Senior Director, DAE, Athletics & Recreation

ubc; Vancouver; On-site; CAD 139,000 - 208,000; Full time

Job summary

UBC Athletics and Recreation seeks a Senior Director of Development & Alumni Engagement to lead fundraising strategies, guiding a multi-year campaign and a team responsible for annual goals in the millions. You will partner with senior university leadership to secure private sector support and expand strong alumni connections.

The role requires strategic oversight, relationship-building with donors and alumni, and leadership of a team of management and professional staff within the DAE and

Responsibilities

• Lead the execution of the long-term strategy for a complex Development & Alumni Engagement program responsible for fundraising $5 million to $12 million annually.
• Formulate and execute short and intermediate term plans; ensure alignment with the department and UBC's DAE strategy.
• Manage a development and alumni engagement program with an annual goal of ~ $5M+ and lead leadership gift account strategies.

Job description

Job Category

M&P - AAPS

Job Profile

AAPS Salaried - Development & Alumni Engagement, Level F

Job Title

Senior Director, DAE, Athletics & Recreation

Department

Senior Leadership 2 | Development | Development & Alumni Engagement

Compensation Range

$12,418.42 - $18,613.67 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

October 12, 2026 Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the Posting End Date.

Job End Date

Ongoing

One of the most iconic and highly decorated varsity sports programs in Canada, UBC Athletics and Recreation has 26 teams across various sports. In terms of prowess in competition, it is among the very elite. While their outstanding performance in competition is well-documented, our student athletes are well-rounded individuals who can excel in academics as well as athletics. In 2025, the Thunderbirds had 241 student-athletes honoured as Academic All-Canadians and counts 20 Rhodes Scholars among the ranks of their alumni.

As Senior Director of Development & Alumni Engagement, Athletics and Recreation , you will be responsible for creating and operationalizing fundraising strategies to ensure that the Faculty's strategic objectives are met. While spearheading a multi-year campaign in support of UBC Athletics and Recreation, you will manage a development and alumni engagement program with an annual goal of ~\$5M+ annually. You will be responsible for moving leadership gift account strategies forward where a high degree of senior administration involvement is required. You will work in partnership with senior University administration and UBC Athletics' leadership team to facilitate maximum private sector support and build upon and expand the strong alumni connections that already exist. You will also provide leadership to a team of management & professional employees.

The incoming Senior Director of Development & Alumni Engagement will be responsible for leading the execution of the long-term strategy for Development within UBC Athletics. The ideal candidate will bring considerable depth of experience in fundraising, strategy development and inclusive behavior practices. Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills, discretion, and sound judgment are required.

The Senior Director will serve as a member of both Development and Alumni Engagement (DAE) as well as UBC Athletics leadership and be supported by specialized functions and teams in the Development office.

UBC Commitment to Diversity

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

Responsible for leading the execution of the long-term strategy for a complex Development & Alumni Engagement (DAE) program responsible for fundraising $5 million to $12 million. To formulate and execute short and intermediate term plans; ensuring alignment with the department as well as UBC's overall DAE strategy. To ensure continued growth of DAE programs, to maximize operational efficiencies and resource development activity and to cultivate exceptional stakeholder and employee satisfaction.

Organizational Status

Reporting to the Executive Director, Development, this position has primary accountability for Development within a DAE program and as such is responsible for developing strong working relationships with:

• donors, alumni, outside community group leaders and corporate executives;
• key stakeholders, strategic partners and senior University administration such as the University President;
• senior management within DAE as well as other related disciplines (i.e., AVP and VP level);
• the Dean and / or senior management of the faculty or program they are responsible for;
• DAE peers and direct reports; and
• UBC faculty and staff involved in DAE activities.

Work Performed

• To develop and operationalize Development strategies for a complex DAE program and to ensure the department as well as UBC meets strategic objectives.
• Formulates and executes short and intermediate term strategies for a complex DAE program responsible for fundraising $5 million to $12 million annually;
• Ensures strategies are concretely linked to the department and UBC's long-term strategy;
• Manages program growth leading to the successful fulfillment of strategic objectives;
• Ensures solicitation conversion rates attained at the industry me