Development Officer, Foundations

Dalhousie University; Halifax; Hybrid; CAD 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Dalhousie University’s Office of Advancement seeks a Development Officer to lead mid-scale fundraising strategies, focusing on foundation giving and major gifts, to support Dalhousie’s priorities and donor engagement.

Reporting to the Senior Director of Development, Principal Giving and Campaign Strategy, the role emphasizes collaboration with university leaders and Advancement colleagues to maximize revenue and foster philanthropy and community impact.

Qualifications

• Undergraduate degree with five years’ experience in fundraising, business development, or related relationship-intensive work.
• Experience leading small-scale projects.
• Ability to develop people leadership skills.
• Experience developing and writing funding proposals and related project management documents.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement strategic fundraising plans to maximize foundation giving in support of Dalhousie University’s priorities.
• Identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward foundation prospects and donors, focusing on major and principal gift opportunities.
• Research foundation priorities, prepare funding proposals, and align projects and budgets with philanthropic interests.
• Provide fundraising leadership by advising and collaborating with university leaders and stakeholders.
• Manage a portfolio of foundation relationships with personalized engagement, stewardship, and reporting.
• Track fundraising activities and manage budgets and resources in a fast-paced environment.

Skills

fundraising

leadership

relationship building

proposal writing

budgets

stakeholder management

Education

Undergraduate degree

Job description

This is a provisional classification. Formal regular review classification procedures may be initiated at any time by the incumbent or supervisor after the incumbent has worked a minimum of six months in the role.

Dalhousie University is Atlantic Canada’s leading research-intensive university and a driver of the region’s intellectual, social and economic development. Located in the heart of Halifax, Nova Scotia, with an Agricultural Campus in Truro/Bible Hill, Dalhousie is a truly national and international university, with more than half of our almost 21,000 students coming from outside of the province. Our 6,000 faculty and staff foster a vibrant, purpose-driven community, that celebrated 200 years of academic excellence in 2018.

Job Summary

Dalhousie University’s Office of Advancement is responsible for all fundraising and alumni engagement activities at the University. A large team of advancement professionals cultivates relationships with alumni and friends of the university and works with donors to help them achieve personal fulfilment through philanthropic investment, which supports student success, scientific research, and community impact. Reporting to the Senior Director of Development, Principal Giving and Campaign Strategy, the Development Officer is responsible for developing and implementing mid-scale fund development strategies, targeted at Foundation giving, for Dalhousie University. These innovative and impactful strategies will be designed to maximize fundraising revenue for Dalhousie’s priorities, positively position it within the broader community, and foster an environment that encourages and enables alumni engagement, volunteerism, and support.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and implement strategic fundraising plans to maximize foundation giving in support of Dalhousie University’s priorities.
• Identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward foundation prospects and donors, with a focus on major and principal gift opportunities.
• Research foundation priorities, prepare compelling funding proposals, and align projects and budgets with philanthropic interests.
• Provide fundraising leadership by advising, briefing, and collaborating with university leaders, Advancement colleagues, and key stakeholders.
• Manage a portfolio of foundation relationships, advancing engagement through personalized strategies, stewardship, reporting, and acknowledgement activities.
• Track fundraising activities, maintain proposal and application resources, manage related budgets, and balance competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Required Qualifications

• Undergraduate degree with five years’ experience in one of the following: fundraising, business development, professional sales, marketing, communications, or other relationship-intensive work (or an equivalent combination of training and experience).
• Demonstrated experience of leading small-scale projects.
• Ability to develop people leadership skills.
• Demonstrated experience developing and writing both summary and comprehensive funding proposals, including positioning projects and budgets, to highlight the strongest possible alignment between a project’s social impact and an individual donor’s philanthropic interests. Similar experience with developing and writing summary and comprehensive project management documents will also be considered.

Assets

• Experience working in a post-secondary environment.

The successful candidate is expected to demonstrate proficiency in Dalhousie’s core and leadership competencies, in particular:

Core Competencies

• Respect & Inclusion
• Adaptability
• Relationship Building
• Accountability for Performance & Results
• Development

Additional Information

Dalhousie University supports a healthy and balanced lifestyle. Our total compensation package includes a defined benefit pension plan, health and dental plans, a health spending account, an employee and family assistance program and a tuition assistance program.

Diversity Statement

Dalhousie University commits to achieving inclusive excellence through continually championing equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility. The university encourages applications from Indigenous Peoples of Turtle Island (especially Mi’kmaq), persons of Black/African descent (especially African Nova Scotians), and members of other racialized groups, persons with disabilities, women, persons identifying as members of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, and all candidates who would contribute to the diversity of our community. In accordance with our Employment Equity Policy, preference will be given in hiring processes to candidates who self-identify as members of one or more of the equity-deserving groups listed above. For more information, including details related to our Employment Equity Policy and Plan and definitions of equity-deserving groups please review our Employment Equity information.If you require any support for the purpose of accommodation, such as technical aids or alternative arrangements, please let us know of these needs and how we can be of assistance. Dalhousie University is committed to ensuring all candidates have full, fair, and equitable participation in the hiring process. Our complete Accommodation Policy can be viewed here .

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).

Documents Needed to Apply

Required Documents

• Résumé / Curriculum Vitae (CV)

Optional Documents

• Cover Letter