Executive Director, Corporate & Foundation Partnerships

Socket.dev; Irvine (CA); Hybrid; USD 185,000 - 195,000; Full time

Job summary

UC Irvine is seeking an Executive Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations to lead a comprehensive fundraising strategy and a CFR team. You will secure seven-figure gifts, build partnerships with corporations and foundations, and align donor relations with university priorities.

The role targets $4M+ annually and a team goal of $20M+, with a hybrid on-campus presence and collaboration across academic and development leaders.

Qualifications

• Expert fundraising, donor relations, and public relations concepts and techniques.
• Expert knowledge of laws, rules, and policies relevant to fundraising.
• Excellent written and interpersonal communication; ability to persuade and present to diverse audiences.
• Strong organizational, analytical, and project management skills with budget/time discipline.
• Experience maintaining confidentiality and handling complex proposals and materials.
• Experience advancing higher education fundraising goals and working with school/institutional targets.

Responsibilities

• Lead the CFR team to strengthen relationships with corporations, foundations, and associations.
• Develop strategies to identify new philanthropists and secure major gifts and grants.
• Achieve fundraising goals, including an initial $4M+ annual target and team-wide $20M+ objective.

Skills

Fundraising

Donor relations

Public relations

Persuasive presentations

Communication skills

Project management

Confidentiality

Microsoft Office

Salesforce

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

Salesforce

Microsoft Office

Job description

UC Irvine is seeking an Executive Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations to lead a comprehensive fundraising strategy and a CFR team. You will secure seven-figure gifts, build partnerships with corporations and foundations, and align donor relations with university priorities.

The role targets $4M+ annually and a team goal of $20M+, with a hybrid on-campus presence and collaboration across academic and development leaders.