Senior Manager of Advancement Workforce

University City District; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); On-site; USD 80,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

University City District in Philadelphia seeks a Senior Manager of Advancement, Workforce to lead fundraising for workforce development initiatives and partner with program and finance teams. You will manage a portfolio of funders, craft grant proposals, and translate labor market data into compelling investment opportunities.

You will collaborate with executive leadership to steward donors, support annual fundraising goals, and drive equitable pathways to quality employment through sector

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.
• Five to seven years of progressively responsible experience in institutional fundraising, workforce development, economic mobility, or nonprofit advancement.
• Demonstrated success securing and stewarding foundation, corporate, public, and/or individual philanthropic investments.
• Exceptional writing, editing, and project management skills.
• Experience managing multiple deadlines and cross‑functional initiatives.
• Experience using donor management, grants management, and prospect research systems.
• Strong relationship‑building skills and ability to engage diverse stakeholders.
• Commitment to inclusive economic growth and equitable workforce development.

Responsibilities

• Manage a portfolio of foundation, corporate, public, and select individual donors and prospects, with an emphasis on cultivating long‑term philanthropic partnerships that advance workforce and inclusive economic development initiatives.
• Develop and implement cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies to strengthen relationships and increase investment in workforce initiatives.
• Identify and pursue new funding opportunities aligned with organizational and workforce priorities.
• Serve as the primary advancement liaison to workforce program staff, supporting alignment between fundraising priorities, program implementation, and organizational strategy.
• Partner with the Vice President of Advancement to support the growth of individual giving efforts, including donor identification, cultivation planning, stewardship activities, and engagement opportunities designed to deepen donor investment in workforce initiatives.
• Conduct prospect research and assist in the development of cultivation strategies for individual donors, leveraging organizational events, site visits, storytelling, and leadership engagement opportunities.
• Prepare donor briefings, talking points, meeting materials, and stewardship communications to support relationship‑building efforts with individual and family philanthropists.
• Partner with the Vice President of Advancement to support annual fundraising goals, revenue forecasting, and pipeline development.
• Lead the development, writing, editing, and submission of compelling grant proposals, reports, concept papers, and related donor communications.
• Translate labor market data, participant outcomes, employer engagement metrics, and evaluation findings into persuasive narratives for funders and stakeholders.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams to gather programmatic, financial, and impact information necessary for high‑quality submissions.
• Support the preparation of presentations, briefing materials, impact reports, and external communications highlighting workforce initiatives.
• Support the cultivation and management of public funding opportunities, including local, state, and federal workforce investments.
• Assist in the development of employer‑sponsored initiatives and strategic partnerships that advance talent development objectives.
• Represent the organization in workforce collaboratives, sector partnerships, funder meetings, and community engagement opportunities as appropriate.
• Monitor trends in workforce development, philanthropy, and economic mobility to identify emerging opportunities and strengthen competitive positioning.
• Maintain accurate grant calendars, reporting schedules, and advancement tracking systems.
• Oversee stewardship activities, donor acknowledgements, site visits, and funder engagement opportunities.
• Support the planning and execution of donor cultivation and stewardship experiences, including small gatherings, site visits, employer tours, participant showcases, volunteerism and other engagement opportunities that connect donors to the impact of workforce initiatives.
• Partner with finance staff to monitor grant budgets, reconcile expenditures, and support compliance requirements.
• Contribute to ongoing improvements in advancement systems, workflows, data integrity, and knowledge management practices.
• Mentor interns, consultants, or junior staff as assigned and support departmental special projects.

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

Job description

Position Summary

The Senior Manager of Advancement, Workforce reports directly to the Vice President of Advancement and is a strategic member of the Advancement team. The Senior Manager serves as the primary advancement partner for workforce development initiatives, including The Skills Initiative and related sector partnerships, helping to secure, steward, and grow philanthropic, corporate, and public investments that advance equitable pathways to quality employment.

This position is responsible for managing a portfolio of institutional funders, strategic prospects, and select individual donors; leading grant development and reporting efforts; supporting workforce-related funding strategies; and collaborating closely with program, finance, communications, and executive leadership staff. The Senior Manager translates workforce outcomes, labor market trends, and programmatic impact into compelling investment opportunities while helping strengthen systems and processes that support an increasingly sophisticated advancement function.

Key Responsibilities

Fundraising & Portfolio Management

• Manage a portfolio of foundation, corporate, public, and select individual donors and prospects, with an emphasis on cultivating long‑term philanthropic partnerships that advance workforce and inclusive economic development initiatives.

• Develop and implement cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies to strengthen relationships and increase investment in workforce initiatives.

• Identify and pursue new funding opportunities aligned with organizational and workforce priorities.

• Serve as the primary advancement liaison to workforce program staff, supporting alignment between fundraising priorities, program implementation, and organizational strategy.

• Partner with the Vice President of Advancement to support the growth of individual giving efforts, including donor identification, cultivation planning, stewardship activities, and engagement opportunities designed to deepen donor investment in workforce initiatives.

• Conduct prospect research and assist in the development of cultivation strategies for individual donors, leveraging organizational events, site visits, storytelling, and leadership engagement opportunities.

• Prepare donor briefings, talking points, meeting materials, and stewardship communications to support relationship‑building efforts with individual and family philanthropists.

• Partner with the Vice President of Advancement to support annual fundraising goals, revenue forecasting, and pipeline development.

Grant Development & Strategic Communications

• Lead the development, writing, editing, and submission of compelling grant proposals, reports, concept papers, and related donor communications.

• Translate labor market data, participant outcomes, employer engagement metrics, and evaluation findings into persuasive narratives for funders and stakeholders.

• Coordinate cross-functional teams to gather programmatic, financial, and impact information necessary for high‑quality submissions.

• Support the preparation of presentations, briefing materials, impact reports, and external communications highlighting workforce initiatives.

Public Funding & Workforce Partnerships

• Support the cultivation and management of public funding opportunities, including local, state, and federal workforce investments.

• Assist in the development of employer‑sponsored initiatives and strategic partnerships that advance talent development objectives.

• Represent the organization in workforce collaboratives, sector partnerships, funder meetings, and community engagement opportunities as appropriate.

• Monitor trends in workforce development, philanthropy, and economic mobility to identify emerging opportunities and strengthen competitive positioning.

Systems, Stewardship & Operations

• Maintain accurate grant calendars, reporting schedules, and advancement tracking systems.

• Oversee stewardship activities, donor acknowledgements, site visits, and funder engagement opportunities.

• Support the planning and execution of donor cultivation and stewardship experiences, including small gatherings, site visits, employer tours, participant showcases, volunteerism and other engagement opportunities that connect donors to the impact of workforce initiatives.

• Partner with finance staff to monitor grant budgets, reconcile expenditures, and support compliance requirements.

• Contribute to ongoing improvements in advancement systems, workflows, data integrity, and knowledge management practices.

• Mentor interns, consultants, or junior staff as assigned and support departmental special projects.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.

• Five to seven years of progressively responsible experience in institutional fundraising, workforce development, economic mobility, or nonprofit advancement.

• Demonstrated success securing and stewarding foundation, corporate, public, and/or individual philanthropic investments.

• Exceptional writing, editing, and project management skills.

• Experience managing multiple deadlines and cross‑functional initiatives.

• Experience using donor management, grants management, and prospect research systems.

• Strong relationship‑building skills and ability to engage diverse stakeholders.

• Commitment to inclusive economic growth and equitable workforce development.

Preferred

• Experience in workforce development, talent intermediaries, economic development, education, or sector partnerships.

• Familiarity with federal, state, and local workforce funding streams.

• Experience translating programmatic and labor market data into compelling funding narratives.

• Experience supporting individual donor cultivation, stewardship, and moves management strategies.

• Passion for innovation, continuous improvement, and building systems that support organizational growth.

Starting salary: 80,000-90,000