Director of Program Development Jobs
Director of Program Development jobs are open across nonprofits, higher education, healthcare, and government agencies, from manager-level to VP, with common specializations in curriculum design, workforce development, and community outreach. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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Showing 5 of 8+ Director of Program Development jobs
NOTE: Applications will be reviewed and interviews conducted on a rolling basis. We encourage interested applicants to apply as early as possible.
Stanford Law School Budgeted Salary Range Upon Hire: $115,000 - $130,000
– Full-time, permanent. Ideal start date: January 2027
Stanford Law School is encouraging flexible work arrangements. This position has the option to work a hybrid work schedule of up to 1 day of telecommuting per week.
- Provide direct advice to law school students and alumni on career options as well as job search skills and strategies related to summer or permanent employment.
- Develop and maintain relationships with public interest and public sector legal employers, alumni, and faculty.
- Plan, conduct, and evaluate related programs, workshops, and panels.
- Engage in critical analysis of students’ or others’ concerns to resolve problems, utilizing professional knowledge and expertise.
- Oversee critical processes to ensure the Levin Center mission is being advanced and contribute to development of policy and program content.
- Create and manage relationships with external community and university partners.
- Develop and implement relevant career-related programming and make strategic recommendations for future programs.
- Interpret and implement university and law school policies related to working with and support law students.
- Analyze student needs and design student facing communications.
- Provide leadership related to responsible substantive areas to create content for Levin Center website, newsletter, and other materials.
- Track student and alumni PI/PS job placements.
- Other duties may also be assigned, as necessary.
- Law Degree
- At least 7 years of experience practicing as a public interest or public sector attorney.
- Experience and familiarity with job opportunities in the fields of international human rights, rule of law in transitional societies, and law and international development.
- Familiarity with government job markets, employers, organizations, post-graduate fellowship funders and programs, and government honors or new attorney hiring programs.
- Experience working in an educational environment with undergraduate or graduate students.
- Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively.
- Demonstrated ability to manage time effectively and handle multiple tasks under pressure, with frequent interruptions.
- Sensitivity to diversity of student body and career interests.
- Sense of humor and ability to work effectively as a member of a team.
- Why are you interested in stepping into this kind of position?
- If you could go back in time, what kind of programs or support would you have wanted as a public interest law student?
- Describe your experience working with individuals with identities different from yours and your approach to bridging those differences, including class, race, ethnicity, political opinion, physical or mental ability, gender identity, and religion.
- What has been your best professional experience working as part of a team and why?
Core Duties :
- Manage an area or program in student services, analyze effectiveness, and make final decisions on program eligibility.
- Engage in critical analysis and evaluation of student and program concerns to resolve substantial issues which may span multiple areas, using advanced technical and professional knowledge.
- Develop and implement programming (virtual, in-person), make strategic recommendations for future programs.
- Interpret and implement university policy related to academic policies; oversee the implementation of policies and practices for a student population or school.
- Analyze and develop report requirements, portals, and student facing communications.
- Evaluate and determine recommendations on technology resources, negotiate with resources options and vendors.
- Manage outreach programs, relationships with external community and university liaisons.
- Provide direct advice to students on a broad range of complex issues including, but not limited to, academic progress, academic program policies, career plans, accessibility, community standards, etc., in order to assist them in making appropriate choices and decisions.
- Apprise students of research, fellowship and scholarship opportunities, make recommendations and may award grants.
- May contribute to preparing and submitting training grants.
- May assist in development efforts to support donor relations, stewardship annual reporting.
- Provide consulting advice to internal and external organizations; act as subject matter expert in a specialized field.
- Oversee key processes, including contribution and direction on policy and program content.
- Manage financial processes and development of budgets.
- May lead teams and projects that impact a significant unit of the university.
- May direct the work of other staff; contribute to development of staff training programs.
Minimum Education and Experience:
Bachelor’s degree and five years of relevant experience, or combination of education and relevant experience.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities :
- Advanced communication skills to clearly and effectively communicate information to internal and external audiences, client groups, and all levels of management.
- Strong analytical and problem solving skills to review and analyze complex information.
- Advanced computer skills, including experience with Microsoft Office Suite.
- Advanced customer service skills.
- Relevant computer systems/technology experience.
- Understanding of financial transactions.
- Ability to ensure and apply compliance with legal, financial, and university policies and external regulations.
NOTE: Applications will be reviewed and interviews conducted on a rolling basis. We encourage interested applicants to apply as early as possible.
Stanford Law School Budgeted Salary Range Upon Hire: $115,000 - $130,000
– Full-time, permanent. Ideal start date: January 2027
Stanford Law School is encouraging flexible work arrangements. This position has the option to work a hybrid work schedule of up to 1 day of telecommuting per week.
- Provide direct advice to law school students and alumni on career options as well as job search skills and strategies related to summer or permanent employment.
- Develop and maintain relationships with public interest and public sector legal employers, alumni, and faculty.
- Plan, conduct, and evaluate related programs, workshops, and panels.
- Engage in critical analysis of students’ or others’ concerns to resolve problems, utilizing professional knowledge and expertise.
- Oversee critical processes to ensure the Levin Center mission is being advanced and contribute to development of policy and program content.
- Create and manage relationships with external community and university partners.
- Develop and implement relevant career-related programming and make strategic recommendations for future programs.
- Interpret and implement university and law school policies related to working with and support law students.
- Analyze student needs and design student facing communications.
- Provide leadership related to responsible substantive areas to create content for Levin Center website, newsletter, and other materials.
- Track student and alumni PI/PS job placements.
- Other duties may also be assigned, as necessary.
- Law Degree
- At least 7 years of experience practicing as a public interest or public sector attorney.
- Experience and familiarity with job opportunities in the fields of international human rights, rule of law in transitional societies, and law and international development.
- Familiarity with government job markets, employers, organizations, post-graduate fellowship funders and programs, and government honors or new attorney hiring programs.
- Experience working in an educational environment with undergraduate or graduate students.
- Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively.
- Demonstrated ability to manage time effectively and handle multiple tasks under pressure, with frequent interruptions.
- Sensitivity to diversity of student body and career interests.
- Sense of humor and ability to work effectively as a member of a team.
- Why are you interested in stepping into this kind of position?
- If you could go back in time, what kind of programs or support would you have wanted as a public interest law student?
- Describe your experience working with individuals with identities different from yours and your approach to bridging those differences, including class, race, ethnicity, political opinion, physical or mental ability, gender identity, and religion.
- What has been your best professional experience working as part of a team and why?
Core Duties :
- Manage an area or program in student services, analyze effectiveness, and make final decisions on program eligibility.
- Engage in critical analysis and evaluation of student and program concerns to resolve substantial issues which may span multiple areas, using advanced technical and professional knowledge.
- Develop and implement programming (virtual, in-person), make strategic recommendations for future programs.
- Interpret and implement university policy related to academic policies; oversee the implementation of policies and practices for a student population or school.
- Analyze and develop report requirements, portals, and student facing communications.
- Evaluate and determine recommendations on technology resources, negotiate with resources options and vendors.
- Manage outreach programs, relationships with external community and university liaisons.
- Provide direct advice to students on a broad range of complex issues including, but not limited to, academic progress, academic program policies, career plans, accessibility, community standards, etc., in order to assist them in making appropriate choices and decisions.
- Apprise students of research, fellowship and scholarship opportunities, make recommendations and may award grants.
- May contribute to preparing and submitting training grants.
- May assist in development efforts to support donor relations, stewardship annual reporting.
- Provide consulting advice to internal and external organizations; act as subject matter expert in a specialized field.
- Oversee key processes, including contribution and direction on policy and program content.
- Manage financial processes and development of budgets.
- May lead teams and projects that impact a significant unit of the university.
- May direct the work of other staff; contribute to development of staff training programs.
Minimum Education and Experience:
Bachelor’s degree and five years of relevant experience, or combination of education and relevant experience.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities :
- Advanced communication skills to clearly and effectively communicate information to internal and external audiences, client groups, and all levels of management.
- Strong analytical and problem solving skills to review and analyze complex information.
- Advanced computer skills, including experience with Microsoft Office Suite.
- Advanced customer service skills.
- Relevant computer systems/technology experience.
- Understanding of financial transactions.
- Ability to ensure and apply compliance with legal, financial, and university policies and external regulations.
Director of Program Development Jobs by Experience Level
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Find JobsDirector of Program Development Job Market
Who's Hiring
What Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in director of program development jobs.
- Bachelor's or master's degree in public administration, education, social work, or a related field
- 5 or more years of experience managing or developing programs in a nonprofit, government, or institutional setting
- Demonstrated experience with grant writing, funder reporting, and budget oversight
- Ability to lead cross-functional teams and manage multiple program timelines simultaneously
- Experience with program evaluation frameworks, logic models, or outcome measurement systems
- Strong written communication skills for proposals, reports, and stakeholder presentations
Tips for Your Director of Program Development Job Search
Tailor your resume to program outcomes
Directors of program development are hired for measurable results, not responsibilities. Rewrite each bullet to show what changed after you led a program: enrollment grew, grant funding increased, or a pilot scaled to full delivery. Numbers and scope matter here.
Apply early to roles that fit
Migrate Mate lists director of program development openings from across the United States in one place, so you can find roles that match and apply directly to each listing.
Target organizations by growth stage
A startup nonprofit building its first program portfolio needs different leadership than an established university scaling an existing one. Read the job description for language like 'build from scratch' versus 'expand and evaluate' so your cover letter speaks to their actual stage.
Prepare a program portfolio before interviews
Bring a one-page program summary to every interview: the need you identified, the model you chose, your implementation plan, and the outcomes you measured. Hiring panels at foundations and health systems respond to documented methodology, not narrative alone.
Ask about governance structures during interviews
Who owns the final decision on a new program, the board, the funder, or the executive team? Asking this question signals that you understand how program authority works and helps you assess whether you'll have the autonomy to do the job well.
Negotiate scope alongside compensation
Before accepting an offer, clarify your budget authority, headcount, and cross-departmental access in writing. Directors of program development who skip this step often find their decision-making constrained in ways that weren't obvious during the interview process.
Director of Program Development Jobs: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies are hiring the most director of program developments?
The most active employers for director of program developments right now are The HOPE Program, Harvard University, and Stanford University, and the most openings are in New York, California, and Arizona, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Nonprofits, universities, and large health systems tend to post the most roles at this level.
How many director of program development jobs are remote?
About 100% of director of program development openings are fully remote or hybrid as of November 2026, though availability varies significantly by sector. Roles focused on curriculum design, workforce training, and policy development tend to be the most remote-friendly, while positions tied to direct service delivery or facility-based programs typically require on-site presence.
How do you become a director of program development?
Most directors of program development start in program coordinator or manager roles, building hands-on experience designing initiatives, managing budgets, and working with funders or institutional stakeholders. Moving into a director role typically requires leading a full program lifecycle, supervising staff, and demonstrating outcomes. A master's degree in a relevant field accelerates advancement in education, public health, and government settings.
Can you get hired as a director of program development without direct experience?
It's possible if you've led complex projects in an adjacent function, such as grants management, policy development, or training and development, and can show that your work shaped program strategy. Emphasize decision-making authority, budget ownership, and cross-team coordination in your resume. Many organizations also promote internally from senior program manager roles, so lateral moves within a sector are a common path.
What does the director of program development interview process look like?
The process typically includes an initial screening call with HR or a talent team member, followed by a panel interview with department heads or executive leadership. Many organizations ask candidates to complete a written exercise, such as a program proposal or logic model, before the final round. References are checked after finalists are identified, and some roles include a presentation to a board committee or senior staff.
Where can I find and apply to director of program development jobs?
You can find and apply to director of program development jobs on Migrate Mate, which lists current openings from across the United States in one place. Find roles that match your background and apply directly to each listing without being redirected to separate employer portals.
See All 8 Director of Program Development Jobs
Find roles that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
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