Executive Director for Development for Endowment Services and Gift Operations

University of Texas; United States; On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Benefits package

Job summary

University of Texas at Austin is seeking an Executive Director for Development for Endowment Services and Gift Operations. This senior leadership role will oversee Endowment Services and Gift Compliance, guide staff, and collaborate with Deans, CSU finance teams, and gift officers to ensure compliant use of endowed funds.

You will drive CRM initiatives, policy maintenance, and reporting with a focus on scalable processes and AI-enabled solutions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience.
• 7+ years in advancement services, endowment or related field.
• Strong collaborative leadership and change management.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication.
• Ability to interpret complex gift instruments and donor restrictions.
• Experience with endowment, gift compliance, and reporting.

Responsibilities

• Oversee Endowment Services and Gift Compliance staff.
• Advise Deans and gift officers on endowment compliance.
• Lead CRM implementation and enhancement projects.
• Develop training materials and workflows for endowments.
• Prepare reports to endowment donors and UT System.

Skills

Leadership

Staff supervision

Communication

Strategic thinking

Analytical skills

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

SPUR CRM

Job description

Job Posting Title: Executive Director for Development for Endowment Services and Gift Operations ---- Hiring Department: University Development Office ---- Position Open To: All Applicants ---- Weekly Scheduled Hours: 40 ---- FLSA Status: Exempt from FLSA ---- Earliest Start Date: Immediately ---- Position Duration: Expected to Continue ---- Location: UT MAIN CAMPUS

Job Details:

About The University of Texas at Austin What starts here changes the world. The University of Texas at Austin, founded in 1883, ranks among the best universities in the world. With 76 programs ranked in the top 10, UT Austin is the #1 public university in Texas and the #7 public university in the nation. Like the state it calls home, The University of Texas at Austin is a bold, ambitious leader supporting more than 55,000 students, 4,750 faculty, 15,000 staff and top national programs across 18 colleges and schools. Amid the backdrop of Austin, Texas, a city recognized for its creative and entrepreneurial spirit, the University provides a place to explore countless opportunities for tomorrow’s artists, scientists, athletes, doctors, entrepreneurs and engineers. Learn more about UT’s mission and values and leadership.

Why Join Texas Development?

The University of Texas at Austin is a thriving hub of learning and discovery that anchors our city and enables excellence and innovation on the highest level. And it’s only possible because generous supporters believe in the power and promise of our state’s flagship university to change the world. With more than $6 billion raised in the What Starts Here campaign, Texas Development is quickly becoming one of the best fundraising programs in public higher education. Texas Development is a dynamic community of 500+ fundraising professionals across the Forty Acres. We strive to reach the highest levels of achievement and success in all that we do by creating meaningful and powerful experiences for our donors. Follow your passion, grow your career and help us change the world.

Benefits

The University provides a competitive benefits package that includes insurance and retirement benefits in addition to other programs and services. Texas Development supports growth by offering professional development opportunities that help every team member accomplish their goals, enrich their skillset and deepen their engagement with UT.

Purpose

To manage and oversee the daily operations of the Endowment Services and Gift Compliance team.

Responsibilities

Supervise Endowment Services and Gift Compliance staff; plan, oversee, and approve their various duties and projects; and provide training and expertise as needed.
Working with the team directors (as their direct supervisor), review overall team responsibilities, staffing, and staff performance over time, to assure continued effective team operations.
Advise Deans, CSU finance teams, and gift officers on endowment compliance and usage, providing strategies and best practices for efficient and effective use of endowed funds.
Participate in the ongoing implementation and further development of new SPUR CRM, as needed for various workstreams, including Endowments and Prospect Management, and the ongoing change management after full CRM implementation.
Identify, analyze and implement technological tools to increase scalability, deepen analysis, and increase administrative workflows and automations.
Maintain policies and procedures related to naming facilities and programs and review requests prepared by the Director for approval by the Assistant Vice President, Vice President, President, UT System and Board of Regents, as appropriate; oversee further development and maintenance of naming sections of SPUR CRM.
Manage the review of all naming requests from across campus, and guide them through review, routing, approval, notification, and documentation.
Maintain policies and procedures related to the establishment, compliance and stewardship of endowed funds and oversee information on endowed policies and procedures provided in DevConnect.
Maintain policies and procedures related to certain non-endowed gift agreements and, working with the Assistant VP of Advancement Operations, develop a program for non-endowed gift compliance.
Look for opportunities to utilize SPUR or AI tools to aid in non-endowed gift compliance.
Oversee the development of training materials and activities for staff regarding endowments, including use of SPUR endowment database; oversee improvements to SPUR endowment database and assist in developing features for use in compliance monitoring and reporting projects.
Oversee endowment establishment process as a whole, acting as liaison with UT Austin Offices of Accounting, Provost, Academic Affairs, Legal Affairs and UT System External Relations and General Counsel.
Oversee the endowment amendment, cy pres, and equitable deviation processes for endowed and non-endowed gifts as a whole, acting as liaison with UT Austin Offices of Accounting, Provost, Academic Affairs, Legal Affairs and UT System External Relations and General Counsel.
Oversee the preparation of various scheduled reports to endowment donors, i.e. faculty endowment holder letters, UTIMCO financial mailing, customized reports to specified donors and additional reports/projects as needed.
Prepare and oversee endowed gift agreements, naming agreements, and non-endowed gift agreements that meet a determined threshold.
Act as primary University contact and resource related to gift agreements.
Advise and assist CSUs in drafting and review of complex gift agreements, utilizing knowledge of related laws and policies.
Work with VP Legal Affairs as needed to finalize agreements.
Participate in donor calls when complex endowment questions or negotiations exceed gift officer knowledge.
Prepare and oversee the preparation of the President’s recommendations to UT System on endowments, estates, trusts, and major gifts in coordination with colleagues in the University Development Office, colleges/schools/units, President’s Office, UT System External Relations, and VP Legal Affairs.
Under guidance of the UT System, UTIMCO, University Compliance Services, Office of Accounting, Gift Processing, Chief Development Officers, financial officers, scholarship officers and Deans to enhance campus endowment compliance and usage.
Additional duties as assigned.

Salary OPEN

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience.
• Successful leadership and supervisory experience, including responsibility for developing staff, managing performance, allocating resources, and leading through organizational change.
• Collaborative leadership style that reinforces and further develops the skills and autonomy of reporting team members.
• At least seven years of progressively responsible experience in advancement services, endowment administration, gift compliance, gift accounting, financial administration, donor relations, or a closely related field, including significant experience in a complex higher education or nonprofit environment.
• Demonstrated expertise in endowment establishment, gift acceptance, expenditure monitoring, compliance reviews, and financial reporting.
• Working knowledge of the legal, regulatory, accounting, ethical, and fiduciary principles governing charitable gifts and endowment funds, including donor intent, institutional policy, philanthropic naming standards, and applicable state and federal requirements.
• Demonstrated ability to interpret complex gift instruments and translate donor restrictions, institutional policies, and regulatory requirements into clear operational business practices.
• Experience designing, implementing, and evaluating complex programs.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and diplomatically with institutional colleagues and external partners on sensitive and complex matters, while exercising sound judgment, discretion, and respect for differing perspectives.
• Resilience and flexibility in navigating a large and changing institution.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
• The ability to build trusted relationships with diverse constituencies.
• Experience with advancement, financial, document‑management, or compliance systems.
• Proven ability to manage multiple high‑priority initiatives, meet deadlines, and maintain accuracy and service quality in a complex organization.
• Unquestioned integrity, discretion, and commitment to ethical stewardship, institutional accountability, donor intent, and the mission of higher education.

Preferred Qualifications

• Ten or more years of progressively responsible experience in endowment services, gift compliance, advancement services, or philanthropic financial administration at a four‑year public research university, academic medical center, university system, or large affiliated foundation.
• At least ten years of successful leadership and supervisory experience, including responsibility for developing staff, managing performance, allocating resources, and leading through organizational change.
• Executive-level experience leading multidisciplinary teams responsible for endowment administration, gift agreements, fund compliance, gift processing, stewardship reporting, or related advancement operations.
• An understanding of how information technology and artificial intelligence can improve and enhance operations, strengthen decision‑making, automate appropriate processes, and enable the team to scale.
• Demonstrated success identifying opportunities for change, modernizing business processes, implementing technology, improving data governance, and applying automation, analytics, or artificial intelligence to strengthen compliance, service, operational efficiency, and organizational capacity.
• Demonstrated record of building collaborative, service‑oriented partnerships while maintaining appropriate independence, consistency, and accountability in compliance decisions.

Working Conditions

This position is based in Austin, Texas. Must be eligible to work in the United States on a full‑time basis for any employer without sponsorship. Works in standard office conditions, in a shared office environment, with repetitive use of a keyboard at a workstation. Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM on‑site work is the standard expectation for this position. May require additional hours during peak periods and special events. Regular and consistent attendance is required in this job.

Employment Eligibility:

Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University‑Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion/transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval.

Retirement Plan Eligibility:

The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length. This position has the option to elect the Optional Retirement Program (ORP) instead of TRS, subject to the position being 40 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

Background Checks:

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

Pay Transparency:

The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.

Employment Eligibility Verification:

If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I‑9 form. You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States. Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment. Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.

E‑Verify:

The University of Texas at Austin use E‑Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university’s company ID number for purposes of E‑Verify is 854197. For more information about E‑Verify, please see the following: E‑Verify Poster (English and Spanish) [PDF] Right to Work Poster (English) [PDF] Right to Work Poster (Spanish) [PDF]

Compliance:

Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act) and any other predetermined security incident reporting or campus public safety functions. Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Clery Act. If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Under Title IX, the policy is on record. The University of Texas at Austin has set up system that documents Harassment and/or assault. If an event occurs this is the subject. The University of Texas at Austin has a human resources policy for Title IX based on the definition. The question is Title IX and the Clery Act required that degree of unlocking illustrations. The College of the University of Texas had a 2019 policy. The legal protocol for analyzing processes. The marketing for the University and other vulnerabilities. The policy is common; your training is used for noticing public domain. Other local legal policy sitting with official function of legitimate employees may keep the association. The compliance and responsibilities of the student is on a separate application. The impending data to better commit elements for non‑structural embedding. The faculty of the University of Texas at Austin fulfills the policy on duty that you form company programming. If the policy is an unbroken memorial or part of the program.Ö

Start Here, Change the World At The University of Texas at Austin, tradition meets innovation in the heart of a city that frequents lists of the best places to live and work. Named by Forbes as one of America's Best Large Employers for the sixth year in a row in 2025, UT offers both a dynamic work environment and a gateway to vibrant local culture. Whether you're at the forefront of the student experience, conducting world‑changing research or supporting the engine that drives Texas’ flagship university, working at UT means making a lasting impact on our city, our state and our world. Our more than 20,000 faculty and staff empower 55,000+ students to challenge ideas, pursue passions and shape their futures. Joining UT, you’ll become part of a community dedicated to making a meaningful impact on campus and throughout the world. Looking for a student job? Please see our Student Employment site.