Senior Assistant Director, Development Communications

uchicago; United States; Hybrid; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid schedule

Job summary

The University of Chicago seeks a Communications Writer for the BSD Dev - Individual Giving NOCO team. You will write a variety of fundraising materials for audiences such as prospective donors, foundations, corporations, or volunteers, with guidance to research and edit high-level communications.

Under supervision, you will coordinate content with MBSD Communications, manage timelines, and may assist with technical materials.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related field required.
• 2–5 years of experience in writing, editing, or communications.
• Experience in a university or complex institution preferred.

Responsibilities

• Write fundraising materials tailored to prospective donors, foundations, and volunteers.
• Manage content development including proposals, letters, briefs, and presentations.
• Coordinate with MBSD Communications, design, and analytics teams.
• Research, verify, and edit technical or scientific materials when needed.
• Support project timelines and track deliverables and budgets.

Skills

Writing

Editing

Research

Project management

Communications

Education

Bachelor's degree in related field

Bachelor's degree in Journalism/English/Communications

Tools

PowerPoint

MS Word

Excel

Job description

Department

BSD DEV - Individual Giving - NOCO

About the Department

Medicine and Biological Sciences Development's mission is to inspire and facilitate philanthropy at the University of Chicago Medicine by building relationships with those who share its goals of advancing excellence in research, education, community, and patient care. We accomplish this mission through expertise, integrity, creativity, and collaboration.

Job Summary

This position writes a variety of communications for the University. Works with moderate guidance to research, compose, and edit high-level communications, publications and/or reports with complex and specialized subject matter.

Responsibilities

• Writes a broad spectrum of fundraising materials created for a specific audience such as a prospective donor, family foundation, corporation, or volunteer solicitor.
• Takes comprehensive responsibility for the materials such as, but not limited to: building a persuasive case for each written piece; considering the specific audience; identifying influential facts or statistics; fact checking; and establishing, monitoring, and executing a timeline.
• Responsible for written materials and projects such as proposals; correspondence that includes acknowledgement letters; cultivation visits/meetings; stewardship reports; Power Point presentations; and conceptualization of a stewardship meeting.
• Project manages the team's activity and implements tactical next steps to ensure goals and objectives are met. As such, closely monitors team activity and anticipates and tracks deliverables, including letters, briefings, reports, presentations, and proposals.
• Facilitates internal meetings and fundraiser visits with donors and prospective donors to advance prospect strategy.
• Researches, writes, and edits a variety of communications, publications and/or reports.
• Writes analytic, interpretive, or highly individualized features utilizing personal subject matter expertise.
• Determines, researches, verifies, writes and edits content material.
• Coordinates efforts and collaborates with other teams at MBSD such as Communications, including graphic design and the Senior Writers; Protocol; Events; Strategic Research and Analysis.
• Under supervision, may assist with writing and/or editing technical/scientific material for manuals or journals.
• From time to time, may be asked to take on a project that requires project management or analytical skills. Examples include budget analysis and prospect portfolio analysis.
• Researches, verifies, writes and edits publications, which can include technical/scientific material for manuals or journals.
• Participates in the design and planning of communications strategies.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

• Education: Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.
• Work Experience: Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 2-5 years of work experience in a related job discipline.
• Certifications: ---

Preferred Qualifications

• Education: A bachelor's degree or higher in journalism, English, communications or a relevant field.
• Experience: Background in a university setting or a similarly complex institution.
• Experience: Familiar with writing in a scientific field or a complex subject material.
• Experience: Background in a large or complex organization or subject matter.

Preferred Competencies

• Proven expertise taking complicated information from various sources and synthesizing it to identify and clarify key issues and opportunities, as well as developing a compelling message.
• Excellent written and spoken communication skills.
• Manage multiple details while adhering to a broader concept or purpose.
• Understand finance and quantitative documents.
• Capacity for identifying and evaluating basic issues, for bringing together information from a variety of sources, and for selecting appropriate analytical and creative approaches in dealing with immediate responsibilities.

Working Conditions

• Office environment.
• Hybrid schedule, 3 days in-office, 2 days remote.

Application Documents

• Resume/CV (required)
• Cover Letter (required)

The University of Chicago uses AI-assisted tools to streamline and augment some recruitment processes; however, AI is not used to make hiring decisions.

Job Family

Communications

Role Impact

Individual Contributor

Scheduled Weekly Hours

37.5

Drug Test Required

No

Health Screen Required

No

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required

No

Pay Rate Type

Salary

FLSA Status

Exempt

Pay Range

$70,000.00 - $90,000.00 The included pay rate or range represents the University's good faith estimate of the possible compensation offer for this role at the time of posting.

Benefits Eligible

Yes The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. In