Development Manager Job Description Templates
Free development manager job description templates by type: business, software, nonprofit, and learning, with FLSA and salary guidance. Download DOCX.
Development Manager Job Description Templates
6 templates by type, with FLSA and salary guidance. Download as DOCX.
Development manager is one of the most ambiguous titles you can put in a job posting. It means a salesperson who drives revenue, an engineer who leads a team, a fundraiser who courts donors, a trainer who builds learning programs, or a product lead who ships to market, depending entirely on the field. Write a generic version and you get a confusing pile of applicants. The first real step is deciding which kind of development manager you actually need.
At FirstHR, we build templates specific enough to fill the role. The six below cover the main meanings, each with the classification and compensation guidance that generic templates skip. Pick the one that matches, fill in the brackets, and post, and the guide to writing a job description covers the fundamentals.
What Does a Development Manager Do?
A development manager leads and grows a specific area, but which area depends on the type: a business development manager grows revenue, a software development manager leads an engineering team, a nonprofit development manager runs fundraising, a learning and development manager builds training, and a product development manager ships products. The common thread is owning the strategy, people, and outcomes for that area.
For the employer writing the posting, the defining fact is that the title is an umbrella term, not a single job. Naming the specific type is what makes the description useful. The six templates split by meaning so the document matches the real role.
Which Kind of Development Manager Are You Hiring?
Development manager covers several unrelated jobs, each with its own skills, pay, and reporting line. Identifying yours is the most important step before writing the posting. This table summarizes the common types.
| Type | Leads and grows | BLS proxy (May 2024 median) |
|---|---|---|
| Business development | Revenue and new business | Sales Managers, $138,060 |
| Software / IT | An engineering team | Computer & Info Systems Mgrs, $171,200 |
| Nonprofit / fundraising | Fundraising and donors | Fundraisers, $66,490 |
| Learning & development | Employee training | Training & Development Mgrs, $127,090 |
| Product | Products to market | Varies by industry |
The highest-fit type for a smaller business is usually the business development manager, often a first dedicated revenue hire. Nonprofit development is the strongest fit for small organizations running their own fundraising.
Development Manager Duties and Responsibilities
Across types, development manager duties cluster into direction and goals, people and teams, process and delivery, and results and growth. The specifics differ by function, but these areas hold for any development manager.
A strong posting grounds these in your specifics: your type, your area, the people or pipeline involved, and the metrics that define success. For a structured way to scope any role before posting, the guide to defining job responsibilities walks through the process.
Which Template Should You Use?
Pick the template by type. Five cover the main meanings; the standard version is a starting point to adapt when none fits exactly. Use this guide to choose.
6 Free Development Manager Job Description Templates
Download all six as a single Word document or copy individual templates. Each follows the same structure: company summary, key responsibilities, qualifications, a compensation or compliance note, reporting line, and pay, with an EEO statement. Fill in the brackets and post.
Template 1: Standard / Generic Development Manager
A general manager template to adapt when your role does not fit one of the specific types below.
Template 2: Business Development Manager
Drives new business, builds the pipeline, and closes deals. Often the first dedicated sales hire. Base plus commission.
Template 3: Software Development Manager
Leads a development team, owns delivery, and makes technical decisions. May include equity in the offer.
Template 4: Nonprofit Development Manager
Owns the fundraising plan, donor relationships, and grants. Often a sole, hands-on role at a small organization.
Template 5: Learning & Development Manager
Builds and runs employee training and development programs. Usually fits a company with an existing people function.
Template 6: Product Development Manager
Leads products from idea to market, managing the roadmap and coordinating design, engineering, and stakeholders.
Development Manager Skills and Qualifications
Skills vary sharply by type, but most development manager roles share leadership, ownership of outcomes, and strong communication. List the field-specific requirements separately so candidates can self-select.
| Type | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Shared | Leadership, ownership, communication |
| Business dev | Sales record, CRM, negotiation |
| Software | Technical depth, Agile, people management |
| Nonprofit | Fundraising, grants, donor relations |
| Learning | Instructional design, LMS, facilitation |
Keep requirements job-related and the language neutral, since the EEOC prohibits job advertisements that show a preference based on protected characteristics. For a fuller framework, the SHRM guide to writing a job description covers the standard sections.
FLSA: Exempt Classification
Unlike many roles, a development manager is usually exempt, but the classification still depends on the real work.
Confirm the classification by the real primary duties and salary. For the underlying rules, the exempt vs non-exempt guide and the Fair Labor Standards Act guide explain the tests. This is general information, not legal advice; confirm with an employment attorney.
Development Manager Pay
Pay varies more by type than almost any other title, because the proxy occupations range from fundraisers to technology managers.
These are proxies, and total compensation often differs from the base median: business development roles usually include commission, and software roles may include equity. Junior versions of any type pay less than the manager-level medians. Set pay to the specific type, seniority, and region using current market data.
Hiring a Development Manager
A large company has HR and compensation teams to handle the ambiguity, classification, and pay design these roles require. A smaller company or nonprofit hiring its first development manager manages it directly. Here are the three realities that matter most.
After You Hire: Onboarding a Development Manager
Onboarding depends on the type, since each comes with different compensation and access needs. Send the offer letter with the classification and pay, collect the signed offer, and complete Form I-9 and tax forms as part of the new hire paperwork.
Then handle the type-specific steps: document the commission structure and OTE and set up CRM access for a business development manager; include equity terms and arrange tech-stack access for a software development manager; disclose grant-funded status and set up donor-database access for a nonprofit development manager. Keep signed onboarding documents in one place, and the offer letter template covers the core terms, with the onboarding checklist giving you a repeatable process.
FirstHR is built for this: e-signature for offer letters including commission, equity, or grant-funded terms, document management to store signed agreements, onboarding task workflows and an AI onboarding wizard to sequence system access, training modules, and an HRIS with employee profiles and an org chart that reflects who each manager reports to and oversees. Because pricing is flat rather than per seat, adding managers as you grow does not raise the cost. FirstHR does not run payroll, calculate commissions, or provide legal advice, so pair it with your payroll provider and an attorney as needed. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a development manager do?
It depends entirely on the type, because development manager is an umbrella title for several unrelated jobs. A business development manager drives revenue by finding and closing new business and building the sales pipeline. A software development manager leads an engineering team, owns delivery, and makes technical decisions. A nonprofit development manager runs fundraising, donor relationships, and grants. A learning and development manager builds and delivers employee training programs. A product development manager takes products from concept to launch. Across all of them, the common thread is leading and growing a specific area, whether that area is revenue, an engineering team, fundraising, employee skills, or a product, and owning the outcomes and metrics for it. Because the meanings are so different, the first step in hiring is naming which one you mean. A generic development manager posting attracts a confusing mix of candidates, while a specific one, business, software, nonprofit, learning, or product, attracts the right people. The templates on this page cover all six versions so the description matches the exact role you are filling.
What are the different types of development manager?
The common types employers hire are: business development manager, who drives sales and revenue growth and is often the first dedicated sales hire at a small company; software or engineering development manager, who leads a development team and owns technical delivery; nonprofit or fundraising development manager, who runs fundraising, donor relations, and grants, which is the meaning federal labor data associates with the title through fundraising roles; learning and development manager, who builds employee training and development programs; and product development manager, who leads products from concept to launch. There are also more specialized versions, such as real estate or land development managers and community development managers, that hold their own distinct hiring markets. Each type has a different skill set, candidate pool, pay range, and reporting line, which is why broadly advertising for a development manager rarely works well. For hiring, identify which function you need to lead and grow, then write the posting to that specific profession. The templates on this page give you a matched starting point for each of the main types.
What is the difference between a development manager and a project manager?
The two roles overlap in coordination and delivery but differ in scope and focus. A development manager typically owns and grows an ongoing area or function, such as revenue, an engineering team, fundraising, or a product line, with responsibility for strategy, people, and long-term outcomes in that area. A project manager owns specific, time-bound projects, focusing on scope, schedule, budget, and delivering defined outputs, then moving to the next project. Put simply, a development manager has standing ownership of an area and usually manages people, while a project manager has temporary ownership of a project and may coordinate without formal people-management authority. In small organizations the lines blur, and one person may do both, but the distinction matters for the job description: if you need someone to build and lead a function over time, you want a development manager; if you need someone to drive defined projects to completion, you want a project manager. Naming the right one shapes the responsibilities, the seniority, and the pay you advertise.
Is a development manager exempt or non-exempt under the FLSA?
A development manager is usually exempt, but it depends on the actual duties and salary rather than the title. Most development manager roles involve managing people, exercising discretion and independent judgment, or both, which can satisfy the executive or administrative exemption under the Fair Labor Standards Act. A business development manager who exercises real discretion in pursuing and closing deals has been treated as administratively exempt in federal case law, and may also fall under the outside-sales exemption if regularly working away from the office. A software development manager who leads a team generally meets the executive exemption and may also fit the computer-employee exemption. Even so, exempt status requires meeting both the salary threshold and the duties test, so a salary alone is not enough. The notable exception is a small nonprofit, where a development manager is often a hands-on individual contributor doing the fundraising rather than managing a team, which can make exempt status less certain. Classify each role by its real primary duties and pay, and confirm the close calls with employment counsel.
How much does a development manager make?
Pay varies enormously by type, because the title spans very different occupations. Using federal data as a guide for May 2024: a business development manager maps most closely to sales managers, with a median of $138,060, though pay for junior business development managers runs lower and the role usually includes commission. A software development manager maps to computer and information systems managers, with a median of $171,200. A nonprofit development manager maps to fundraisers, with a median of $66,490 for a working manager, or to fundraising managers at $123,480 for a true department head. A learning and development manager maps to training and development managers, with a median of $127,090. These are proxies based on the closest occupation codes, since there is no single development manager code, and actual pay depends on the specific type, company size, region, and seniority. Because business development roles often include commission and software roles may include equity, total compensation can differ from these base medians. Benchmark to the specific type and use current local market data.
How do I pay a business development manager?
A business development manager is typically paid a base salary plus commission, with the combined target expressed as on-target earnings (OTE). The base provides stability while the commission ties pay to results, which suits a revenue-generating role. When setting this up, decide the base-to-commission split based on how much the role controls outcomes directly, define exactly what counts toward commission, such as closed revenue or new accounts, and set when commission is earned and paid. State the structure clearly in the job posting, at least the base range and the target OTE, since candidates compare on total earning potential, and put the full commission terms in the offer letter so expectations are documented. For a first sales hire at a smaller company, keep the plan simple and transparent rather than building a complex tiered structure you will need to revise. Whatever structure you choose, make sure the classification, pay, and overtime treatment are handled correctly, since commissioned roles have specific wage-law considerations. The business development template on this page includes a compensation section prompting you to define the base, commission, and OTE.
What should a development manager job description include?
The most important thing a development manager job description must do is name the specific type, since the duties, skills, and pay differ completely across business, software, nonprofit, learning, and product development. Once the type is clear, include a short company summary, the core responsibilities for that function, the required experience and any field-specific tools or certifications, the reporting line, and the compensation. Two things to handle thoughtfully: state the FLSA classification, since these roles are usually exempt but that depends on real duties, and describe pay in a way that fits the type, base plus commission and OTE for business development, base plus possible equity for software, and a clear salary for the others. For nonprofit roles, note any grant-funded status. Be specific about whether the role manages people or is a hands-on individual contributor, because that affects both the candidate profile and the exemption analysis. The templates on this page give you a role-matched, fill-in-the-blank starting point for each type, with the FLSA and compensation guidance that generic development manager templates leave out.
What happens after I hire a development manager?
Onboarding depends on the type, since each comes with different compensation and access needs, and a small company or nonprofit often handles this without an HR department. Start with the basics: the offer letter with the classification and pay, the signed offer, and Form I-9 and tax forms. Then handle the type-specific essentials. For a business development manager, document the commission structure and OTE in the offer and set up CRM access and a sales playbook. For a software development manager, include any equity or options terms in the offer and arrange tech-stack, repository, and tooling access. For a nonprofit development manager, disclose any grant-funded status and set up donor-database access and grant-compliance expectations. Doing this consistently keeps every hire clear and compliant. FirstHR is built for this: e-signature for offer letters including commission, equity, or grant-funded terms, document management to store signed agreements, onboarding task workflows and an AI onboarding wizard to sequence system access, training modules, and an HRIS with employee profiles and an org chart. Pricing is flat rather than per seat. FirstHR does not run payroll, calculate commissions, or provide legal advice, so pair it with your payroll provider and an attorney as needed. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.