Senior Executive Director of Development for Major Gift Strategy

University of Texas at Austin

9d•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Executive Director of Development for Major Gift Strategy serves on Texas Development’s Fundraising Vertical and collaborates with colleagues, leaders, and faculty across campus to set, track, and drive principal-gift strategy. The role manages three or more managers of fundraisers and raises major and principal gifts while modeling fundraising expectations. The position is based on the University of Texas at Austin’s main campus in Austin, Texas, with on-site work as the standard expectation. The schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM–5:00 PM, with additional hours potentially required during peak periods and special events. Frequent travel to visit prospects and donors is required. The University of Texas at Austin is a public research university with more than 55,000 students, 4,750 faculty, and 15,000 staff. Texas Development is a community of more than 500 fundraising professionals and has raised more than $6 billion in its What Starts Here campaign. The University offers a competitive benefits package that includes insurance and retirement benefits, along with professional development opportunities. This is a regular staff position expected to continue. The salary is listed as open. Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship. A criminal history background check is required for finalists. The application requires a resume/CV, three work references with contact information (including at least one supervisor), and a letter of interest.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree.
A minimum of 3–5 years as a successful manager of major-gift or principal-gift fundraisers and/or programs.
A minimum of 6–8 years of experience closing gifts of $1 million or more year over year, with demonstrated ability to execute full-cycle donor strategy and move high-capacity prospects through a principal-giving strategy quickly.
High degree of emotional intelligence.
Demonstrated tenacity, adaptability, and ability to earn trust across campus.
Ability to drive results.
Highly effective written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
Ability to think strategically and creatively with an entrepreneurial mindset while working well under pressure.
Project management skills.
Ability to work independently while collaborating across teams.
Experience with VIP, Raiser’s Edge, or a similar CRM.
Ability to travel frequently to visit prospects and donors.
Ability to use discretion and maintain integrity and professionalism.
Must be authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis for any employer without sponsorship.
Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Nice To Haves

10 or more years of fundraising, management, and/or program management experience.
Experience working in a large-scale, complex academic research university.
Knowledge of UT Austin policies and procedures.

Responsibilities

Develop the Major Gift band strategy in collaboration with development leadership.
Set year-over-year fundraising growth targets, track performance, and take responsibility for achieving band goals; build on prior fundraising results and identify pipeline-development opportunities.
Translate institutional fundraising targets into Major Gift band expectations for Chief Development Officers and the President’s Office.
Work with managers and Prospect Research & Management (PRM) on goal setting for the band.
Monitor planned major-gift solicitations and partner with fundraiser managers to coach gift officers toward solicitation success.
Deliver a consolidated proposal forecast using consistent stage definitions across contributing officers and colleges, schools, and units.
Explain forecast variances and risks, and recommend band-level actions to fundraising leadership across campus.
Lead regular pipeline reviews with key development teams to create action plans with owners and deadlines.
Review visits, prospect engagement, proposals, and closures with development stakeholders to identify trends and gaps.
Partner with GIFT Operations and PRM to identify gaps in proposal quality, moves management, portfolio coverage, and stewardship.
Coordinate donor strategy and warm handoffs when opportunities move between gift bands.
Partner with the learning and development team to develop gift-officer training focused on principal-giving strategies and activities.
Manage senior fundraisers who oversee principal- and major-gift fundraisers across colleges, schools, and units.
Carry a small personal portfolio and model fundraising expectations.
Serve on a Metrics Refresh Task Force to determine future metric expectations for major-gift officers.
Perform additional duties as assigned.