Director, Corporate and Foundation Relations

Reporting to the Associate Vice President for Development, the Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations (CFR) develops, manages, and advances philanthropic relationships with corporations, corporate foundations, private foundations, and family foundations to support Stevens Institute of Technology’s institutional priorities.

About the Role

The Director serves as a strategic relationship manager, proposal strategist, and institutional connector, working closely with faculty, academic leaders, Advancement colleagues, the Office of Sponsored Research Administration, Donor Relations and Stewardship, Finance, and other campus partners. This role requires strong independent judgment, comfort operating in ambiguity, and the ability to assess which opportunities Stevens should pursue, refine, defer, or decline based on funder fit, institutional priorities, faculty or program readiness, timing, capacity, and likelihood of success.

Responsibilities

• CFR Fundraising:
  • Identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward CFR prospects and partners.
  • Develop and manage a portfolio of CFR relationships aligned with Stevens’ institutional priorities.
  • Build awareness of Stevens among funders and create engagement strategies to increase philanthropic support.
  • Position Stevens for proposals, renewals, invitations, and expanded partnerships.
• Relationship Management and Strategic Engagement:
  • Serve as relationship manager for assigned CFR prospects.
  • Build relationships with foundation staff, corporate foundation representatives, corporate social responsibility leaders, and other external decision-makers.
  • Identify engagement pathways through faculty, academic leaders, alumni, trustees, industry contacts, and institutional connections.
  • Prepare faculty, academic leaders, and university leadership for funder meetings, site visits, and engagement opportunities.
• Opportunity Assessment and Pipeline Development:
  • Identify funding opportunities through prospecting tools, funder research, referrals, networks, faculty leads, sponsored research referrals, and existing relationships.
  • Evaluate opportunities for funder fit, strategic alignment, faculty or program capacity, timing, award potential, and likelihood of success.
  • Determine whether opportunities should be pursued, refined, deferred, or declined.
  • Maintain an active CFR pipeline and document strategies, actions, and outcomes in institutional systems.
• Proposal Strategy and Development:
  • Lead or coordinate development of letters of inquiry, proposals, concept papers, executive summaries, reports, and related materials.
  • Translate complex research, faculty, or programmatic concepts into clear, compelling language for CFR audiences.
  • Ensure proposals align with funder priorities, Stevens’ strategy, and philanthropic best practices.
  • Manage proposal timelines, required attachments, internal reviews, and submissions in partnership with faculty, program staff, academic leadership, Finance, sponsored research administration, Donor Relations and Stewardship, external writers, and Advancement leadership.
• Faculty and Academic Partner Engagement:
  • Partner with faculty, deans, department chairs, and research leaders to identify fundable projects and match expertise with appropriate funding opportunities.
  • Support faculty and program leaders in understanding funder expectations, proposal requirements, and the philanthropic funding landscape.
  • Coach faculty and program leaders on funder-facing communications, concept framing, and proposal strategy.
  • Support faculty reputation-building opportunities, awards, fellowships, and nominations in collaboration with academic and research leadership.
• Stewardship, Compliance, and Portfolio Management:
  • Partner with Donor Relations and Stewardship to ensure major CFR funders receive timely, meaningful, and strategic stewardship.
  • Align stewardship and impact reporting with future renewal or expansion opportunities.
  • Coordinate with Advancement Operations on gift booking, fund creation, and required documentation.
  • Partner with sponsored research administration to assess philanthropic research opportunities and determine appropriate routing, accounting, and reporting.
  • Maintain accurate and timely documentation in Raiser’s Edge NXT, SharePoint, PaperSave, and other institutional systems.
  • Use dashboards, reports, and portfolio tools to manage priorities, deadlines, and activity.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• 7-10 years of relevant experience in fundraising, foundation relations, corporate philanthropy, nonprofit development, higher education advancement, corporate social responsibility, grantmaking, strategic partnerships, or a related field.
• Demonstrated ability to build and manage external relationships.
• Strong ability to assess funding opportunities and determine strategic fit.
• Excellent writing, editing, and communication skills.
• Experience developing proposals, letters of inquiry, concept papers, reports, or funder communications.
• Strong project management and organizational skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, deadlines, and stakeholder engagement independently.
• Strong judgment, discretion, and professionalism.
• Ability to work collaboratively with faculty, academic leaders, funders, and internal partners.
• Proficiency with CRM or donor database systems; experience with Raiser’s Edge NXT preferred.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with CFR fundraising.
• Experience working with foundations, corporate foundations, corporate social responsibility teams, or grantmaking organizations.
• Experience in higher education, research institutions, STEM organizations, healthcare, museums, foundations, or mission-driven nonprofits.
• Familiarity with proposal development for research, student success, workforce development, STEM education, or sustainability initiatives.
• Experience using prospecting tools such as Instrumentl, Candid/GuideStar, or similar platforms.
• Understanding of distinctions among philanthropic gifts, restricted gifts, charitable research awards, and sponsored research.
• Experience preparing faculty, executives, or institutional leaders for funder meetings.
• Experience managing stewardship or renewal strategies for major funders.

Skills

• Relationship building: Builds trust with funders, faculty, and internal partners; creates opportunities through cultivation and strategic engagement.
• Strategic judgment: Knows which opportunities to pursue, refine, defer, or decline; balances institutional enthusiasm with funder fit and likelihood of success.
• Independent work: Operates effectively with limited direction; manages ambiguity and competing priorities; brings solutions, not just problems.
• Communication and translation: Translates technical or academic concepts into accessible, funder-facing language; adapts tone for foundations, corporations, faculty, leadership, and internal audiences.
• Portfolio management: Tracks opportunities, actions, and stewardship obligations; prioritizes work based on deadlines, relationship risk, strategic value, and renewal potential.

Pay

In compliance with the New Jersey Wage Transparency Act, the annual base salary range for this position is $117,600.00 - $160,733.33. This range represents the University’s good faith estimate of possible compensation at the time of posting. Stevens Institute of Technology determines compensation based on factors including the position’s scope and responsibilities, the candidate’s experience, education, skills, internal equity, market data, and organizational considerations. The final salary will be set considering departmental budget, qualifications, and relevant credentials. This pay range represents base pay only and excludes additional forms of compensation, such as incentives, stipends, or other applicable pay components.

Benefits

For a full overview of benefits offerings, please refer to the Stevens Institute of Technology Benefits Guidebook.