Senior Development Specialist

Summary:

The VCU College of Humanities and Sciences (CHS) seeks a Senior Development Specialist to join the Development team which seeks to cultivate and broaden interest in the College and the university. Reporting to the Director of Development, the Sr. Specialist performs a variety of administrative and programmatic support activities. The successful candidate will have exceptional oral, written and interpersonal communication skills, the ability to balance competing priorities and the ability to exercise judgment and professionalism when handling confidential information.

Senior Development Specialists possess greater knowledge of a specialized area of the development field, distinguishing them from Development Specialists. They are further distinguished by the complexity of assigned work; an ability to identify options and develop solutions for unique or unprecedented situations; greater decision-making authority; and the judgment, resourcefulness, and ability to identify issues and/or areas that should be addressed differently. They are resources for others, participating in mentoring, coaching, and training.

Job-Specific Duties:

•Lead planning and execution of donor stewardship communications, recognition programs, and events.
•Collaborate with volunteers, Board members, faculty, central development, and senior leadership across the university and health system on development-related activities.
•Assist internal and external customers, with a focus on customer service and outward mindset.
•Provide support for administrative needs to the College development team including, but not limited to, managing calendars, supporting development officers with prospect research and pre-visit preparation and proposals, coordinating communications including social media, and project management.
•Perform fiscal duties to ensure travel and reimbursements are managed and within budget, as well as make purchases in support of events and operations of the office.
•Coordinate, implement and track acknowledgement processes. Write personal and detailed acknowledgement letters for the Dean and other special correspondence. Notify the key development officer assigned to major donors.
•Pull constituent lists and other data from RADAR, the CRM of record.
•Serve as the point person for creating new initiatives or activities in VCU’s donor database. Serve as liaison to central development for all alumni relations and donor relations.
•Process gifts that are received in the office, collaborate with the VCU Foundation team and Gifts & Records Management to ensure the accuracy of recorded gifts and donor intent.
•Support donor relations projects and initiatives, including creating and tracking university gift agreements, assisting with correspondence/mailings/reports for endowment donors and donors in the university’s annual and planned giving societies.
•Facilitate donor and student correspondence and in person meetings to include annual scholarship thank you letters and in person visits.
•Serve as lead on CHS DAR budget and all CHS donor-funds administration including liaising with VCU Foundation and coordination with CHS Director of Finance, Office of Student Services and other CHS offices to deliver funds.
•Supervise one or more student interns/volunteers in the area of writing, stewardship activity, volunteer activities, and/or event planning, and help the student (if applicable) master skills that will be useful in furthering their education and their careers.


Education and Experience:

Minimum hiring standards :
•Undergraduate degree from an accredited university or a minimum or equivalent experience in a fast-paced, complex environment.
•High level of customer service and excellent verbal and written communication skills. Previous administrative or customer service support experience.
•Ability to work both independently and part of a team.
•Ability to manage time efficiently, prioritize work, and handle multiple projects simultaneously.
•Demonstrated experience working in and fostering a diverse faculty, staff and student environment and commitment to do so as a professional employee at VCU.

Preferred hiring standards :
•Master’s degree in a related field.
•Previous experience working in alumni or development related roles.
•Superior written and verbal communication skills.
•Experience working with committees and boards.
•Experience working with alumni donors.
•Experience with RADAR and CRM programs.
•Experience with Ovrture or similar proposal software.

Job Specific Physical and Cognitive Requirements:

Physical Demands and Activities :
Light lifting (<20 lbs.): essential
Moderate lifting (20-50 lbs.): essential
Pushing/pulling: essential
Standing: essential
Repetitive motion: essential
Walking: essential
Climbing: essential
Reaching: essential
Bending: essential

Emotional Demands :
Fast pace: essential
Average page: essential
Multiple Stimuli: essential
Intense Customer Interaction: essential
Frequent change: essential

Mental/Sensory Demands :
Memory: essential
Reasoning: essential
Hearing: essential
Reading: essential
Analyzing: essential
Logic: essential
Verbal communication: essential
Written communication: essential

Salary Range: $53,000 to $75,000



Position Details:

Department: Office of Advancement, College of Humanities and Sciences
Employment Type: UF - University Employee FT
Restricted Status: No
FTE: 1
Exemption Status: Exempt

Optional Retirement Plan (ORP) Eligible: No

Eligible for Alternative Work Arrangements: Yes, as established under the current VCU FWA guidelines



Contact Information:

Contact Name: Mary Riddick

Contact Email: riddickm2@vcu.edu

Contact Phone: 804-828-4543