[Hiring] Chief Development Officer @Essential HR

Role Description

The Chief Development Officer (CDO) is a vital member of the Lausanne senior leadership team, serving as a strategic architect for the Movement’s financial future. The role carries a unique dual mandate:

• Movement Sustainability: To lead and execute a robust fundraising strategy that meets the immediate and long-term financial needs of the Lausanne Movement, ensuring that our 2030 milestones and 2027–2028 first moves—including the Younger Leader Gathering (YLG 4)—are fully resourced.
• Global Generosity Catalyst: To serve as a prophetic catalyst in the global church, helping to mobilize and release resources across a polycentric global landscape so that God’s resources are more fully available for gospel access and Kingdom impact.

The CDO must balance the pragmatic responsibilities of movement fundraising with the inspirational vision of a global "generosity architecture" that reflects the diversity and growing strength of the Majority World church.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Global Leadership & Funding Capacity
  • Fund the Vision: Develop and execute a comprehensive global fundraising strategy to secure the resources needed for Lausanne’s three strategic horizons and ongoing Movement activities, with a specific focus on building the capacity required for the 2027–2028 first moves and 2030 milestones.
  • Operationalize Polycentricity: Lead the shift from a centralized development model toward a polycentric regional development architecture, establishing regional development capacity in one to three key regions (beginning with Asia) by 2030.
  • Resource Key Initiatives: Ensure dedicated funding for movement-critical initiatives, including YLG 4, Movement networks (e.g., regions, issue networks, and generations), growing organizational capacity, and new strategic priorities.
• Donor Experience and Major Gift Cultivation
  • Strategic Relationship Building: Cultivate deep, enduring relationships with major and mega donors, elevating the donor experience through meticulous stewardship and transformational engagement methods.
  • Kingdom Impact Connection: Ensure donors feel a profound connection to the Kingdom impact of their contributions, aligning their vision with Lausanne’s fourfold vision: the gospel for every person, disciple-making churches for every people and place, Christ-like leaders for every church and sector, Kingdom impact in every sphere of society.
  • Diversify Funding: Expand and diversify Lausanne’s donor base globally, moving beyond North American concentration to reflect the global nature of the Movement.
• Leadership and Collaboration
  • Team Development: Lead and mentor the Development team with a focus on strategy implementation, growing capacity and regional expansion, while fostering a culture of excellence, prayerful dependence, and professional growth.
  • Senior Staff Participation: Actively participate in spiritual discernment and strategic decision-making as a key senior leadership team member, ensuring development priorities are integrated across all aspects of the Movement.
  • Cross-Functional Synergy: Work closely with the CEO, the Executive Leadership Team, Regional Directors, Issue Network Catalysts, Generations and the Communications team to ensure a unified message and collaborative approach to regional and global fundraising.
• Releasing Global Generosity (2050 Priority)
  • Mutual Stewardship: Foster a "new imagination for generosity" that emphasizes mutual, polycentric approaches to resources rather than traditional dependency models.
  • Generosity Thought Leaders: Collaboratively develop innovative thought leaders in the area of stewardship and generosity so that by 2050, the financial architecture of global mission better reflects the reality of the global church. Generosity must be released from every region, for every region, in service of God’s mission. This will require bold long-range aspirations, mobilizing extraordinary levels of generosity for Kingdom endeavors.

Qualifications

• A minimum of 5 years (preferably 10) of professional experience in a senior development role within a non-profit, NGO, or global ministry.
• Demonstrated ability to lead innovative, large-scale fundraising initiatives that align with complex global missions.
• Extensive experience with international development and a deep understanding of the global church, diverse cultures, and polycentric leadership models.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills, capable of inspiring a wide range of audiences—from individual philanthropists to regional church leaders.
• Willingness to travel to engage with donors and global teams across different regions.
• Advanced degree in a related field is strongly preferred.

Spiritual and Cultural Alignment

• A committed follower of Jesus Christ who embodies the values of the global Body of Christ.
• Wholehearted endorsement of the Lausanne Covenant and Cape Town Commitment.
• A leader who values unity and collaboration across diverse theological and cultural backgrounds, rejecting "business as usual" in favor of humble, polycentric service.
• A leader grounded in prayer and dependence on the Holy Spirit, recognizing that Lausanne’s future is secured by God’s wisdom rather than human planning alone.