Assistant Director, Advancement, Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering

Department

ADV PME

About the Department

The Advancement Office engages alumni (~220k), current students, parents, and friends of the University through intellectual, professional and social activities on campus, around the world and online. Advancement raises $600 Million annually to support faculty and researchers, practitioners and patients, and students and programs across the University. Our work supports priorities in every division, school, department, and institute.
The Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (PME) development team secures gifts and grants from individuals and organizations to support PME priorities and objectives set by the PME Dean and Director of Development, while fostering increased engagement with the school. The team aims to significantly increase philanthropic support over the next three to five years through in-person meetings, carefully curated cultivation and stewardship events, and other forms of donor engagement. The team collaborates with colleagues across University Advancement to strengthen connections between PME and the University of Chicago’s alumni and friends.

Job Summary

The Assistant Director’s primary responsibilities include professional support of assigned development activities, execution of tasks related to fundraising projects, cultivation programs for prospective donors, and support in hosting the PME Advisory Council annual meetings. This role provides professional support of assigned development activities with instruction from others. Executes fundraising projects, cultivation programs for prospective donors and for visiting committees.

Responsibilities

• Provides strategic and administrative support to division leadership and team initiatives. Drafts and edits presentations, correspondence, briefing materials, and strategic collateral for the Dean and Senior Director in support of leadership meetings, donor engagement activities, strategic events, and PME priorities.
• Coordinates and supports the Division’s alumni relations and development initiatives, including donor relations, stewardship, event strategy and execution, database management, and communications directed toward alumni, volunteers, donors, and friends of PME.
• Leads the planning, coordination, and execution of semi-annual PME Advisory Council meetings and other strategic engagement events, in partnership with the Senior Director of Development.
• Oversees stewardship and acknowledgment activities across all giving levels, including the development and coordination of comprehensive annual endowed fund reports in partnership with Advancement’s Donor Relations team.
• Serves as the division’s database power user and internal resource, with a strong emphasis on extracting, analyzing, and interpreting data from the Phoenix system. Maintains accurate records and develops custom reports, dashboards, spreadsheets, graphs, and charts to support strategic decision-making and operational needs.
• Manages annual fund operations in collaboration with Advancement and Annual Giving partners, supporting strategies to strengthen philanthropic participation and donor engagement.
• Seeks opportunities for professional development that will enhance job performance, including building networks within the University and with colleagues at peer institutions.
• Has a moderate/high level of authority in drafting 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.

Minimum Qualifications

Education:

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

Work Experience:

Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 2-5 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Certifications:

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Preferred Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree.

Experience:

• A minimum of two years of professional work experience in fundraising, development, alumni relations, donor relations, nonprofit management, research, marketing, communications, sales, or similar field.
• Managing complex cross-team projects with multiple stakeholders.
• Background in fundraising, contact management or other database software.
• Background working with volunteers.

Technical Skills or Knowledge:

• Demonstrated skill and knowledge of, or ability to learn quickly, the internal workings of the University as well as the technology tools available to Advancement, including Phoenix, the University's Donor Relationship Management System.
• Proficient in a Microsoft Windows computer environment, especially with Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access.

Preferred Competencies

• Outstanding interpersonal and communication skills characterized by the ability to listen, speak, and write effectively.
• Manage confidential information with discretion and tact.
• Act with integrity, professionalism, and confidentiality.
• Work collegially and collaboratively in a team setting.
• Self-motivated and take initiative.
• Prioritize multiple projects and independently follow through with detail.
• Demonstrated experience in planning and managing programs.

Working Conditions

• This position has a hybrid work schedule which includes weekly in office presence.
• Standard office environment.
• Travel to campus and/or non-campus locations for University business.
• Work evenings and weekends as needed.
• This position is located in Hyde Park at 5235 South Harper Court.
• This position is not eligible for employer-sponsored employment authorization.

Application Documents

• Resume/CV (required)
• Cover Letter, addressed to Hiring Committee (preferred)

The University of Chicago uses AI-assisted tools to streamline and augment some recruitment processes; however, AI is not used to make hiring decisions.
When applying, the document(s) MUST be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.

Job Family

Alumni Relations & Development

Role Impact

Individual Contributor

Scheduled Weekly Hours

37.5

Drug Test Required

No

Health Screen Required

No

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required

No

Pay Rate Type

Salary

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FLSA Status

Exempt

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Pay Range

$63,750.00 - $75,000.00

The included pay rate or range represents the University’s good faith estimate of the possible compensation offer for this role at the time of posting.

Benefits Eligible

Yes

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.

Posting Statement

The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

 

Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.

 

All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history.  A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment.  Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.

 

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