Department: University Advancement
Appointment Type and Duration: Regular, Ongoing
Salary: $130,000 - $140,000 per year
Compensation Band: OS-OA11-Fiscal Year 2025-2026
FTE: 1.0
Application Review Begins
January 7, 2025; position open until filled
Special Instructions to Applicants
To be considered for this position, applicants must submit a complete application. Complete applications must include a cover letter and a resume that address how you meet the minimum and preferred qualifications.
We are interested in finding the best candidate for the position. We encourage you to apply, even if you don’t think you meet every one of our preferred qualifications--use your application to let us know what is meaningful to you about the role and what transferable skills or other qualities you would bring.
Department Summary
University Advancement (UA) supports the University of Oregon's (UO) mission of providing exceptional teaching, discovery, and service by strategically positioning the university to create awareness, build long-term relationships, and secure resources that increase understanding and further its aims. We are committed to fostering equity and inclusion in a welcoming, safe, and respectful environment that recognizes the value of all members of our community.
The Office of Development as part of University Advancement has a mission to maximize philanthropic impact at the University of Oregon. We do this by identifying, connecting and engaging alumni and friends around the globe with their passions to advance the vision and priorities of the university
Since 1914 the Charles H. Lundquist College of Business has taught its students the critical skills they need to think for themselves, to be leaders in a dynamic world, and to make better decisions on behalf of the people and resources they manage. With strong links to the Pacific Rim, the college delivers a dynamic learning environment where world-class professors offer personal attention, students work on real projects for real companies, and alumni go on to high-powered jobs worldwide. The Lundquist College of Business empowers a vibrant community that creates, applies, and disseminates knowledge. Through the College, this network of students, faculty and staff members, and stakeholders contributes significantly to industry, communities, and society.
Position Summary
The Senior Director of Development I, works as part of Development to promote university fundraising priorities and image to alumni, parents, and friends of the university. The Senior Director will be assigned to a specific unit and is responsible for identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of donors and new prospects. This position will concentrate on gifts in the major gift ($100k+) range, focusing on $500k+ gifts.
Reporting jointly to the Dean of the Lundquist College of Business and the Assistant Vice President for Development for Schools, Colleges and Units, this position is responsible for the strategic planning, coordination, and leadership of the LCB development program. This position manages all fundraising activity and staff, including representing the college in development meetings on campus and setting fundraising goals and strategies in conjunction with leadership in the college and Development.
This position is field-oriented, requiring frequent travel and direct contact with donors and donor prospects. The Senior Director works collaboratively with colleagues in the assigned unit, Development, and across the university to identify new prospects and strategically cultivate alumni, parents, and friends. The Senior Director will be responsible for setting fundraising goals for the team and driving strategies as they relate to the strategic needs of the university and the assigned unit, priority, or region. Performance as measured against these goals will be evaluated annually.
Travel within Oregon as well as to cities in other states up to 50% of the time is an essential expectation of this position. This position is jointly funded by LCB and University Advancement.
Minimum Requirements
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Five years of progressively responsible fundraising experience, including the successful close of at least one seven figure gift or equivalent gift of significance to an organization.
• Three years of progressively responsible management experience.
Professional Competencies
• Working with donors and prospects: Sophistication in prospect identification, cultivation, and solicitation with a demonstrated ability to serve as a core anchor relationship between donors and the campus. Strong ability to build comprehensive 3-5 year donor strategies, cultivate families as well as individuals, maximize gift potential, and solicit principal gifts. Established ability navigating seven-figure asks and complex asset management discussions.
• Portfolio management and systems: Extensive experience in portfolio management, with the ability to act as a resource for others in prospect handoffs and donor strategies. Ability to identify and manage healthy turnover of portfolio assignments and handups/handoffs. Drives discussions related to alignment between systems, research, planning, and donor strategy effectiveness.
• Professionalism and citizenship: Strong leadership skills and executive presence, including the ability to regularly mentor and steward a broader team towards success. Ability to lead task forces and organizational maturation initiatives. Inclination to regularly provide learning opportunities and resources for growing and high-potential team members.
• Institutional navigation and industry knowledge: High level of programmatic and institutional knowledge, with the ability to take a leadership role in using past successes and failures to inform new strategies. Ability to maintain strong partnerships with on- and off-campus partners to create and sell the narrative of new programs and initiatives. Ability to articulate strategic plan in the context of positioning the institution in comparison to aspirant peers.
• Management and supervision of employees: Demonstrated ability managing a successful team that allows individual team members opportunities for professional growth, including setting integrated metrics for all employees, inspiring performance and engagement for the team, and empowering them to proactively partner with senior staff and campus affiliates. Ability to manage other managers and train upcoming leadership.
• Volunteer management: Demonstrated ability to manage volunteers and boards, including working successfully with volunteers and academic leadership on strategic direction and priority-setting for the board. Ability to anticipate and accommodate volunteer fatigue and develop strategy for rotating membership and providing opportunities for volunteer engagement outside of board membership.
• Academic leadership: Ability to act as a core advisor and partner to the dean/director/vice president, including collaborating with academic leadership and faculty to set overall academic initiatives, philanthropic priorities, and correlating fundraising strategy. Ability to inspire increased faculty participation and partnership with development.
• Strategic planning: Ability to provide leadership in advancement-wide discussions of new initiatives, capital project planning, strategic staffing, and 3-5 year trends in the industry. Ability to communicate and articulate how individual initiatives, programmatic direction, and overall advancement strategy will shape the university. Leadership in aligning alumni engagement, annual giving, central development and schools/colleges units with regard to goals, donor strategy, and communication.
• Ability to interact, communicate, and work effectively with individuals, recognizing and respecting the many and varied identities of each person.
• Commitment to promoting and enhancing diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Ability to travel.
Preferred Qualifications
• Advanced degree.
• Fifteen or more years of major gift experience.
• Significant experience in higher education development.
• Demonstrated experience working effectively with volunteer boards.
• Ten years of progressive management experience.
FLSA Exempt: Yes
All offers of employment are contingent upon successful completion of a background check.
The University of Oregon is proud to offer a robust benefits package to eligible employees, including health insurance, retirement plans, and paid time off. For more information about benefits, visit our website.
The University of Oregon is an equal-opportunity institution committed to cultural diversity and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The University encourages all qualified individuals to apply and does not discriminate on the basis of any protected status, including veteran and disability status. The University is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. To request an accommodation in connection with the application process, please email us or call 541-346-5112.
UO prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy (including pregnancy-related conditions), age, physical or mental disability, genetic information (including family medical history), ancestry, familial status, citizenship, service in the uniformed services (as defined in federal and state law), veteran status, expunged juvenile record, and/or the use of leave protected by state or federal law in all programs, activities and employment practices as required by Title IX, other applicable laws, and policies. Retaliation is prohibited by UO policy. Questions may be referred to the Office of Equal Opportunity and Access. Contact information, related policies, and complaint procedures are listed here.
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