IA Director

Summary of Position:

Who We Want

As we expand our Development unit, we are seeking a highly collaborative senior development officer to act as a philanthropic advisor and serve as the liaison between regional prospects, donors, and the various colleges, units, schools, and programs at the University of Texas at El Paso.

Your commitment to consistently upholding the highest standards of integrity and exercising sound professional judgment is critical. You ensure the confidentiality and privacy of donor-related details, financial transactions, and strategic plans, reflecting the utmost respect for the trust placed in our development efforts. Your ability to navigate the intricacies of fundraising with discretion and responsibility reinforces the credibility and reputation of the Institutional Advancement team and the university.

Your ability to advocate for the organization through compelling storytelling will be essential as you will narrate impactful stories that resonate with donors. Your strong communication and listening skills will enable you to understand donors’ motivations and help you accurately grasp donors’ interests, allowing you to present tailored giving opportunities that align with their objectives.

As a self-motivated relationship builder, your curiosity drives you to look outside your experiences and pursue excellence in everything you do. You’re resourceful and resilient; you often take it upon yourself to identify resources, ideas, and people to whom you can look for inspiration. With the support of your leadership team, you are eager to take smart risks and explore new opportunities.

You embody an unending commitment to positively contributing to our team culture; we all commit to making UTEP IA a great place to work. You have tenacious optimism and a goal-oriented, growth mindset, with the ability to remain flexible and develop creative solutions in pursuit of always maintaining forward momentum.

You thrive in a dynamic environment, continually balancing competing priorities. You have the ability to work independently and collaboratively, supporting the success of all colleagues and volunteers, and prioritizing UTEP’s overall goals above personal achievement.¿

What You’ll Do

Reporting to the Associate Vice President of Development, Lori Cook, you’ll be charged with creating, implementing, and executing comprehensive development strategies that addresses university-wide fundraising objectives. In this role, you will manage a diverse portfolio of major ($25,000 ) and principal-level ($1,000,000 ) prospects and donors who reside in the Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, or Houston area of Texas.

Your primary responsibility will be to develop and execute targeted strategies that facilitate successful evaluation, cultivation, solicitation, negotiation, and investment from donors. You'll effectively align donors’ interests with campus-wide initiatives and opportunities, ensuring that these opportunities resonate with the philanthropic goals of the donors and the university’s mission. By leveraging these connections, you will play a crucial role in fostering meaningful relationships that support the university’s fundraising objectives.

Additionally, you will be responsible for maintaining accurate and detailed records on donors and prospects, which is critical for effective relationship management and strategic planning. This includes documenting all interactions, contact reports, and relevant notes within the CRM system (Raiser’s Edge NXT). By ensuring that this information is up to date, you will provide valuable insights for yourself and your colleagues, allowing for informed decision-making and tailored engagement strategies. You will also oversee the preparation of compelling funding proposals, assessments of potential support, briefings, gift agreements, and endowments for your assigned prospects, ensuring that all relevant parties (academic partners, faculty, researchers, and staff) are actively involved in these key efforts.

While no two days will be the same, you can expect to engage in identifying and strategizing investment opportunities while building impactful, long-term relationships with our constituents. As part of a centralized Institutional Advancement division, you will receive support not only from your AVP and immediate teammates but also from colleagues across the division in areas such as prospect research, stewardship, alumni engagement, and communications.

Essential Functions:

Promotes organization policies and procedures in compliance with local, state, and federal rules and regulations; advises University personnel regarding the development and implementation of regulatory strategy, potential areas of regulatory concern, and new government/regulatory developments related to advancement processes.

Implements directives, operational changes, programs, and policies corresponding to the division or unit.

Coordinates activities of divisions or departments that effects operational efficiency and economy.

Develops short and long-range plans, conceptual designs, and capital outlay (budget) requirements and documentation for assigned area(s).

Develops, implements, and provides training policies, standards, guidelines, and/or security monitoring processes in relation to general control, privacy regulations, and development and operation of the University’s infrastructure.

Reviews and approves documentation relating to projects and needs specific to assigned area(s).

Exchanges information in a clear, concise, and straightforward manner with internal and external partners, stakeholders, alumni, constituents, and friends of the University

Acts as a liaison between department and internal or external partners.

Knowledge of all Microsoft Office software and able to learn and use institutional software systems.

Complies with all State and University policies.

Other duties may be assigned; specific roles may have additional responsibilities due to the nature of the specific role/division/unit.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

Required Qualifications:

Education: Bachelor's Degree

and

Experience: Six (6) years of successful major gift fundraising experience or relevant experience (e.g. portfolio management, sales, nonprofit, banking, or finance)

Preferred Qualifications:

• A working understanding of a research university environment with prominent faculty along with the grace and enthusiasm necessary to engage high net-worth individuals
• Demonstrated success fundraising for another academic unit, youth-serving agency, business school or program
• Experience using a fundraising database (we use Raiser’s Edge NXT)

Proficiency in Microsoft Office software and ability to learn and use institutional software systems

Key Performance Indicators:

Understanding how you would measure success in a role is critical to understanding if it’s a good fit. At Institutional Advancement, we believe Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) contribute not only to the overall productivity of our division but also to our team engagement. Key performance indicators are just one aspect of how performance is evaluated, complemented by role-based competencies and a demonstrated commitment to positive organizational citizenship.

The Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for this role:

• Individually conducted donor visits, particularly discovery visits, with donors and prospects
• Number of major gift proposals presented
• Number of major gift proposals closed
• Dollars secured for the University

The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee must frequently stand and walk. The employee must regularly sit; use hands to feel; reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear. The employee must lift and move up to 25 pounds.

The noise level for this work environment is usually moderate.

In keeping with its access, excellence and impact mission, The University of Texas at El Paso is committed to an open, diverse, and inclusive learning and working environment that honors the talents, respects the differences, and nurtures the growth and development of all. We seek to attract faculty and staff who share our commitment.

The University of Texas at El Paso is an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer. The University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or sexual orientation and gender in employment or the provision of services in accordance with state and federal law. Discrimination on the basis of sex includes an employee’s or prospective employee’s right to be free from sexual harassment under Title IX of the Higher Education Amendments of 1972.

For accommodation information for employees and applicants with disabilities, please contact UTEP's Equal Opportunity Office at eoaa@utep.edu.