Assistant Director, Leadership Engagement

University of Chicago • Chicago, IL

2d • Hybrid

About The Position

Advancement engages alumni (~220k), current students, parents and friends of the University through intellectual, professional and social activities on campus, around the world and online. Advancement raises $600 Million annually to support faculty and researchers, practitioners and patients, and students and programs across the University. Our work supports priorities in every division, school, department, and institute. The Leadership Engagement Team (LET) fosters strategic engagement and leverages leadership networks to enhance donor involvement and optimize fundraising outcomes. As the pivotal link between fundraising strategy and operational execution, LET integrates advanced strategic insights with operational efficiency. Our team collaborates with University departments across the organization, ensuring the seamless execution of a cohesive strategy aimed at engaging top-tier donors and achieving fundraising excellence. This role administers programs and fundraisers designed to engage the alumni community worldwide, increase participation, and advance the objectives of the Alumni Associations, the broader University and divisional alumni initiatives. Works with the Alumni Board of Governors or other divisional groups to create and implement guidelines to govern shared interest groups through receiving a moderate level of guidance and direction.

Requirements

• Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.
• Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 2-5 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor’s or advanced degree.
• Minimum two years of professional experience in nonprofit management, development, alumni relations, marketing, public relations, sales or similar field.
• Demonstrated skill and knowledge of, or ability to learn quickly, the internal workings of the University as well as the technology tools available to Advancement, including Phoenix, the University's Donor Relationship Management System. Proficient in Microsoft Windows computer environment, especially Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access.
• Creative, flexible, and resilient.
• Outstanding interpersonal and communications skills characterized by the ability to listen, speak, and write effectively. Explain complex ideas clearly and simply. Write and synthesize information with a high degree of quality, developing key messages from large sets of detailed quantitative and qualitative information. Develop and execute on a long-term plan, while balancing short term unexpected priorities.
• Strong document design skills. Develop documents and presentations that meet University brand standards and deliver key messages effectively.
• High degree of attention to detail. Correctly enter and audit information using a sophisticated database, appropriately using system reports to access, understand, and share information. Manage confidential information with discretion and tact. Work under quick and time-sensitive deadlines. Act with integrity, professionalism, and confidentiality. Work collegially and collaboratively in a team setting. Self-motivated and take initiative. Prioritize multiple projects and independently follow through.

Responsibilities

• Develops and coordinates high-quality written materials for the President, Vice President for Advancement, and other senior leaders, that advance fundraising and engagement objectives, such as donor correspondence, prospect strategy briefings, event briefing material, and other important deliverables.
• Contributes to the alignment of leadership engagements with Advancement priorities, ensuring opportunities are strategically vetted, documented, and advanced.
• Acts as the team’s super user for Advancement’s Salesforce CRM, Phoenix. Serves as the main liaison to Advancement’s technology teams, representing and advocating for the team’s technological and reporting needs across the organization.
• Oversees the development of lists for engagements that strategically support principal priority fundraising objectives. Incorporates and manages stakeholder feedback to continuously refine and enhance these critical documents.
• Leads data management and auditing initiatives, ensuring all development activities for the president, vice president, Trustees, and other University leaders are accurately recorded, managed, and available for reporting. Develops, runs, and analyzes reports to assess the impact and outcomes of University leaders’ development efforts. Provides actionable recommendations to improve fundraising results and deliver key insights to team leaders.
• Designs and supervises the team’s file management systems, ensuring that documents and resources are organized, accessible, and up-to-date, facilitating seamless team operations. Crafts compelling documents, presentations, and memos to support team objectives. Synthesizes diverse information sources into cohesive narratives that effectively address the team’s objectives.
• Liaise with cross-functional partners to ensure coordination of materials, data, and engagement strategies, strengthening collaboration across Advancement. Identifies and addresses opportunities to enhance the team’s efficiency and effectiveness. Implements technological solutions, refines reporting processes, and streamlines operations to drive continuous improvement.
• Oversees internal team projects, tracks next steps, and ensures alignment and coordination across team members to achieve project goals and maintain momentum. Manages agendas, documents notes, and tracks outcomes across a variety of meetings, ensuring ongoing progress and follow-through on key activities week by week.
• Seeks opportunities for professional development that will enhance job performance including attending webinars, seminars, building networks within the University and with colleagues at peer institutions. Has a moderate/solid understanding of fundraising operations for a school or department of the University. Identifies budget requirements and staffing needs on a project or event basis. Has a moderate/high level of authority in drafting informational and marketing materials for review for assigned programs. Assists in developing support materials for specific fundraising activities. Cultivates and maintains relationships with donors and volunteers. Establishes and maintains donor records and accounts. Acts as a principal contact and liaison for alumni within a specific region and coordinate regional activities with other areas of development and assures that no conflict occurs. Establishes and maintains metrics of success and makes sure those are present in departmental strategic plans, goals setting, and the annual budget. Performs other related work as needed.

Benefits

• The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in the Benefits Guidebook .

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees