Director, Corporate & Foundation Relations

Texas A&M University System•Prairie View, TX

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations serves as a key member of the Division of University Advancement and is responsible for developing, managing, and strengthening strategic relationships with corporations, private foundations, and other institutional funding partners. This position oversees a portfolio of prospective, current, and lapsed corporate and foundation donors, guiding each relationship through the full fundraising cycle, including prospect identification, cultivation, proposal development, solicitation, stewardship, and long-term engagement. The Director will work collaboratively with university leadership, academic units, research centers, and program partners to align institutional priorities with external funding opportunities. The Director is expected to serve as a collaborative advancement partner across the university, working closely with leadership, faculty, staff, and external stakeholders to advance institutional priorities. This position must demonstrate initiative, professionalism, strategic thinking, and a strong commitment to building sustainable relationships that generate meaningful support for the university. The salary is determined in accordance with the University’s compensation structure and will be commensurate with the candidates’ education and experience, within the assigned salary range for this position.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.
Ten years of progressively responsible experience in fundraising, corporate relations, foundation relations, grant development, sponsored projects, advancement, or a closely related field.
Demonstrated experience managing donor, funder, or external partner relationships.
Experience developing proposals, funding requests, stewardship materials, or strategic partnership documents.
Strong knowledge of corporate and foundation fundraising practices, institutional giving trends, and relationship-based advancement strategies.
Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to communicate clearly and persuasively with various audiences.
Ability to translate institutional priorities into compelling funding opportunities for external partners.
Strong project management, organizational, and follow-through skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
Ability to work collaboratively and diplomatically with senior leaders, faculty, staff, donors, volunteers, and external partners.
Proficiency with Office 365 applications and donor, customer relationship management, or advancement database systems.
Ability to exercise sound judgment, discretion, and professionalism when handling sensitive donor and institutional information.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in business, communications, public administration, nonprofit management, higher education, or a related field.
Experience working in higher education, especially within a university advancement, development, sponsored programs, or external relations environment.
Experience working with senior leaders, including a president, chancellor, chief executive officer, board member, or similar executive-level office.
Successful track record of securing corporate sponsorships, foundation grants, institutional gifts, or strategic philanthropic partnerships.
Experience supporting fundraising priorities related to student success, academic programs, research, workforce development, or community engagement.

Responsibilities

Manage and grow a portfolio of corporate and foundation prospects and donors, serving as the primary relationship manager for assigned accounts.
Develop and implement strategies for identification, cultivation, solicitation, proposal submission, and stewardship of corporate and foundation partners.
Collaborate with colleges, schools, departments, research centers, and administrative units to identify fundable priorities and prepare compelling cases for support.
Write, coordinate, and support the development of proposals, concept papers, grant requests, sponsorship packages, briefing materials, and stewardship reports.
Maintain a strategic moves management plan for assigned prospects and donors, ensuring timely follow-up, documentation, and progression through the donor engagement cycle.
Actively seek new corporate and foundation funding opportunities that align with university priorities, including scholarships, academic programs, research, student success initiatives, workforce development, and special projects.
Provide support to senior leadership for corporate and foundation cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship activities.
Partner with advancement colleagues to coordinate donor engagement strategies, campus visits, recognition opportunities, events, and communications.
Track donor interactions, proposal activity, commitments, and stewardship actions using advancement database systems and reporting tools.
Represent the Division of University Advancement in meetings with external partners, internal stakeholders, and university leadership.