Senior Executive Director of Gift and Estate Planning

The University of Texas at Austin; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 180,000 - 270,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Texas at Austin seeks a Senior Executive Director of Gift and Estate Planning to lead the strategic direction and execution of planned giving programs. You will guide executive-level engagement with donors, advisors, and college leadership while driving the vision, strategy, and performance of the team responsible for securing major charitable gifts.

With responsibility for a $200M annual planned giving pipeline, you will manage a 12-person leadership team, work with UT System

Qualifications

• Ten years of experience in gift planning, major gifts, or complex charitable giving, including higher education or large nonprofit setting.
• Proven success soliciting and closing six- and seven-figure gifts.
• Experience supervising fundraising professionals.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Gift and Estate Planning team with 12 direct reports and drive about $200,000,000 in planned gifts annually.
• Manage the Gift Planning Advisory Board and coordinate volunteer advisors to increase gifts of business interests.
• Direct the estate realization process in partnership with UT System leadership and standardize processes for the broader Texas Development community.
• Strategically deploy the team’s footprint across colleges, schools, and units to deliver university-wide support and unify prospect identification and pipeline development.
• Set direction for discovery and solicitation strategies, providing executive analysis on closing planned gifts.
• Lead education and training initiatives for development colleagues and shape strategies for special events and marketing of planned giving.
• Drive long-range goals for the entire Gift Planning team and collaborate with Prospect Research, Marketing and Communications, and Stewardship to maintain a donor pipeline.
• Maintain donor engagement documentation to sharpen strategy and performance.
• Lead solicitations personally and with volunteers, partnering with faculty and university staff for proposals development.
• Model excellence and build a portfolio of prospective donors, aiming to close a minimum of $10M in planned gifts.

Skills

CRM/fundraising databases

Donor relations

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience

Job description

Senior Executive Director of Gift and Estate Planning

Hiring Department: University Development Office

Position Open To: All Applicants

Weekly Scheduled Hours: 40

FLSA Status: Exempt from FLSA

Earliest Start Date: Aug 31, 2026

Position Duration: Expected to Continue

Location: AUSTIN, TX

Job Details

General Notes

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

Serve as the strategic leader of the Gift and Estate Planning team, setting direction and building organizational capacity for planned giving at The University of Texas at Austin. Provide executive-level guidance to donors, prospects, advisors, and colleagues, while driving the vision, strategy, and performance of the team responsible for securing significant charitable gifts.

Responsibilities

• Own the strategic and operational leadership of the Gift and Estate Planning team, setting the vision and annual priorities that drive an average of $200,000,000 in planned gift each year. Lead, develop, and hold accountable a leadership team of 12 direct reports, building a high-performing culture of collaboration and results.
• Manage the Gift Planning Advisory Board and its two meetings a year and continue the development of a new committee of volunteer advisors and support an increase in gifts of business interests.
• Direct the estate realization process in partnership with UT System leadership, establishing clear standards and serving as the authoritative voice on process and procedure for the broader Texas Development community.
• Lead the strategic deployment of the Gift and Estate Planning team’s footprint across colleges, schools, and units, shaping how the function scales to deliver dedicated support university-wide and integrating teams under a unified strategic approach to prospect identification, networking, and pipeline development.
• Set strategic direction for discovery and solicitation approaches across the team, providing executive analysis and judgment on the strategies used to close planned gifts.
• Elevate organizational capability by leading education and training initiatives for development colleagues university-wide and shaping the strategy for special events and the marketing of planned giving.
• Drive goal-setting and long-range strategy for the entire Gift Planning team. Partner with Prospect Research, Marketing and Communications, and Stewardship to maintain a cohesive strategic model that builds and sustains a pipeline of donors annually documenting estate plans.
• Maintain a standard for donor engagement documentation, ensuring substantive contacts are captured and reviewed to sharpen team strategy and performance.
• Lead solicitations both personally and in partnership with volunteers and academic leadership, modeling the gift-closing strategy expected across the team. Partner with faculty, colleagues, and university staff in strategic prospect research and proposal development.
• Model individual excellence while leading the team, building and carrying a portfolio of prospective donors, and personally closing a minimum of $10M or more in planned gifts. Consistently deliver 12-20 proposals annually, setting the benchmark for the team’s own performance standards.
• Additional duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum of ten years of progressively responsible experience in gift planning, major gifts, or complex charitable giving, including significant experience in a higher education or large nonprofit setting.
• Demonstrated success personally soliciting and closing six and seven figure planned and complex gifts.
• Experience managing volunteer leadership structures, such as advisory boards or committees, including board relations and volunteer-driven solicitation strategies.
• Minimum of five years of experience directly supervising, developing, and holding accountable a team of fundraising professionals.
• Demonstrated working knowledge of charitable gift vehicles and estate planning instruments, including wills, trusts, gift annuities, retirement assets, and complex assets.
• Exceptional relationship-management, negotiation, and executive presence with high-net-worth donors, senior academic leadership, and external advisors.
• Proficiency with CRM/fundraising databases and donor pipeline management systems.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree (e.g., JD, MBA) or professional credential such as Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAPÒ) or Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE).
• Experience partnering with legal counsel, tax financial advisors, and estate administrators on gift acceptance and estate realization processes.
• Track record of setting strategic vision and goals for large-scale, multi-unit development function across a complex, decentralized institution.

Salary

OPEN

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. Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States. The University Development Office does not sponsor work visas for this position.
• 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 may be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031. The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.