Director of Donation Development

 

The Director of Donation Development (DDD) is a strategic and operational leader responsible for driving measurable growth in eye, organ, and tissue donation performance across the Donor Service Area (DSA). This role owns hospital partner engagement strategies that directly impact key CMS and organizational metrics, including referral timeliness, authorization rates, and organ conversion outcomes. This role serves as a critical bridge between hospital development, clinical operations, and executive leadership—ensuring seamless alignment between frontline execution and organizational performance goals.  The DDD is accountable for translating strategy into results, holding teams and partners to high standards, and continuously advancing donation performance through innovation, education, and system-level change.  This position requires a proactive team player who must uphold the core values of the organization which include passion, integrity, and teamwork.

 

 

 

 

The essential functions and qualifications listed are typical examples of work performed by positions in this job classification and general required qualifications. They are not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, tasks, responsibilities and qualifications. Employees may perform other duties as assigned. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Cross-Functional Responsibilities

 

Collaborates with other departments at DNWest with the goal of enhancing conversion outcomes.

Facilitates routine meetings with the Organ Ops leadership to promote a team environment.

Approves the overall strategy to enhance and improve eye, organ, and tissue donation (E/O/T) and honor donor designation within the DNWest’s service area.

Works with Organ Operations leadership team and Tissue Services management team in order to provide optimal service to hospital partners.

Works with management team to attain Donor Network West strategic plan, organizational goals and metrics.

Achieves and sustains performance targets aligned with CMS OPO Conditions of Participation, including but not limited to:

Timely referral rate

Conversion rate (eligible deaths to donors)

Authorization (consent) rate

Strengthens physician engagement to support donation best practices (brain death, DCD, referral timing).

Drives hospital-specific performance improvement plans using data analytics and benchmarking.

Reduces variability in hospital performance across the DSA.

Ensures high reliability in referral identification and escalation processes.

Partners with Clinical Operations to optimize donor management and maximize donor potential.

Improves family authorization outcomes through collaboration with Family Services.

Works with hospitals to provide procedures and testing to ensure case progression

Creates and leads a high-performing team to execute data-driven, relationship-based strategies that influence clinical practice, strengthen hospital partnerships, and ensure regulatory compliance.

Hires, orients, develops, and trains staff into high functioning teams.

Builds and leads a high-performance team with clear expectations tied to measurable outcomes.

Holds team members accountable for performance through structured coaching and feedback.

Develops staff capability in data interpretation, hospital engagement, and clinical understanding.

Creates a culture of ownership, urgency, and continuous improvement.

Takes a leadership role in staff education and training.

Mentors and develop staff using a supportive and collaborative approach; assigns accountabilities, sets objectives, establishes priorities; and monitors and evaluates results.

Provides year-round ongoing real-time feedback, both positive and corrective, meets with direct reports several times a year to review individual performance, and completes all official performance reviews in a timely manner.

Ensures all reporting managers provide their direct reports do the same.

Participates in and evaluates the effectiveness of professional education activities related to improving and developing relationships within DSA.

Participates in recruitment, hiring, training, supervision, counseling, evaluation, discipline, and termination, if necessary, of staff.

Assumes responsibility for presenting in-services, debriefings and other educational formats as needed both within DNWest and to outside agencies as requested.

Oversees requests from reporting staff to attend conferences, provides a format for sharing of information gained at conferences.

Maintains professional competence to provide leadership and consultative services to staff and transplant centers.

Maintains knowledge of organ and tissue donation policies and state and federal regulatory codes, including the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act (UAGA) through active membership in professional associations and attendance at workshops and seminars.

Maintains involvement in national initiatives to improve donation practices.

Communicates and presents information effectively and concisely one on one and within a team environment.

Performs in as a proactive team player who can multitask easily, possessing a high level of proactive personal responsibility and initiative.

Possess strong interpersonal, priority-setting and strategic skills.

Strong attention to detail, and strong written and verbal communication skills.

Ability to work in a fast-paced dynamic environment and to adjust to new priorities.

 Education