Senior Director of Development, Western Region

Lehigh University; Bethlehem (Northampton County); Hybrid; USD 144,690 - 176,020; Full time

Job summary

Lehigh University is seeking a Senior Director of Development, West, to lead the Western and Midwest major gifts team and advance philanthropic support across key markets. You will manage a portfolio of 50–75 prospects and personally secure multi-million dollar commitments, reporting to the AVP for Major Gifts.

This role requires extensive travel, remote collaboration with a central team, and the ability to translate institutional priorities into compelling cases for support that align with

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in a related field.
• Eight+ years of work experience in development roles.
• Experience with external relationships and donor engagement.
• Familiarity with Bay Area philanthropy.
• Ability to translate institutional priorities into compelling cases for support.
• Valid driver's license with a good driving record.

Responsibilities

• Direct, motivate, and oversee Western and Midwest major gifts team operations.
• Recruit, hire, train, and mentor staff with clear accountability.
• Meet with direct reports to track goals and analyze needs.
• Coordinate across Development and Alumni Relations to leverage staff resources.
• Secure 6- and 7-figure philanthropic commitments from a large portfolio.
• Manage a portfolio of 50–75 prospects with $2M+ capacity.
• Conduct face-to-face donor visits and lead engagement events.
• Engage senior leadership and faculty with tailored proposals.
• Develop and execute strategies aligned with Lehigh's priorities.
• Monitor regional fundraising progress and prospect activity.
• Identify and manage fundraising volunteers for regional efforts.
• Ensure gifts are booked per university policies and handle travel expenses.
• Inform colleagues of developments and manage stewardship for prospects.
• Lead regular meetings and budget for staff training to maintain high performance.

Skills

Prospect discovery

Qualification

Relationship building

Remote work

Driving license

Education

Bachelor's Degree in a related field

Job description

Job no: 503931 Work type: Exempt Staff Full-time Location: WESTRO, Western Regional Office Categories: Development/ Alumni Relations

Lehigh University's Development and Alumni Relations team is building meaningful, lasting relationships with alumni and donors who share a deep belief in what higher education can do. As Senior Director of Development, West, you'll lead that work across some of the country's most active philanthropic markets, bringing Lehigh's story to donors in the Bay Area, Southern California, Seattle, Dallas, Houston, and Chicago. Reporting to the Assistant Vice President for Major Gifts, you'll serve as a senior voice within an eleven-member Regional Individual Giving team, managing a robust major gifts portfolio and building the kind of donor relationships that translate into transformative commitments.

Position Number: S80830

This position is a Grade: 12 - 40 with an approximate salary range of $144,690-$176,020 and is subject to change based on experience, skills and qualifications.

Key Accountabilities

• Direct, motivate, and oversee the day-to-day operations of the Western and Midwest major gifts team, serving as a model for organizational values.
• Recruit, interview, hire, train, and mentor staff; clearly establish job accountabilities, evaluate performance, and provide regular feedback or improvement plans.
• Meet regularly with direct reports to track goals, and partner with the AVP of Major Gifts to analyze organizational needs, team structure, and job content.
• Integrate key activities across Development and Alumni Relations (DAR) functions to effectively leverage staff resources, optimize programming, and ensure clear communication.
• Personally secure 6- and 7-figure philanthropic commitments for the university through the full donor lifecycle: identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Actively manage a portfolio of 50–75 highly rated individual prospects, primarily consisting of donors with a giving capacity of $2 million or more.
• Conduct face-to-face visits to assess donor capacity and inclination, build a strategic solicitation pipeline, and lead engagement opportunities such as cultivation events.
• Judiciously engage senior leadership, deans, faculty, and staff with prospects, and prepare accurate, compelling, and customized proposals and reports.
• Master institutional fundraising priorities to connect donors with impactful opportunities, developing and executing tailored strategies for each major gift prospect to guide pipeline activity and travel.
• Monitor and track regional fundraising progress—including pipeline movement, LYBUNT/SYBUNT retention, and new prospect activity—providing regular updates during 1:1 and department meetings.
• Assist in identifying, recruiting, and managing key fundraising volunteers to support regional advancement efforts.
• Coordinate with prospect management to ensure gifts are booked properly under university policies and accounting standards, troubleshoot discrepancies, and submit travel expenses efficiently.
• Inform colleagues of relevant developments impacting their areas in a timely manner and manage personalized stewardship efforts for assigned prospects.
• Lead regular, action-oriented team and 1:1 meetings, collaborate with the AVP of Major Gifts to identify and budget for staff training, and foster a respectful, collaborative, and high-achieving work culture.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in a related field
• At least eight years of work related experience
• Over eight years related work experience in a development position in which external relationships have been strongly established
• Familiarity with philanthropy in the Bay Area
• Strong skills in prospect discovery, qualification, and long-horizon relationship building
• Comfort working independently in a remote, travel-intensive environment while staying closely connected to a collaborative central team
• Demonstrated ability to translate complex institutional priorities into compelling cases for support specific to Lehigh's academic and research mission
• A valid driver's license with a good driving record

Why Lehigh

Lehigh occupies a distinctive space in American higher education, research-intensive and entrepreneurial, with the close-knit culture of a residential university. Its alumni network is extraordinarily engaged, and the West Coast community reflects that loyalty. You'll join a team that values rigor, collegiality, and genuine donor stewardship over transactional fundraising. Lehigh offers a competitive salary, comprehensive benefits, generous leave provisions, and strong retirement contributions — alongside the intellectual energy of a university that takes its mission seriously.

Lehigh University is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate. We are committed to a culturally and intellectually diverse community and we seek qualified candidates to contribute to the university’s mission.

Persons with disabilities who anticipate needing an accommodation for any part of the interview or hiring process may contact Lehigh's Accommodations Specialist.

Special Considerations

• This position is responsible for driving as a routine function, therefore a valid Driver’s License and a good driving record is required.
• The duties of this position may allow the employee to work partially remote as deemed appropriate by their supervisor.
• Weekends and evenings required to support events and donor engagement.
• Extensive travel required for regional portfolio management.

Successful completion of standard background checks including but not limited to: social security verification, education verification, national criminal background checks, motor vehicle checks, PATCH, FBI fingerprinting, Child Abuse Clearance and credit history based upon the requirements of the position.