Senior Development Officer, Strategic Relationships

UHN Foundation; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 85,000 - 89,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Extensive benefits package

Flexible work arrangements

Defined benefits pension plan

Parental leave top-up

Job summary

UHN Foundation is seeking a Senior Development Officer, Strategic Relationships, to support the CEO’s fundraising priorities. You will manage a strategic portfolio of major donors, coordinate with clinical leaders and hospital executives, and craft tailored proposals and stewardship reports.

The role emphasizes moves management, research, and collaboration across departments in a fast-paced health philanthropy environment.

Qualifications

• 5–7 years of fundraising and stewardship experience
• Excellent interpersonal, oral, and written communication with diverse stakeholders
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
• Ability to work in a fast paced, results oriented environment
• Comfort with Raiser's Edge or CRM databases and MS Office suite

Responsibilities

• Draft, edit, and finalize high‑level, bespoke CEO correspondence to prospects, donors, volunteers and leaders
• Manage review and approval workflow for CEO communications ensuring brand consistency
• Prepare strategic briefs, talking points, and biographical research for CEO donor meetings
• Develop and execute custom cultivation and solicitation strategies for major gifts ($1M+)
• Oversee moves management data entry into Raiser's Edge NXT in the CRM system
• Collaborate with departments to align donor activity with campaign strategy
• Support CEO and Chief of Staff with special projects as assigned

Skills

Fundraising experience

Donor relations

Communication skills

Time management

Strategic thinking

CRM familiarity

Tools

Raiser's Edge

Microsoft Office

Job description

VACANCY: Senior Development Officer, Strategic Relationships

REPORTS TO: Chief of Staff, Office of the CEO

LOCATION: Toronto, Ontario (hybrid working model)

No. of VACANCIES: One (1).

This posting is for an existing vacancy for which we are currently undertaking recruitment

SALARY RANGE: $84,500 - $89,000 per annum

Please note: This range reflects the expected compensation for the candidates who meets the stated qualifications. Actual pay may vary based on experience, education, and internal compensation practices.

ABOUT UHN FOUNDATION

Part of University Health Network (UHN), Canada’s #1 hospital, UHN Foundation raises funds for research, education and excellence in patient care at Toronto General and Toronto Western hospitals, Toronto Rehab and The Michener Institute of Education at UHN. Our donor community is UHNITED to help us change the status quo of healthcare - helping recruit and train the brightest medical minds from around the world, develop new treatments for disease, and advance bold medical research.

UHN’s Toronto General Hospital has been ranked the #2 hospital in the world on Newsweek’s 2025 World’s Best Hospitals list, citing our leadership in transplantation, cardiac and vascular care, and surgical innovation.

The Foundation's vision and mission is to enable global leadership and innovation in health by developing strong relationships with UHN stakeholders. We are committed to supporting UHN's vision to create a healthier world by embodying our values of integrity, accountability, collaboration and inclusion.

Together with our donors, we are helping Canada’s #1 hospital reimagine healthcare.

POSITION SUMMARY

UHN Foundation is currently seeking a Senior Development Officer, Strategic Relationships, Office of the CEO. This position plays a strategic role within the Office of the CEO team. Reporting to the Chief of Staff, Office of the CEO, the successful candidate will support the CEO's fundraising activities by contributing to the planning, research, implementation, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of key Foundation stakeholders, including prospects, volunteers, and donors. Operating within one of the country’s leading healthcare philanthropy environments, the Senior Development Officer acts as a portfolio manager and strategic advisor to advance the CEO’s fundraising priorities.

This role offers a unique opportunity for a highly motivated and relationship-oriented professional to contribute to UHN Foundation's fundraising success. It is important that the candidate be committed to success and comfortable in any setting, with sensitivity to nuance and an ability to determine the most appropriate approach in each circumstance. The ideal candidate possesses exceptional emotional intelligence, deep knowledge of the moves management cycle, and the ability to navigate a matrixed healthcare environment. The ability to work independently while maintaining a strong commitment to the Foundation is essential.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Executive Communications & Correspondence

• Draft, edit, and finalize high-level, highly bespoke correspondence on behalf of the CEO to be sent to prospects, donors, volunteers, and community leaders.
• Manage the review and approval workflow for all written touchpoints originating from the CEO's office, ensuring strict alignment with executive tone, and organizational branding.
• Craft personal acknowledgements, seasonal greetings, strategic touchpoint emails, and post-meeting follow-ups that effectively advance relationship journeys.
• Partner directly with the CEO to drive their personal fundraising portfolio, ensuring their time is optimized for maximum philanthropic return.
• Liaise with and collaborate with other departments to brief and prepare the CEO for all high-level donor interactions, meetings, and site visits, providing comprehensive strategic briefs, talking points, and biographical research.
• Manage the tracking and follow-up activities for all donor interactions led by the CEO, ensuring timely execution of next steps.
• Serve as a liaison for the CEO’s office with institutional leaders when appropriate
• Develop, implement, and track customized cultivation and solicitation strategies for a curated portfolio of major gift donors ($1M+).
• Collaborate with the Prospect Research and Strategy team to identify, qualify, and transition prospective donors into the CEO’s pipeline.
• Liaise and collaborate with other departments to develop highly bespoke, compelling funding proposals, case statements, and stewardship reports tailored to the interests of ultra-high-net-worth individuals.
• Oversee the Administrative Assistant’s data entry into Raiser’s Edge NXT, ensuring that prospect and donor touchpoints, strategies, and moves management data are meticulously recorded in the foundation's CRM system (e.g., Raiser's Edge NXT).

Organizational Collaboration & Stakeholder Relations

• Work closely with clinical leaders, hospital executives, researchers, and physicians to align institutional priorities with donor intent.
• Coordinate seamlessly with the broader Major Gifts, Stewardship, Events, and Marcomm teams to ensure the CEO's fundraising activities are integrated into the foundation’s overarching campaign strategy.
• On behalf of the CEO, engage and support Board members and Campaign Cabinet volunteers to leverage their networks for fundraising success.

Other

• Support the CEO and the Chief of Staff with special projects and other duties as assigned

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

• Must have 5-7 years of fundraising and stewardship experience
• Experience working in a large complex not-for-profit health care or research environment is an asset
• Excellent interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills to work effectively with a variety of stakeholders
• Exemplary attention to detail with excellent planning, organizational and time management skills
• Strong strategic aptitude with a demonstrated ability to problem solve and handle a diverse range of assignments with multiple timelines
• Resourceful and self-motivated while remaining comfortable collaborating within a framework of a goal-oriented team environment
• Possess a professional and mature presence with evidence of leadership, sound judgement intuitiveness, tact and diplomacy
• Ability to work in a fast paced and results oriented environment
• Regular business hours, with occasional weekend and evenings required
• Computer literacy: Familiarity with The Raiser's Edge or other CRM database required, along with comfort in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel and PowerPoint)

WORK ENVIRONMENT

• Fast-paced, service and results oriented environment
• May have some activity outside of the office to support meetings
• The Foundation has a hybrid work model. Staff will be required to be in office a minimum of 2 days per week and will be required to have a safe home office set up for the remainder of the working days (specifics to be planned with your manager).
• Ability to work cooperatively with colleagues in all positions throughout the Foundation
• Shared commitment and support of the overall Foundation goals

Alongside competitive salaries, we offer an extensive benefits package, flexible work arrangements, growth and development opportunities, defined benefits pension plan and birth parent/parental leave top-up.

University Health Network thanks all applicants; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted. UHN has a diverse workforce and is an equal-opportunity employer.

Please note: All applicant screening and evaluation for this role are carried out manually by our recruitment team. We do not leverage AI in any part of the hiring process.