Director of External Relations & Advancement

Bay-Atlantic-University; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 65,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Bay Atlantic University is seeking a Director of External Relations & Advancement in Washington, DC. This full-time role leads external partnerships, fundraising, alumni relations, and executive brand presence across institutional and community networks.

The position owns major donor relationships, drives multi-year advancement strategy, and coordinates partnership structures with employers and organizations, reporting to senior leadership.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute BAU's external partnership strategy, prioritizing relationships that advance academic programs, student opportunities, and institutional visibility.
• Cultivate and formalize partnership structures with employers, industry associations, community organizations, and mission-aligned institutions in the D.C. region and internationally.
• Identify and pursue mentorship, internship, and experiential-learning partnerships that connect BAU students with real-world opportunities aligned with academic program outcomes in coordination with Student Services Office and Academics.
• Serve as BAU's primary point of contact for external partners; ensure agreements are documented, tracked, and renewed on schedule.
• Coordinate closely with the Chief Academic Officer, the Director of Admissions, and the Director of Mentora College where partnerships intersect with academic programs, recruitment, or ESL-to-degree pathways.

Skills

Leadership

Fundraising

Partnership development

Strategic planning

Job description

If you are unable to complete this application due to a disability, contact this employer to ask for an accommodation or an alternative application process.

Director of External Relations & Advancement

Full Time Washington, DC, US

Salary Range: $65,000.00 To $75,000.00 Annually

The Director of External Relations & Advancement leads Bay Atlantic University's entire external-facing relationship pipeline: institutional partnerships, community and industry outreach, employer relationships, alumni relations, and fundraising. The Director sets the University's development strategy, owns major donor relationships, leads gift cultivation and stewardship at the executive level, formalizes partnership structures with employers and community organizations, represents BAU at high-level external events, recruits and engages a fundraising and advisory committee at the Board level, and oversees alumni programming as part of a unified engagement-to-giving lifecycle.

Scope of Responsibilities:

• Institutional and community partnerships - employers, community organizations, industry groups, and international counterparts.
• Fundraising and advancement - major-gift cultivation, annual giving, grant-seeking, donor stewardship, and gift-acceptance policy.
• Alumni relations - programming, communications, reunions, and the engagement-to-giving lifecycle.
• Executive brand representation - BAU's presence at high-level external events, industry forums, and community convenings.
• Board-level advancement engagement - recruiting and stewarding a fundraising and advisory committee.

DETAILED RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Institutional Partnerships & Community Engagement

• Develop and execute BAU's external partnership strategy, prioritizing relationships that advance academic programs, student opportunities, and institutional visibility.
• Cultivate and formalize partnership structures with employers, industry associations, community organizations, and mission-aligned institutions in the D.C. region and internationally.
• Identify and pursue mentorship, internship, and experiential-learning partnerships that connect BAU students with real-world opportunities aligned with academic program outcomes in coordination with Student Services Office and Academics.
• Serve as BAU's primary point of contact for external partners; ensure agreements are documented, tracked, and renewed on schedule.
• Coordinate closely with the Chief Academic Officer, the Director of Admissions, and the Director of Mentora College where partnerships intersect with academic programs, recruitment, or ESL-to-degree pathways.

2. Fundraising and Development Strategy

• Execute BAU's multi-year fundraising and advancement strategy, aligned with the University's Strategic Plan and Five-Year Financial Plan.
• Own major-donor relationships - identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship at the executive level.
• Lead the University's annual giving campaign strategy, working with the Development Manager on execution.
• Ensure gift-acceptance, recognition, and stewardship policies are in place, reviewed annually, and consistently applied.
• Partner with the CFO and Finance Controller on gift posting, grant compliance, and audit-ready accounting for philanthropic revenue.

3. Alumni Relations & Advancement

• Provide strategic direction to the Alumni Coordinator, treating alumni engagement as the front end of a unified engagement-to-giving lifecycle.
• Mobilize the alumni network to support current students through mentorship, career pathways, and employer connections.
• Position alumni as ambassadors for BAU's brand - sharing their stories, participating in recruitment, and connecting the University to their professional communities in coordination with the Director of Marketing.
• Ensure alumni communications, reunions, and giving campaigns are aligned and reinforce one another.

4. Team Leadership & Cross-Functional Coordination

• Lead, coach, and develop the External Relations & Advancement team - Development Manager, Alumni Coordinator, and Engagement Officers.
• Set shared metrics across the team (dollars raised, donor retention, partnerships closed, alumni engagement) and align individual performance goals to institutional priorities.
• Manage the department budget in coordination with the CFO; ensure activities are prioritized against BAU's Strategic Plan and Five-Year Financial Plan.