Senior Director, Principal Gifts Strategy

University of Texas at Austin; United States; On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive benefits

Professional development opportunities

On-site in Austin

Job summary

The University of Texas at Austin seeks a Senior Executive Director of Development for Principal Gift Strategy to lead a team of fundraisers and drive major gifts across campus. You will collaborate with campus leadership to set, track, and elevate principal gift goals, building a high-performing band strategy and overseeing portfolio growth.

Ideal candidates bring 6–8 years closing $1M+ gifts, exceptional communication skills, emotional intelligence, and strategic, entrepreneurial thinking.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Minimum 3–5 years as a manager of major/principal gifts.
• 6–8 years closing $1M+ gifts annually with full-cycle donor strategy.
• High emotional intelligence and resilience.
• Strong, persuasive communications and relationship-building skills.
• Strategic and creative thinking with entrepreneurial mindset.
• Effective project management and independent work style.
• Experience with VIP donors and CRM systems (Raiser’s Edge or similar).
• Willingness to travel frequently to meet prospects and donors.
• Discretion, integrity and professional conduct.

Responsibilities

• Develop Principal Gift band strategy with development leadership.
• Set year-over-year fundraising targets and track band goal success.
• Translate targets into band expectations for senior leaders.
• Coach gift officers and monitor solicitations for success.
• Deliver consolidated forecast with defined stages across units.
• Explain forecast variances and risks to leadership.
• Lead pipeline reviews with teams to plan actions and deadlines.
• Review visits, proposals and closures with stakeholders to identify gaps.
• Coordinate donor strategy and warm handoffs between gift bands.
• Partner with learning teams to train gift officers on principal giving.
• Supervise senior fundraisers and model fundraising expectations.

Skills

Emotional intelligence

Drive results

Communication skills

Strategic thinking

Entrepreneurial mindset

Project management

Independence & collaboration

VIP/CRM experience

Travel ability

Discretion & integrity

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

CRM experience

Job description

The University of Texas at Austin seeks a Senior Executive Director of Development for Principal Gift Strategy to lead a team of fundraisers and drive major gifts across campus. You will collaborate with campus leadership to set, track, and elevate principal gift goals, building a high-performing band strategy and overseeing portfolio growth.

Ideal candidates bring 6–8 years closing $1M+ gifts, exceptional communication skills, emotional intelligence, and strategic, entrepreneurial thinking.