Austin Soundwaves is an arts education organization focused on making learning music accessible and equitable. Founded as an El Sistema-inspired program in 2011, we serve nearly 2,000 students in grades K-12 across school and community partnerships. We believe in building communities where young people are supported, as they are, to lead meaningfully creative lives.

Industry: Education
Company Size: 11-50 employees

Austin Soundwaves

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~~Please view the complete and detailed job description before applying by visiting the link here: ~~**bit.ly/ASW-dev-director. **~~It will include complete details and information about the position, qualifications, responsibilities, benefits, hiring process, timeline, and more. ~~

**POSITION **

**Development Director **

$70,000-$75,000

Reports to the Executive Director

Earliest start date: July 13, 2026

**Deadline to apply: Friday, April 24th at 12pm CDT **

**ORGANIZATION **

Austin Soundwaves is an arts education nonprofit expanding access to high-quality music education across Central Texas, with the vision of a world without barriers to learning music. Founded in 2011 as an El Sistema-inspired program, Austin Soundwaves now reaches more than 2,000 students each year through school partnerships and nine community programs providing music instruction, mentorship, and educator training. To date, the organization has served over 6,000 students and partnered with more than 50 schools across the region.

In 2027, the organization will open its first dedicated music education facility as part of the Community Arts Collaborative, a 25,000-square-foot arts facility in Central East Austin.

**ABOUT THE ROLE **

With the growth of our organization comes an important next step: building the systems and relationships that will sustain Austin Soundwaves for the long term. The **Development Director **will be a vital thought partner, strategist, and leader on an experienced fundraising team that includes the Executive Director, Deputy Director, Operations Manager, and Marketing Manager. This role focuses primarily on individual giving through the development of annual fund, mid-level giving, and recurring donations, within an organization entering a significant period of growth.

You will not be expected to build a development department from scratch or manage grants, marketing, and major gifts. Instead, this is an opportunity to join a strong, effective team and partner closely with an Executive Director who is actively engaged in fundraising, values collaboration, experienced in building donor relationships, and committed to long-term sustainability through authentic partnerships and thoughtful strategy.

Austin Soundwaves operates with an annual budget of $1 million, including $700,000 in contributed revenue. Your role will play a central part in growing that support in close collaboration with the leadership team.

**RESPONSIBILITIES **

- **40%: Lead Individual Giving - **Lead strategy and execution of the annual fund program, grow our donor base through one-time, annual, and mid-level giving, and execute multi-channel annual fund campaigns and create giving appeals tied to program priorities.

- **30%: Lead Donor Stewardship & Mid-Level Cultivation - **Build relationships with donors through regular meetings, site visits, and conversations, strengthen donor retention and upgrade strategies to grow mid-level giving, and collaborate with the Executive Director on qualification, stewardship, and major gift asks.

- **30%: Internal Collaboration - **Strategize with the Executive Director on fundraising priorities and development reports for board meetings and presentations and work closely with the core leadership team on strategizing foundation, corporate, and government funding, presenting at our Development Committee meetings, earned revenue growth, and development operations and systems.

- Visit **bit.ly/ASW-dev-director ** for complete details regarding responsibilities.

**QUALIFICATIONS **

~~Research shows that women and people from underrepresented groups often only apply to jobs if they meet 100% of the qualifications. As no one ever meets 100% of the qualifications, we encourage you to apply if you feel that much of the following matches your experience. ~~

Who Thrives in this Role

- You’ve already had direct responsibility for donor relationships, with 2–4 years of experience beyond the development assistant or coordinator level.

- You’re comfortable engaging donors in person, on the phone, and over Zoom, and bring strong communication and interpersonal skills to those interactions.

- You’ve owned relationships and worked toward clear fundraising goals, with a sense of what works, what doesn’t, and how to adjust.

- You’re excited to take responsibility for a core fundraising channel now, with the potential to grow into broader development leadership over time.

- Visit **bit.ly/ASW-dev-director ** for complete details regarding qualifications.

**BENEFITS **

- We offer employer-paid health insurance, employee-paid dental and vision options are also available, and a 403(b) Vanguard retirement plan with 3% employer match. We offer a generous paid time off package and flex time. Standard working conditions. Must be eligible to work in the United States without employee sponsorship. Visit **bit.ly/ASW-dev-director ** for complete details regarding qualifications.

**STATEMENT OF NON-DISCRIMINATION **

Austin Soundwaves is committed to a policy of equal treatment and opportunity in every aspect of its relations with its applicants, staff members, and families, without regard to race, color, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, marital status, military status, pregnancy, or parenthood. People of diverse backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply. If you require reasonable accommodation(s) to participate in the application or interview process, please contact us at info@austinsoundwaves.org.

**HIRING PROCESS **

- Applications are accepted on a rolling basis between Monday, April 6 and Friday, April 24.

- A total of three (3) rounds, including a zoom screening, Zoom interview, and in-person interview.

- Final offer expected by mid-June.

- Earliest start date is July 13, 2026.

- Visit **bit.ly/ASW-dev-director **for complete details regarding the hiring process.

**APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS **

~~Please view the complete and detailed job description before applying by visiting the link here: ~~**bit.ly/ASW-dev-director. **~~It will include complete details and information about the position, qualifications, responsibilities, benefits, hiring process, timeline, and more ~~**. **

Please send the following application materials to **info@austinsoundwaves.org ** with **Development Director **in the subject line by **Friday, April 24th at 12pm central time. **

- Maximum 2-page resume attached as a PDF.

- Tell us a bit about yourself and why you would like to be our Development Director

-      Option 1: Cover letter or

-      Option 2: 90-second max selfie video sent as an unlisted YouTube link

- Names, emails, and phone of 2 professional references (preferably one is a current or past supervisor). **They will only be contacted should you reach the final round of interviews. **

- LinkedIn or personal/professional website link.

Development Director

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