Director of Research & Prospect Management

About the role

This position is a hybrid role, combining both in-office and remote work. The Director of Research and Prospect Management manages a team of research and prospect management professionals to support the major and principal giving initiatives of SMU. The position collaborates with the President, VP, AVP of Principal Gifts, and AVP of School and Project Development to guide and resource portfolios of prospects with giving potential for university transformational gifts ($10 million plus) and respond directly and promptly to their prospect inquiries.

Responsibilities

• Provide personal portfolio and research support to the President, Senior Vice President, and AVP of Principal Gifts in order to help maximize our fundraising results with the university's highest potential fundraising prospects.
• Provide strategy recommendations regarding the assignment, alignment with funding initiatives, and moves management of the $1 million dollar plus portion of our pyramid.
• Recruit, train, manage and support a team of talented research and prospect management professionals appropriate to provide excellent support for one of the top 50 private university fundraising teams.
• Coach, mentor, and set priorities in a highly dynamic environment.
• Analyze the evolving information needs of the front-line fundraising team with regard to research and prospect management information and design, test, document, and support new capabilities in the CRM and reporting and data visualization tools.
• Engage with external resources to ensure current knowledge of new resources to extend our capabilities.
• Participate actively in Apra, AASP, and other international organizations which position you as a national leader in Research and Prospect Management so as to aid in the recruitment of top talent, identification of training opportunities, and analysis of new trends, and tools so as to drive the optimizing of SMU's prospect potential appropriate to our nationally prominent level of results.
• Lead the strategic planning, annual plans of action, performance reviews, and budgeting required to align unit capabilities with the university aspirations for fundraising.
• Collaborate with peers on the Development Services leadership team to identify and support cross-team opportunities.

Requirements

A Bachelor’s Degree Is Required. Master's Preferred. A minimum of seven years of professional work experience in development research and prospect management is required. A minimum of three years of work experience managing a team of research and prospect management professionals is required. Experience in a top-tier, private higher education setting is strongly preferred. Comprehensive campaign experience is strongly desired. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: Candidate must demonstrate strong interpersonal and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate broadly across the University and develop and maintain effective relationships with a wide range of constituencies. Must also demonstrate strong written communication skills. Strong public speaking and presentation skills are essential to effectively collaborate with the fundraising team. Candidate must possess strong problem-solving skills with the ability to identify and analyze problems, as well as devise solutions. Must also have strong organizational, planning, and time management skills. A strong focus on attention to detail and strong project management skills are essential. Previous training in project management is preferred. Candidate must demonstrate knowledge of or the ability to understand and articulate ethics as it is defined in the Apra Statement of Ethics. A strong commitment to confidentiality and professionalism to handle confidential information with discretion is essential. Candidate must have a strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite. Must also have experience with a large scale non-profit CRM software and with prospect research software tools. Experience with Salesforce is preferred. Knowledge of predictive modeling and data visualization software desired.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will have a strong commitment to ethics and confidentiality, and a proven track record of success in a similar role. They should be a self-starter with a passion for fundraising and a desire to contribute to the success of SMU.

Skills

Previous training in project management is preferred. Candidate must demonstrate knowledge of or the ability to understand and articulate ethics as it is defined in the Apra Statement of Ethics. A strong commitment to confidentiality and professionalism to handle confidential information with discretion is essential. Candidate must have a strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite. Must also have experience with a large scale non-profit CRM software and with prospect research software tools. Experience with Salesforce is preferred. Knowledge of predictive modeling and data visualization software desired.

Benefits

SMU offers staff a broad, competitive array of health and related benefits. In addition to traditional benefits such as health, dental, and vision plans, SMU offers a wide range of wellness programs to help attract, support, and retain our employees whose work continues to make SMU an outstanding education and research institution. SMU is committed to providing an array of retirement programs that benefit and protect you and your family throughout your working years at SMU and, if you meet SMU's retirement eligibility criteria, during your retirement years after you leave SMU. The value of learning at SMU isn't just about preparing our students for the future. Employees have access to a wide variety of professional and personal development opportunities, including tuition benefits.

Pay

Salary Range: About SMU Salary commensurate with experience and qualifications

Schedule

Regular Shift Staff