Assistant Director, Operations - Weinberg College

Northwestern University; Evanston (IL); On-site; USD 32,000 - 39,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Tuition benefits for employee and-dep-

Paid vacation and holidays

Pre-tax and flex spending accounts

Job summary

Northwestern University is seeking an Assistant Director to collaborate across departments, enhancing fundraising and development operations for Weinberg College. Reporting to the Senior Director, this role oversees annual giving, alumni engagement, stewardship, donor relations, events and data analytics.

The position involves cross-team collaboration with ARD and Weinberg College colleagues, deans, faculty, staff and university leaders to advance strategic priorities and operational efficiency.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher required.
• Minimum 3 years operations, administration or development experience.
• Strong writing and editing skills
• Project management skills
• Advanced knowledge of word processing, spreadsheet, email and database software

Responsibilities

• Administers and maintains existing strategic plans.
• Collaborates with ARD and university partners to advance major gift efforts.
• Develops stewardship communications and annual appeal materials.
• Plans and coordinates events and alumni engagement activities.

Skills

Collaboration

Analytical Thinking

Creativity

Reliability

Time Management

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Department: Alumni Relations & Development

Salary/Grade: EXS/7

Target hiring range for this position will be between $ 63,500 - $66,000 per year. Offered salary will be determined by the applicant’s education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data

Job Summary

The Assistant Director is responsible for collaborating across departments to enhance the fundraising and development operations for the Judd A. and Marjorie Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. This role will report to the Senior Director of Development for Weinberg College and will work with them to oversee the following programmatic initiatives: annual giving, alumni engagement, stewardship and donor relations, events, and data and analytics.

This position involves significant collaboration with colleagues from teams across Alumni Relations and Development (ARD) (e.g. leadership and annual giving, reunions, donor relations, marketing and communications, alumni engagement, prospect research and management, reporting and analytics, special events).

This role also interfaces with colleagues from Weinberg College including deans, faculty, staff, program directors, and other University leaders.

Specific Responsibilities

Strategic Planning

• Administers & maintains existing strategic plans.
• Recommends changes & improvements to operational services strategies to better meet team needs & objectives.

Collaboration

• Involves high level of collaboration with internal department partners and moderate level of collaboration with University partners in implementing and expanding existing relationships to accomplish strategic goals.
• Innovate and improve team business processes by collaborating with internal ARD partners to understand needs and goals
• Liaise with the Dean’s Office and campus partners to help allocate and acknowledge gifts.
• Build relationships with academic units to promote and refine a system of meaningfully engaging and stewarding donors.
• Works closely with the Senior Director to advance the strategic priorities of the dean, and refine operations processes to do so more efficiently and productively.

Acknowledgements and Appeals

• Enhance Weinberg College’s leadership giving program to strategically develop the prospect pipeline for future major gift donors by strategically thanking donors at this level and sharing leads with gift officers.
• Refine and run a weekly acknowledgement process that enables academic units to thank their donors.
• Draft and refine, with gift officer input, acknowledgements from the dean.
• Draft and refine annual appeal and solicitation communications in partnership with ARD and dean’s office.
• Maintain a proposal "toolkit," tracking the written elements related to giving opportunities, drafting and suggesting language for new and refreshed giving opportunities, and maintaining a library of past proposals.

Stewardship

• Liaise with Donor Relations team and Weinberg College staff contacts for annual expendable and endowed stewardship reports
• Develop stewardship communications in line with school priorities for annual fund and leadership giving society, including acknowledgement letter templates and cards, and impact reports for critical programs and funds.
• Oversee and manage annual stewardship processes for key McCormick giving programs (Murphy Society and Undergraduate Research Awards)

Events and Alumni Engagement

• Partner with ARD teams and dean’s office to scale meaningful engagement opportunities for Weinberg College alumni
• Coordinate with Senior Director to plan events and engagement opportunities for the Weinberg College Board of Visitors.
• Ensure that Weinberg College events and engagement opportunities are well-communicated to appropriate audiences to drive participation rates
• Identify and track strategic Weinberg College faculty and programs to feature in alumni engagement opportunities and events
• Provide on-site and planning support for events involving Weinberg College faculty and/or alumni

Administration

• Completes day-to-day oversight, maintenance, continuity and consistency of business processes related operational services, including tracking and management of budget, in coordination with Senior Director.
• Implements ongoing operational services data integrity initiatives including participating in review, testing and quality assurance of processes, software, hardware, etc.
• Compiles & analyzes data; prepares reports; shares results and recommendations with clients.
• Reviews processes and systems and recommends changes to incorporate state-of-the-art processes and technology as appropriate into operational services; streamlining the delivery and/or accessibility of information.
• Identifies service improvement opportunities that will better enable operational services to achieve its goals and objectives.
• Creates and maintains documentation, procedures, standards, and policies related to operational services.
• Researches best practices, peer institutions, market/economic conditions and government rules and regulations and recommends changes and enhancements to improve administrative effectiveness, services and/or resources.

Miscellaneous

• Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree; OR appropriate combination of education and experience.
• 3 years operations, administration, development or equivalent experience is required.

Minimum Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities.)

• Collaboration: Demonstrates the ability to build trust and foster strong working relationships across teams and levels of the organization. Effectively initiates and sustains teamwork, manages diverse stakeholder interests, and communicates clearly and respectfully
• Analytical Thinking & Problem Solving: Quickly learns and adapts to new systems, software, and processes. Applies critical thinking to identify root causes, analyze complex issues, and develop practical, effective solutions.
• Creativity and Innovation: Exhibits curiosity and a willingness to explore new ideas. Thinks creatively and brings fresh perspectives to challenges, contributing to continuous improvement and innovation.
• Reliability and Initiative: A proactive self-starter who takes ownership of tasks and projects, follows through with minimal supervision, and consistently delivers high-quality results. Demonstrates accountability and dependability in all aspects of work.
• Time Management & Organizational Skills: Effectively manages multiple, overlapping priorities in a dynamic environment. Adapts to change with agility and maintains focus and organization to drive outcomes and meet deadlines.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working within a higher education environment, including collaborating with faculty, staff, and academic departments to achieve institutional goals.

Preferred Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities)

• Strong writing and editing skills
• Project management skills
• Advanced knowledge of word processing, spreadsheet, email, and database software programs

Benefits

At Northwestern, we are proud to provide meaningful and competitive benefits. The available benefits package for this position will include:

• health, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance
• paid vacation and holidays
• paid medical/sick and parentalleave
• tuition benefits for the employee and dependents
• pre-tax and flex spending accounts for commuting and dependent care
• generous retirement savings options
• wellness programs

For a comprehensive overview of available benefits, including eligibility details, visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/index.html to learn more.

Work-Life And Wellness

Northwestern offers comprehensive programs and services to help you and your family navigate life’s challenges and opportunities, and adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles.

We support flexible work arrangements where possible and programs to help you locate and pay for quality, affordable childcare and senior/adult care. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/work-life/index.html to learn more.

Professional Growth & Development

Northwestern supports employee career development in all circumstances whether your workspace is on campus or at home. If you’re interested in developing your professional potential or continuing your formal education, we offer a variety of tools and resources. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/learning/index.html to learn more.

Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected characteristics, including disability and veteran status. View Northwestern’s non-discrimination statement. Job applicants who wish to request an accommodation in the application or hiring process should contact the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance. View additional information on the accommodations process.