Chief Development Officer

Orbis International
Chief Development Officer
New York, New York

Orbis is a leading global non-governmental organization that has been a pioneer in the prevention and treatment of avoidable blindness for more than four decades. Orbis transforms lives by delivering the skills, resources and knowledge needed to deliver accessible quality eye care. Working in collaboration with local partners, including hospitals, universities, government agencies and ministries of health, Orbis provides hands-on ophthalmology training, strengthens healthcare infrastructure, and advocates for the prioritization of eye health on public health agendas. Orbis operates the world's only Flying Eye Hospital, a fully accredited ophthalmic teaching hospital on board an MD-10 aircraft, and an award-winning telemedicine platform, Cybersight. For the past 10 consecutive years, Orbis has achieved Charity Navigator’s coveted four-star rating for demonstrating strong financial health and commitment to accountability and transparency, placing Orbis in the top 3% of U.S. charities. In 2021, Orbis earned GuideStar’s platinum-level Seal of Transparency.

The following was achieved at Orbis’s partner institutions and on the Flying Eye Hospital from 2016-2020:

• 260,000+ trainings completed by doctors, nurses and other eye care professionals, and community health workers.
• 5+ million eye screenings and examinations conducted (71% conducted on children).
• 350,000+ eye surgeries/laser treatments were performed (20% performed on children).
• 39,000+ eye care professionals benefited from online learning and mentorship through Cybersight.

In 2021, supporters around the globe generously gave more than $360.7 million to Orbis International. Ninety-two cents of every dollar spent went directly toward Orbis’s work to prevent and treat avoidable blindness.

The resilience of Orbis International’s global teams and their can-do attitude has been underscored in the face of the global pandemic, ensuring that the organization has not merely survived but thrived. Orbis’s longstanding culture of innovation meant the organization was ready to embrace new ways of working – new paradigms – when it mattered most. In our newly remote world, a record-breaking number of eye care professionals turned to Orbis’s telemedicine platform, Cybersight, to stay connected and to continue learning amid lockdowns. Orbis is now training more people in more countries and regions around the world than ever before.

Orbis’s country offices have remained undaunted, even as the pandemic threatened hard-won gains in the fight against avoidable blindness. In Ethiopia, Orbis successfully distributed millions of doses of antibiotics that fight trachoma, the leading infectious cause of blindness, despite overwhelming obstacles and the need for new COVID-safe protocols. Orbis has provided support in the world's largest refugee settlement and the surrounding host community, in Cox's Bazaar, Bangladesh, and published a landmark study providing a roadmap for other organizations doing similar work in refugee settings.

Amid a context of ongoing excellence, innovation, and growth, Orbis seeks candidates for the position of Chief Development Officer (CDO). The CDO is charged with the global strategic leadership, collaboration, and delivery of Orbis’s fundraising efforts and coordinated across the U.S. portfolio, branch, and affiliate offices. The CDO spearheads a robust effort to grow and diversify the organization’s fundraising streams, raise overall revenue, and diversify gifts-in-kind to achieve Orbis’s mission and global strategy. The CDO serves as a leader across the Orbis network of offices and affiliates and ensures efficient and effective fundraising operations and development programs. 

The CDO will develop strategies to cultivate and create new fundraising initiatives and broaden the awareness of Orbis worldwide. The CDO partners with fundraising leaders around the world to facilitate coherent global fundraising strategies, policies, and initiatives that allow culturally and geographically appropriate approaches while leveraging multinational opportunities. The CDO manages seven senior-level direct reports and corresponding team of approximately 66 total staff, including the Hong Kong office. The Vice President, Global Fundraising reports to the CDO and supports the fundraising activities of the Orbis affiliates: Orbis UK, Orbis Canada, Orbis Singapore, Orbis Macau, and Orbis Ireland. 

While Orbis will consider a broad range of backgrounds, the ideal candidate will have the following qualifications/experience:

• Commitment to the vision and mission of Orbis International.
• Minimum of 15 years of demonstrated success building and delivering effective fundraising organizations and achieving and exceeding revenue targets for a sustained period.
• Demonstrated knowledge of and fundamental adherence to the principles, ethics, and best practices of modern fundraising, including superior knowledge of marketing and donor relations principles and fundraising strategy, market trends, and technological advances that may impact the achievement of fundraising objectives, revenue goals, and Orbis’s program efforts.
• An organized and strategic approach to fundraising with previous experience creating development strategies directly tied to business objectives; a strong understanding of strategy, ability to understand the big picture, and skill in organizational change and dynamics.
• Ability to extract and analyze data to make effective, efficient decisions about donor strategy and process.
• Demonstrated ability to engage, work effectively with, gain the respect and support of, and maintain ongoing relationships with various constituencies, including board, staff members, major donors, foundation and corporate leaders, government grant makers, and other current or potential funders.
• Proven leadership and supervisory experience with a track record of successfully managing a fundraising team to achieve stated results.
• Excellent listening and communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability in planning and executing integrated, strategic, and innovative marketing and communications in support of achieving fundraising goals.
• Ability to advocate and negotiate, both internally and externally.
• Experience working across multi-cultures and contexts with a wide variety of stakeholders, and culturally competent with respect to issues such as racial, cultural, religious, sexual, and gender identity; demonstrated commitment to and understanding of how to build diversity, equity, and inclusion in the development function.
• Able to travel nationally and internationally up to 25% of the time.
• Bachelor’s degree or extensive equivalent education and experience.

Orbis is an Equal Opportunity Employer. It recognizes and values the intersecting identities people bring to Orbis. 

As a global organization, Orbis encourages qualified applicants from diverse backgrounds, cultures, lived experience with Orbis’s mission, and/or those belonging to communities that have been historically excluded and/or marginalized to apply. Frequently cited statistics show that members of structurally marginalized and/or underrepresented groups apply to jobs only if they meet 100% of the qualifications. Orbis encourages you to break that statistic and to apply.

To request disability accommodation, please email Orbis at hr@orbis.org.

Orbis International has retained the DSG Fundraising & Advancement Practice of the Diversified Search Group to assist in this confidential search process. Inquiries, nominations, and applications (current resumes and cover letters) should be directed electronically to:

Gerard F. Cattie, Jr.
Managing Director and DSG Fundraising & Advancement Practice Leader
Diversified Search Group
The Chrysler Building, 405 Lexington Avenue, 49th Floor, New York, New York 10174
gerard.cattie@divsearch.com | 212.542.2587