Senior Director, Development

University of Missouri, St. Louis; Clayton (MO); On-site; USD 115,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Missouri, St. Louis seeks a Senior Director of Advancement to lead major and principal gift fundraising, shaping strategy and donor engagement across colleges and units.

You will manage a team of development officers, set fundraising goals, and collaborate with university leadership to advance campaign priorities. The role requires a minimum of 10 years in fundraising leadership, a CFRE credential preferred, and a proven ability to build durable donor relationships that yield

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent; 10+ years in fundraising or related field.
• Proven leadership of major gift programs and donor portfolio management.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and negotiation skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead major and principal gift fundraising; manage a portfolio of high-level donors.
• Qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward donors to meet university priorities.
• Set and achieve annual fundraising and revenue goals with leadership.
• Collaborate with deans and directors to communicate needs and opportunities.
• Develop donor engagement strategies and reporting dashboards.

Skills

Major Gift Fundraising

Strategic Leadership

Relationship Management

Staff Development and Coaching

Financial and Analytical Acumen

Collaboration and Partnership Building

Communication and Influence

Problem Solving and Decision Making

Project Management

Change Leadership

Customer Service Excellence

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

CFRE credential

Tools

CRM systems

Donor management tools

Job description

JOB SUMMARY

The Senior Director, Development serves as a senior leader within the Office of Development and is responsible for planning, developing, and executing comprehensive major and principal gift fundraising strategies that advance university priorities and support campaign goals. This position manages a team of development officers that support college and school-based fundraising, provides strategic fundraising leadership, and cultivates relationships with major donors and prospects to secure significant philanthropic support. The role requires exceptional leadership, communication, analytical, and relationship management skills to drive fundraising success and foster collaboration across the institution.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

Major Gift Fundraising & Portfolio Management –40%

• Manage a portfolio of major and principal gift prospects capable of making transformational philanthropic investments.
• Qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward prospective and current donors in support of university priorities at the major and principal gift levels.
• Meet annual fundraising, solicitation, donor engagement, and revenue goals established in collaboration with leadership.
• Develop a comprehensive understanding of colleges, schools and units fundraising priorities to effectively communicate institutional needs and opportunities.
• Guide strategic direction and collaborate with deans and directors through monthly meetings and other communications necessary to strengthen donor relationships and advance fundraising outcomes.
  

Leadership, Staff Development & Team Management –25%

• Provide leadership, supervision, coaching, and performance management for a team of development officers on fundraising best practices, donor cultivation strategies, and portfolio management.
• Establish and achieve team performance expectations, fundraising metrics, and professional development goals for assigned staff.
• Foster collaboration across Advancement units to maximize fundraising effectiveness and donor outcomes.
• Support a culture of accountability, teamwork, continuous improvement, and fundraising excellence.
  

Strategic Planning & Development Operations – 20%

• Develop and execute complex and strategically aligned fundraising plans for college and school priorities using gift charts, naming opportunity strategies, feasibility testing, cash flow projections, and revenue/risk modeling
• Analyze fundraising opportunities and develop strategies utilizing prospect research, gift projections, feasibility assessments, and revenue modeling.
• Create reporting tools, dashboards, and tracking mechanisms to monitor fundraising progress and prospect activity.
• Identify operational improvements and implement best practices that enhance fundraising performance and efficiency.
• Contribute to annual business planning, resource allocation, and departmental goal setting.
  

Advancement Collaboration, Administration & Communications –15%

• Serve as a subject matter expert regarding development policies, procedures, and fundraising best practices.
• Prepare proposals, case statements, donor correspondence, presentations, reports, and fundraising materials.
• Ensure accurate data entry of donor activities in CRM and gift agreement documentation.
• Represent the Division of Advancement in university meetings and collaborative initiatives.
  

As with all positions, may perform other job-related responsibilities as needed to support departmental and campus-wide needs.

CORE COMPETENCIES

• Major Gift Fundraising
• Strategic Leadership
• Relationship Management
• Staff Development and Coaching
• Financial and Analytical Acumen
• Collaboration and Partnership Building
• Communication and Influence
• Problem Solving and Decision Making
• Project Management
• Change Leadership
• Customer Service Excellence

WORKING CONDITIONS & PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

Work is primarily performed in a professional office environment with frequent interaction with donors, university leadership, faculty, staff, alumni, and community stakeholders. Regular travel is required to attend donor visits, university events, and fundraising activities. Occasional evening and weekend work is necessary to support fundraising and stewardship initiatives. The position requires sustained communication, relationship management, strategic thinking, and the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines simultaneously.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

Provides direct supervision, leadership, coaching, and performance management for approximately four to five development officers. Responsible for hiring, training, goal setting, staff development, evaluation, and ensuring achievement of fundraising objectives and professional standards.

Shift

Monday-Friday, 8:00a-5:00p; Occasional evening and weekend hours as needed

Minimum Qualifications

A Bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience and at least 10 years of experience from which comparable knowledge and skills can be acquired is necessary

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree.
• Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) credential.
• Higher education fundraising experience.
• Comprehensive campaign experience.
• Experience developing strategic fundraising plans and managing complex donor portfolios.
• Demonstrated expertise in fundraising analytics, reporting, and performance measurement.
• Experience utilizing CRM systems and donor management tools.
• Strong presentation, communication, and negotiation skills.

Anticipated Hiring Range

$115,000-$125,000

Grade: GGS-015

University Title: SENIOR DIRECTOR ADVANCEMENT

Internal applicants can determine their University title byaccessing the Talent Profile tile in myHR.

Application Materials

• Application materials include a cover letter and resume.Finalists will be asked to provide references at a later date.
• Applicants must combine all application materials into one PDFor Microsoft Word document and upload as a resume attachment to theUMSL Careers: https://www.umsl.edu/services/hrs/careers/index.html
• Limit document name to 50 characters. Maximum size limit is11MB. Do not include special characters (e.g., /, &, %, etc.). For questions about the application process, please [e-mail]. If you are experiencing technical problems,please email [e-mail].

Sponsorship Information

Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States. The University will not sponsor applicants for this position foremployment visas.

Benefit Eligibility

This position is eligible for University benefits. As part of your total compensation, the University offers a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental and vision plans, retirement, paid time off, short- and long-term disability, paid parental leave, paid caregiver leave, and educational fee discounts for all four UM System campuses. For additional information on University benefits, please visit the Faculty & Staff Benefits website at https://www.umsystem.edu/departments-staff/human-resources/benefits-retirement

Equal Employment Opportunity

The University of Missouri is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

To request ADA accommodations, please call the Director of Accessibility and ADA at 573-884-7278.