Executive Director of Advancement, Hajim School

GENERAL PURPOSE:

The executive director of advancement is the primary development officer for the Hajim School. S/he works closely with University Advancement, the dean, and other academic leaders of the School to set strategic direction for school advancement and to conceive and execute fundraising and alumni relations plans. The executive director manages a portfolio of prospects, including some of the most important supporters of the school, and supervises a major gift officer and an administrative assistant.

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILTIES:

Serve as a valued member of the Hajim School and overall University Advancement office, providing strategic insight on a broad range of programs and initiatives and modelling success and best practices in major and principal gift fundraising.

25% Manage a portfolio of major and principal gift prospects, both domestic and international, and a sufficient schedule of personal visits and travel to ensure engagement of these prospects. Direct fundraising responsibilities entail 110 visits, 30 solicitations, and 15 closed gifts per year at the major and principal gift levels ($100,000+).

• Collaborate with University Advancement officers, appropriate deans, and senior management in supporting all major and principal gift work for the school.

• Participate directly where appropriate to ensure maximum coordination of activities across advancement units.

• Work with executive director of the College and the senior director of advancement for the School of Arts & Sciences in nurturing support for interdisciplinary programs linking engineering, the sciences, and the humanities.

• In preparation for future campaign efforts, evaluate philanthropic capacity of all constituencies, identify areas for growth, strategically augment advancement staff and resources, and craft fundraising strategies to raise sights and involvement of volunteers and donors at all levels.

• Serve as a volunteer manager for unit-specific and regionally-based advisory councils and boards as appropriate, elevating their commitment and participation to ever higher levels.

25% Supervise an office focused on producing major and principal gifts for the school, and collaborate with colleagues in alumni relations programs and the center for business engagement that are integrated with development priorities.

• In collaboration with University Advancement, conceive and implement management systems to measure gift activity and progress for all centrally-based departments for the Hajim School.

• Hire, train, and evaluate staff with appropriate consultation with the dean and University Advancement.

• Guide and motivate staff members to perform at a high level, and support their career aspirations through meetings, conversations, and mentoring.

• Promote a collaborative organizational culture both internally and with other Advancement departments, keeping always focused on the common goal for moving prospects toward readiness to make more generous gifts for priority purposes.

25% Maintain thorough knowledge of School programs and priorities to support effective management decisions and prospect strategies through in-depth conversations and meetings with senior leadership and deans.

• Closely collaborate with the dean and other key academic leaders to promote development efforts that focus on school priorities with appropriate consideration of issues of development feasibility.

20% Through in-depth conversations and meetings, collaborate with the executive director of advancement of the College to establish development strategy for the School.

• Establish plans that are supportive of University Advancement goals and School priorities.

• Work closely with key University Advancement department leaders to ensure strong working relationships, delegating oversight of these relations to staff as appropriate.

• Oversee the process of assuring that University Advancement officers have sufficient knowledge of programs and priorities to be effective representatives of the School and that they know whom to contact when they need more extensive and detailed information.

• Serve as a liaison with University Alumni Relations on collaborative regional programming for Hajim School and University alumni.

• Demonstrate Advancement values in all work done in collaboration with partners across Advancement and University campuses.

5% Other duties as assigned.

REQUIREMENTS:

Bachelor’s degree and ten or more years of development experience, including evidence of ability to work effectively in a complex university setting, or equivalent combination of education and experience, as well as progressively responsible development experience and demonstrable success as a manager and a gift officer.

SKILLS:

• Personal success in cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major individual and institutional gifts, preferably for an institution of higher education.

• Proven ability to provide management oversight, leadership, and strategic direction.

• Demonstrated success in developing and managing fundraising programs in a performance-based culture and an in-depth understanding of advancement and development programs. Must possess strong critical thinking and analytical skills.

• Superior strategic skills with a strong grasp of best practices and a holistic understanding of all aspects of advancement. Substantial experience evaluating the strengths of existing philanthropic programs and identifying opportunities for improvement.

• Personal track record of success in major and principal gift fundraising, cultivating, and stewarding key donors for an institution and increasingly raising their commitments.

• Proven success in building productive, long-term relationships with senior university administrators, faculty, staff, volunteers, and boards.

• Superior communication skills and the ability to connect with a variety of audiences; clear and effective written and oral presentation. The experience, ability, and inclination to be an effective, outgoing representative of the University of Rochester.

• Experience working in an environment serving internal and external constituents, often with shared responsibility for advancement and donor cultivation and stewardship. Ability to build relationships and collaborate across the institution, serving as a resource to others and obtaining their input. Persuasive, persistent, and determined to achieve goals.

• A leadership style that creates strong teams and motivates, engages, energizes, and focuses staff on results.

• Strong management skills, including expertise in personnel management, program implementation, fiscal planning, and accountability.

• Collaborative and collegial; eager and able to engage a diverse audience and build strong professional relationships. A convener who is able to synthesize many ideas and offer strategies and solutions that address a wide variety of goals and objectives.

• Strong personal integrity and work ethic, as well as a sense of humor and perspective.

• Record of creative and entrepreneurial staff management; the ability to build, lead, mentor, and motivate staff; and to encourage change and growth in both people and programs. A strong commitment to personal and professional development, and the ability to build a robust, autonomous, and collaborative team.

• A keen eye for operational efficiency and optimal use of resources; the ability to plan, monitor, and manage a budget.

• A desire to deeply engage in the University and local community. The ideal candidate will reflect and embrace the University of Rochester’s emphasis on academic excellence and commitment to the important role it plays in enriching the City of Rochester.

• Proven ability to effectively manage interactions with central fundraising staff.

• Master’s degree is preferred.

The University of Rochester is committed to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture of equity, diversity, and inclusion to advance the University’s mission to Learn, Discover, Heal, Create – and Make the World Ever Better. In support of our values and those of our society, the University is committed to not discriminating on the basis of age, color, disability, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, military/veteran status, national origin, race, religion/creed, sex, sexual orientation, citizenship status, or any other status protected by law. This commitment extends to the administration of our policies, admissions, employment, access, and recruitment of candidates from underrepresented populations, veterans, and persons with disabilities consistent with these values and government contractor Affirmative Action obligations.

How To Apply

All applicants must apply online.

EOE Minorities/Females/Protected Veterans/Disabled

Pay Range

Pay Range: $75,000 - $160,800 Annually

The referenced pay range represents the minimum and maximum compensation for this job. Individual annual salaries/hourly rates will be set within the job’s compensation range, and will be determined by considering factors including, but not limited to, market data, education, experience, qualifications, expertise of the individual, and internal equity considerations.

Location: Central Administration
Full/Part Time: Full-Time
Opening: Full Time 40 hours Grade 058 Ofc Sr Vice Pres Advancement
Schedule: 8 AM-5 PM; SOME WKNDS/HOLS