Senior Assistant Director of Development

About the Department

The Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures (ISAC) was founded in 1919 by James Henry Breasted with the financial support of John D. Rockefeller Jr. Originally envisaged as a research laboratory for investigating the early human career, ISAC traces humankind’s progress from the most ancient days of West Asia and North Africa. The institute aims to be the world’s leading center for the study of these ancient civilizations by combining innovation in theory, methodology, and empirical discovery with rigorous scholarship.

The ISAC Museum opened to the public in 1931, with most collections originating from expeditions in West Asia and North Africa during the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. A major reinstallation of the Museum, including a climate-controlled wing for collections and archives, occurred in the 1990s and early 2000s. A complete renovation was completed in 2019 to celebrate ISAC’s centennial.

ISAC is a unit within the University of Chicago, a corporation originally incorporated on September 10, 1890.

About the Role

The Senior Assistant Director of Development will support ISAC's immediate and long-term growth and success. This position provides professional-level support for ISAC's development and membership activities, working with guidance from the Director of Development. It executes fundraising cultivation programs for prospective donors and contributes to annual giving, stewardship, and event efforts. This role is a key revenue driver for capital gifts, annual giving, and other priorities, particularly regarding the current University capital campaign.

Responsibilities

• Secures, renews, upgrades, and stewards annual $10,000+ gifts through personal outreach and visits with individuals capable of making five- and six-figure gift commitments.
• Leads the stewarding and solicitation of major donor and campaign prospects.
• Manages major donor and campaign activities; maintains related calendar.
• Achieves personal fundraising activity goals monthly, quarterly, and annually.
• Ensures meeting goals and timeframes for effective acknowledgment processes and general donor relations and stewardship.
• Collaborates with the Development team, senior leadership, and volunteers to plan, produce, implement, and attend donor-related ISAC events.
• Creates, manages, and delivers development projects with complex budgets, such as travel events.
• Recruits members and provides guidance and support to leadership activities.
• Supports the cultivation, qualification, solicitation, and stewardship of annual gifts in collaboration with the Development & Membership team.
• Maintains an active personal prospect portfolio focused on annual giving, under moderate guidance from the Director of Development.
• Assists with donor relations communications and maintains the cultivation matrix, providing regular updates to the team.
• Supports the planning, production, and execution of donor-related ISAC events, including logistics and attendee coordination.
• Ensures timely completion of the acknowledgment process and supports general donor relations and stewardship.
• Utilizes development technologies and tools (e.g., Claude, DonorBox, Thankview, video conferencing, collaborative documents) to support development activities.
• Demonstrates a moderate/solid understanding of fundraising operations for a school or department of the University.
• Identifies budget requirements and staffing needs on a project or event basis.
• Drafts informational and marketing materials for review for assigned programs.
• Assists in developing support materials for specific fundraising activities.
• Cultivates and maintains relationships with donors and volunteers.
• Establishes and maintains donor records and accounts.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Requirements

• Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in a related field.
• 2-5 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting donor cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship activities.
• Experience in nonprofit management, development, alumni relations, marketing, public relations, sales, or similar professional work.
• Experience assisting volunteer leadership and/or committees.
• Demonstrated skill and knowledge of, or ability to learn quickly, the internal workings of the University and technology tools available through the UChicago Office of Advancement, including the University’s donor relationship management system and Microsoft Office Suite.
• Demonstrated ability to use Microsoft Excel.
• Excellent organizational and task-management skills.
• Outstanding interpersonal and communications skills, including the ability to listen, speak, and write effectively.
• Ability to manage confidential information with discretion and tact.
• Acts with integrity, professionalism, and confidentiality.
• Works collaboratively in a team setting.
• Prioritizes multiple projects and independently follows through with detail.
• High self-motivation and the ability to take initiative.
• Knowledge of and affinity for history, archaeology, and museums.

Working Conditions

• Hybrid work schedule.
• Standard office environment.
• Occasional travel to campus and/or non-campus locations for University business.
• May require occasional domestic and/or foreign travel (less than 5%).
• Occasional evening and weekend work required.

This position is located at 1155 E. 58th St. in Hyde Park.

Pay

$77,000.00 - $87,000.00 per year.

Benefits

The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in the Benefits Guidebook.