Senior Associate Director, Gift & Estate Planning-1

University of British Columbia; Vancouver; On-site; CAD 117,000 - 175,000; Full time

Job summary

University of British Columbia is seeking a Senior Associate Director, Gift & Estate Planning-1 to lead major gift fundraising initiatives. The role develops, implements, and manages programs to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward major gifts, with annual targets of $5M+ and personal solicitations of $50,000+.

The position requires building strategic donor engagements and coordinating complex fundraising projects.

Qualifications

• Undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline.
• Certificate in fundraising management (asset: AFP, CASE) and related CFRE training.
• Minimum of eight years related experience in fundraising, alumni relations or advancement.
• Commitment to enhancing inclusive environment.

Responsibilities

• Develops comprehensive fundraising programs and donor engagement strategies.
• Manages a portfolio of major gift prospects and donors with 50+ face-to-face visits and 20–25 solicitations annually.
• Writes donor/prospect materials and coordinates with university colleagues on fundraising efforts.
• Mentors and develops fundraising staff; advises on donor cultivation and solicitation.
• Keeps abreast of university initiatives and fundraising priorities to align with strategic goals.

Job description

Staff - Non Union

Job Category

M&P - AAPS

Job Profile

AAPS Salaried - Development & Alumni Engagement, Level E

Job Title

Senior Associate Director, Gift & Estate Planning-1

Department

Gift & Estate Planning Leadership | Development | Development & Alumni Engagement

Compensation Range

$10,459.67 - $15,675.58 CAD Monthly

The Compensation Range is the span between the minimum and maximum base salary for a position. The midpoint of the range is approximately halfway between the minimum and the maximum and represents an employee that possesses full job knowledge, qualifications and experience for the position. In the normal course, employees will be hired, transferred or promoted between the minimum and midpoint of the salary range for a job.

Posting End Date

September 14, 2026

Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the Posting End Date.

Job End Date

Ongoing

This position is expected to be filled by promotion/reassignment and is included here to inform you of its vacancy at the University.

At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career.

Job Summary

The Senior Associate Director is responsible for generating strategic prospect contact at the major gift level. Develops, implements comprehensive fundraising programs for identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major gift prospects and donors and achieve annual fundraising targets of $5M+ through personal solicitations of $50,000+. Also responsible for development, and coordination of projects and dealing with complex, confidential information where consequence of error is high.
Organizational Status
Reports to: One of: Director, Senior Director/Assistant Dean.

Works with: UBC faculty, student, alumni and staff involved in fundraising including the VP, Development and Alumni Engagement, AVP Development, the President of the University and other senior administrators as appropriate.

Contacts: Donors and outside community groups and organizations

Supervises: Normally Senior Associate Directors do not have direct supervisory responsibilities, but may mentor junior development staff.

Work Performed

• Works in partnership with faculty members and senior management to facilitate maximum private and public sector support for the University, with a Faculty/unit specific individual annual dollar goal;
• Actively builds their pipeline of prospects to ensure sufficient strong prospects to meet goals
• Leads and manages the development, and coordination of the unit projects;
• Develops and manages a personal portfolio of major gift donor prospects, making face-to-face visits (50+ annually) for the purposes of discovery/qualification, cultivation and solicitation (20-25 annually) for prospects at the major gift level (defined as $50,000 and up).
• Builds comprehensive fundraising programs, implements strategies and develops proposals.
• Ensures that appropriate donor recognition, acknowledgment and stewardship programs are in place
• Mentors and develops fundraising staff, including working with them to develop strategy for donor cultivation and solicitation, making the ask;
• Writes donor/prospect solicitation materials and correspondence;
• Coordinates with other fundraising and university colleagues to strategize and implement fundraising efforts.
• Maintains a strong knowledge on current university/Faculty initiatives and fundraising priorities.
• Performs other related duties as required.

Consequence of Error/Judgement

The position is a critical point of contact for donors and university staff in relation to development activities. The Senior Associate Director is expected to make decisions and recommendations impacting a total development goal. Incorrect interpretation or communication of university policy and procedures or lack of tact, diplomacy or sensitivity in dealing with major donors and senior administrators could potentially result in damaged relationships and credibility, leading to the potential loss of these donations.

This position is also critical in advising and ensuring proper interpretation and implementation of academic and fiscal policies for fundraising, senior administrators, and development staff. The Senior Associate Director is responsible for a portfolio of donors and prospects. If inappropriate advice, incorrect interpretation or improper financial analysis were conveyed to major donors or senior university administrators, funding could be incorrectly administered or unavailable for disbursement. UBC could be in direct violation of stewardship and trusteeship obligations to donors and for funds received through bequests.

The incumbent participates in decisions concerning the planning, organization and utilization of staff, staff selection and job performance reviews.

Supervision Received

The incumbent works under general direction according to broad objectives. Works independently with discretion relating to donor negotiations, policy administration and interpretation, and administrative responsibilities. Overall strategic planning on global fund-raising initiatives is executed in consultation with the Director.

Supervision Given

May provide day to day supervision and mentoring to development staff.

Minimum Qualifications

• Undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline. A certificate in fundraising management and additional training through AFP, CASE and a CFRE designation is an asset.
• Minimum of eight years related experience in fundraising, alumni relations or advancement, or the equivalent combination of education and experience
• Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one’s own.
• Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one’s own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to creating an inclusive environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• 3 years experience meeting or exceeding annual metrics at the Associate Director level, or equivalent.
• Proven experience in Major-Gift fundraising and skilled in strategy development. Demonstrated effectiveness in building relationships with donors and prospects in a non-profit environment, with a proven track record of fundraising success.
• Proven experience in effectively navigating complex relationships with multiple stakeholders.
• Ability to work independently while exercising good judgement at all times.
• Well-developed analytical and problem-solving skills are required, along with strategic thinking and skills in conflict resolution.
• Strong conceptual abilities combined with high attention to detail.
• Ability to work simultaneously on a variety of complex projects with imposed deadlines effective verbal; ability to formulate strategic plans; and written communication skills, strong interpersonal and negotiation skills required in liaising with major donors, corporate executives and senior university administration; proven ability to work with donors to advance the University's mission; tact, diplomacy, discretion and sound judgment required.
• The incumbent should have the ability to plan, coordinate and supervise the work of others, in order to execute a variety of complex projects with imposed deadlines.
• Thorough knowledge of the university environment and academic structure is a preferred asset.
• Experience working with a centralized fundraising system an asset.