Assistant Director of Stewardship - Penn Engineering Development and Alumni Relations

University of Pennsylvania

2d•$55,962 - $70,000

About The Position

Reporting to the Director of Donor Relations, the Assistant Director of Stewardship helps execute Penn Engineering’s comprehensive donor relations and stewardship program and provides communications, project management, and event support across the School’s Development and Alumni Relations program. The role produces development communications and stewardship materials, manages recurring and individualized projects, and helps improve systems and workflows so constituents are thanked, informed, and engaged in timely and meaningful ways. The Assistant Director translates complex engineering research, education, and institutional priorities into clear, compelling content for donors, alumni, prospects, and University leaders. The position develops gift acknowledgments, fund reports, proposals, leadership briefings, remarks, and digital communications; supports donor recognition activities such as donor walls and events; and uses visual, video, and other digital media to demonstrate philanthropic impact. The role also supports planning and execution of Development and Alumni Relations initiatives, including stewardship and alumni events, special projects, and other engagement activities. Working with colleagues across Penn Engineering, University Development, and Alumni Relations, the Assistant Director contributes across donor relations and stewardship activities while independently managing projects appropriate to the assistant director level. Occasional evening and weekend work and local travel may be required.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree and two to three years of progressively responsible experience in stewardship, donor relations, development communications, alumni relations, advancement, event management, marketing communications, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Exceptional writing, editing, proofreading, interviewing, and research skills, including the ability to translate complex or technical information into clear, engaging, audience-appropriate communications.
Strong project management and organizational skills, meticulous attention to detail, sound judgment, and ability to manage multiple priorities, deadlines, and stakeholders in a fast-paced environment.
Ability to work independently, take ownership of projects, improve processes, and collaborate effectively with senior leaders, fundraisers, faculty, staff, students, donors, alumni, vendors, and University partners.
Versatility and adaptability in supporting Development and Alumni Relations initiatives, special projects, constituent engagement activities, and stewardship and alumni events.
Willingness to work occasional evenings and weekends.
Proficiency with Microsoft 365 and experience with constituent databases, email marketing platforms, event management or registration systems, and digital content tools.
Ability and enthusiasm to learn new technology.
Ability to exercise discretion and maintain confidentiality when handling sensitive donor, financial, student, and institutional information.
Submit a resume, cover letter, and writing samples for consideration.

Responsibilities

Manage an assigned portfolio of gift acknowledgments and personalized donor correspondence for philanthropic milestones; research gifts and donors; draft, edit, proofread, route, and track correspondence for the Dean and other School leaders.
Partner with the Director and Associate Director to evaluate and improve acknowledgment standards, templates, workflows, service levels, and quality-control practices.
Research, write, edit, design, and coordinate stewardship reports and impact communications for endowed and current-use funds, including scholarships, fellowships, faculty support, research and educational initiatives, capital projects, and other major gifts.
Gather and synthesize financial, programmatic, faculty, and student information; maintain reporting calendars and records; and recommend formats and content that make complex information meaningful to donors.
Provide communications, project management, and programmatic support for Development and Alumni Relations initiatives, including stewardship and alumni events, special projects, and constituent engagement activities.
Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to plan and execute initiatives aligned with the School’s development and alumni relations goals.
Draft and edit donor-facing and leadership communications, including proposals, concept papers, case statements, executive briefings, event remarks, talking points, donor visit materials, nomination memos, and post-event correspondence.
Translate technical subjects and institutional priorities for varied audiences while maintaining accuracy, voice, and message consistency; contribute research, first drafts, and project coordination for high-level assignments led by the Director.
Build, test, and deploy donor, annual giving, alumni, and event communications using Salesforce Marketing Cloud and related platforms.
Create and maintain event registration experiences; support segmentation, personalization, accessibility, quality assurance, and performance reporting.
Develop or coordinate visual, video, web, and other digital content with donor relations, marketing and communications, and University colleagues; use engagement data to recommend improvements.
Maintain accurate project, fund, donor, recognition, and stewardship records in Compass/Salesforce and other systems.
Document procedures; develop templates, calendars, dashboards, and shared resources; monitor deadlines and deliverables; identify workflow gaps; and help implement tools and process improvements.
Support named-space and donor recognition projects, special stewardship initiatives, and evaluation of program effectiveness.
Provide broad support for the planning and execution of stewardship and alumni events and other engagement activities; occasional evening and weekend work and local travel may be required.

Benefits

Competitive benefits package, including healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, retirement benefits, professional development opportunities, work and family benefits, and health and wellness programs.
Comprehensive medical, prescription, behavioral health, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits.
Flexible spending accounts for eligible health care and dependent care expenses.
Tuition assistance for employees, spouses, and dependent children at Penn; dependent children may also receive assistance at other institutions.
Basic, Matching, and Supplemental retirement plans with pre-tax or Roth savings options and investment choices through TIAA and Vanguard.
Substantial time away from work during the year.
Long-term care insurance for eligible faculty and staff and family members.
Wellness and work-life programs and resources.
Professional and personal development resources.
Access to University libraries, athletic facilities, cultural and recreational activities, with some activities free for employees and their families.
Discounts and special services, including arts and entertainment, transportation, mortgages, goods, and services.
Flexible work options and hours.
Forgivable homeownership loan for eligible employees buying a home or residing in West Philadelphia.
Adoption assistance reimbursement for eligible expenses, for up to two adoptions in the household.