Assistant Manager - Development Systems

About The Kennedy Center

“I am certain that after the dust of centuries has passed over our cities, we, too, will be remembered not for victories or defeats in battle or in politics, but for our contribution to the human spirit.” – President John F. Kennedy

The Kennedy Center is the nation’s cultural center and living memorial to President John F. Kennedy. Located on the banks of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., the Center presents performances across all genres, and is also home to artistic affiliates Washington National Opera and National Symphony Orchestra. 

At the Kennedy Center, we strive to foster belonging and empowerment at work. We are able to advance our mission because of our committed and passionate employees. We are fortunate to be able to leverage their diverse perspectives, life experiences and skills to inform how our workplace can be a safe, transparent, and replenishing community. The Kennedy Center is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant based on race, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy or related condition, or any other basis protected by law. 

Mission Statement: As America's performing arts center, and a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy, we are a leader for the arts across the United States and around the world, connecting the greatest living artists with audiences of every stripe, no matter their background. We welcome all Americans and creators and visitors from across the globe to discover, experience, learn about, be inspired by, and engage with the arts.

Why Join Us

We offer a total rewards package to all full-time employees to include: 

• Staff offers for discount tickets
• Retirement plan with organization matching (after 1 year of employment)
• Qualifying employer for the Public Student Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF)
• Commuter programs including pre-tax options for discounted parking and SmartBenefits (WMATA)
• Annual Leave, Sick Leave, and Personal Days available immediately upon hire
• 11 paid holidays per year 
• Medical, Dental, and Vision benefits with FSA and HSA options, and paid FMLA
• We like to have fun! Check out the Kennedy Center National Dance Day 2024 staff video!

Pay Details

The Kennedy Center strives to design equitable compensation programs. The projected salary range for this position is $55,000 - $65,000, commensurate with experience, and includes a comprehensive benefits package. This is the targeted range of possible compensation for this role at the time of posting. This range may be modified in the future. Base pay within the range is ultimately determined by a candidate’s skills, expertise, and experience as it relates to the position qualifications and responsibilities.

Job Description

The Kennedy Center Development Department is comprised of 80+ individuals working together to raise approximately $80 million annually to support the nation’s performing arts center. Within the department, Development Systems is a team of three highly motivated individuals that are integral to the successful operations of the department. They provide service, support and trainings to development colleagues; they liaise with other service departments, and they ensure the department’s systems and procedures are operating at the highest level.

The Assistant Manager, Development Systems & Database works with the Director, Development Systems & Strategies in implementing and maintaining systems pertaining to the Development office. This includes gift entry management, internal database maintenance and training, and financial reconciliation. The incumbent must be able to manage his/her time, resources and work load to maximize productivity. The Assistant Manager prioritizes the work of the Coordinator, Development Systems and themselves, providing guidance and support to the coordinator as needed. An eagerness to problem solve with a positive attitude is essential.

With oversight from the Director, manage payment entry procedures for contributions, special event payments and other payments for the development department; collaborate with development and finance to ensure consistency of policies, increase accuracy and efficiency, and provide research, analysis and support for system and policy changes

Key Responsibilities

• With support from the Coordinator of Development Systems, process contributions, special event payments and other payments for development; serve as an internal auditor for batch processing - reviewing batches for documentation and accuracy and ensuring deposit with finance
• Act as a Tessitura super user for the Development department, organizing and leading regular Tessitura trainings and reviews with new hires and long term development staff; liaise with IT on CRM and Systems related projects; represent the Development department at CRM meetings; execute regular setup and maintenance in the Tessitura database as needed; create and implement CRM related process improvements for the department
• Support the Director with budget analysis, budget upkeep and entry, financial reporting and reconciliation, and strategic financial planning for the development department; schedule and attend department budget meetings in support of this work as requested
• Support KC, NSO and WNO fundraising teams, the special events team, and volunteer team, in maintaining and improving development systems and operations; work with the Director on revising various policies and procedures which may include gift acceptance & gift processing, acknowledgements, tax receipts, document retention, budgeting and expense management, etc.
• Work with the Senior Accountant to manage the resolution of reconciling items between Finance and Development related to contributions received
• Act as primary liaison with our external stock broker contact; inform stewarding teams when stock donations have been received; provide support for coordinator who is tracking wire contributions; ensure both stock and wire contributions are tracked and processed in a timely manner
• Other duties as assigned.

Key Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree is required.
• Minimum of 3 years of experience working with customer databases is required. Experience with Tessitura preferred. Must possess the facility to learn, understand, and use such software with relative ease.
• The candidate must have the ability and confidence to work without close supervision, to foresee development needs, and to generate work for this position and for others supportive of this position including an intern.
• A high degree of comfort working with budgets and financial information is vital.
• A high degree of comfort working with Microsoft Excel including graphs and pivot tables is a plus.
• Must be extremely attentive to detail.
• Candidate must be local or willing to relocate to the DMV area. Relocation assistance is not provided. 
• Candidate must be willing to work onsite.