Director, University-Wide Philanthropy - Sciences

Wayne State University is searching for an experienced Director, University-Wide Philanthropy - Sciences at its Detroit campus location.

Wayne State is a premier, public, urban research university located in the heart of Detroit, Michigan where students from all backgrounds are offered a rich, high-quality education. Our deep-rooted commitment to excellence, collaboration, integrity, diversity and inclusion creates exceptional educational opportunities which prepare students for success in a global society.

Essential functions (job duties):

Job Purpose

Provide leadership and direction for foundation fundraising on behalf of assigned schools/colleges/units in the areas of life and physical sciences. Develop, implement, and manage private foundation fundraising strategies and initiatives to increase philanthropy. Oversee cultivation, solicitations, and stewardship of foundation partners to strengthen relationships, increase proposal submissions and award activity, and meet established fundraising goals. This position reports to the Senior Director, University-Wide Philanthropy.

Essential Functions

(Essential functions are the primary duties/major job responsibilities that an employee must be able to perform, with or without reasonable accommodation. The essential functions are listed in order of importance.)

Essential Functions % Time

Collaborate with academic leadership, including the provost, deans, department chairs, and faculty, to identify fundraising needs and priorities; develop fundraising strategies; create opportunities; and establish realistic and achievable timelines. Encourage, build and maintain strong relationships with foundation partners to enhance philanthropic support. Manage robust portfolio of foundation prospects. Cultivate, steward, and submit strong funding proposals to foundations based on needs and opportunities within the University. 30%

Responsible for achieving annual fundraising goal and assisting in meeting unit and division goals: allocating and prioritizing time and resources to achieve the greatest return on investment. Performance and productivity will be measured on the following metrics as determined annually:

• Dollars raised toward unit fundraising goals

• Number of proposals submitted

• Number of proposals secured

• Number of visits with external funders 25%

Collaborate with development professionals and other staff within the schools/colleges/units to identify funding opportunities. Cultivate and educate faculty and staff in philanthropic landscape, norms, and procedures. Strengthen relationships with faculty and community partners. 20%

Supervise staff, effectively managing performance to meet individual and team initiatives; foster a collegial and highly productive work environment. Recruit, interview, hire, train, coach, and evaluate staff. Establish and communicate performance expectations in a manner that motivates and empowers staff to fulfill job duties. Encourage, support, and ensure employee participation in training and development programs. 10%

Increase quality of CRM data in collaboration with Data Integrity team. Oversee project to codify internal policies and procedures as it pertains to foundation grant funding. Distribute policies and procedures to necessary groups. 5%

Assist in the annual revenue and expense projections for the University-wide Philanthropy team. Approve expenditures at the unit level and monitor transactions for compliance with university policies and procedures. 5%

Network with outside professional groups and organizations to keep abreast of current industry trends and best practices. Represent the Division of Development & Alumni Affairs at industry or community meetings as appropriate. Special projects and other duties as assigned. 5%

This grid characterizes the position scope.

Job Reports to: Senior Director/Chair

Leadership Accountability: Develops strategic plans and interprets policy

Supervisory Accountability: Supervises professionals and non-managers

Organizational Accountability: Manages department

Financial Accountability: Approves expenditures

Customer Accountability: Interfaces with officials and executives

Freedom to Act: Operates with significant autonomy

Unique duties:

Qualifications:

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education Bachelor's degree

Graduation from an accredited college or university with a degree in, Public Relations, English, Arts or Public Administration or related field. Advanced degree preferred.

Reasonable knowledge and understanding of university policies and procedures.

Experience Specialist (minimum 5 years of job-related experience)

Minimum of five (5) years of experience working as a fundraising professional in direct solicitations in excess of $250,000. Minimum of three (3) years experience managing personnel, preferably in an advancement, higher education, or non-profit environment.

Direct experience with creating development fundraising plans, preparing proposals and conducting high-level solicitations required. Higher education or non-profit development experience preferred.

Positive and collaborative professional philosophy, recognizing that this position is integral to the achievement of the goals and objectives of Development and Alumni Affairs.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

ANALYTICAL AND PRESENTATION SKILLS: Ability to evaluate, interpret, and present complex information effectively in professionally prepared documents or presentations. Must possess a demonstrated attention to detail in order to achieve a high degree of accuracy. Proposes and evaluates alternative solutions to achieve organizational goals.

COLLABORATION: Exhibit a willingness to partner with units across the university with integrity and high character to reach unified goals. Possess the ability to navigate difficult situations with grace and understanding.

COMMUNICATIONS SKILLS: Ability to communicate clearly, concisely and professionally both orally and in writing. Strong interpersonal skills are a must. Demonstrates the ability to plan and deliver oral and written communications that are impactful and persuasive, including presentations to university management and committees.

LEADERSHIP SKILLS: Demonstrated strong leadership skills to influence and motivate individuals and groups to achieve results. Maintain accountability for the universlty’s and division’s mission, vision and values. Inspire your team to uphold these core values.

LEARNING AGILITY: Independent and innovative self-starter who displays an ability to learn quickly and easily adapts to changing situations. Experience researching topics to gain knowledge and understanding when information gaps exist.

PLANNING AND ORGANIZATION: Ability to manage several projects simultaneously, prioritize and plan work activities while meeting respective deadlines. Strong organizational and time-management skills required. Maturity, sound judgment and ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously in a deadline-oriented environment.

TEAMWORK: Ability to collaborate effectively with colleagues within the division and other units to gain full understanding of the project and desired outcome; ability to produce high quality and consistent results with assistance of team members; provide support to teammates when tackling complex projects.

TECHNICAL SKILLS: Proficient in the use of complex administrative systems software, preferrably in the higher education environment. Proficient with Microsoft Office suite, especially Word, Excel and Teams. Ability to understand and translate complex concepts into lay terms.

Working Conditions

Normal office environment. Hybrid schedule.

Adhere to confidentiality and data usage policy for the division.

This position requires a high level of commitment and enthusiasm. Due to travel requirements, evening meetings and special events, etc., candidate must be willing to work extended hours as needed

Preferred qualifications:

School/College/Division:

H86 - Development & Alumni Affairs

Primary department:

H8605 - Development Office

Employment type:

Regular Employee
Job type: Full Time
Job category: Staff/Administrative

Funding/salary information:

Compensation type: Annual Salary
Hourly rate:
Salary minimum: $100,000
Salary hire maximum: $110,000

Working conditions:

Normal working conditions Hybrid work schedule

Job openings:

Number of openings: 1
Reposted position: No
Reposted reason: None (New Requisition)
Prior posting/requisition number:

Background check requirements:

University policy requires certain persons who are offered employment to undergo a background check, including a criminal history check, before starting work. If you are offered employment, the university will inform you if a background check is required.

Director, University-Wide Philanthropy - Sciences