because it benefits our organization, our partners, and our community. Our goal is to attract, develop and retain exceptional people, and to create a work environment that is dynamic, rewarding and enables each of us to realize our potential.  Upstream is committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, genetic information, gender identity or Veteran status. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know. Learn more  about working at Upstream, our values, and our commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. Upstream USA participates in E-Verify.

Upstream Headquarters

2 Oliver Street, Suite 402, Boston, MA 02109

www.upstream.org

No phone calls please.

Be advised that we do not ever conduct hiring interviews via text or email. Please protect yourself by learning more about our hiring practices and common red flags to look out for.