Director of Development (UT Charter Schools)

Job Posting Title:

Director of Development (UT Charter Schools)

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Hiring Department:

Education - Office of the Dean

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Position Open To:

All Applicants

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Weekly Scheduled Hours:

40

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FLSA Status:

Exempt

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Earliest Start Date:

Immediately

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Position Duration:

Expected to Continue Until Mar 31, 2029

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Location:

UT MAIN CAMPUS

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Job Details:

General Notes

Under the leadership of Dean Charles R. Martinez, Jr., the College of Education (COE) prepares educators, researchers, and leaders to address the most pressing challenges in education and health. Our mission is grounded in three strategic impact areas:

• Advancing equitable opportunities and eliminating disparities
• Attending to place and context
• Thriving through transitions

The College of Education is consistently ranked among the top public colleges of education (#4 among publics and #6 overall, U.S. News & World Report). We are home to five academic departments, 13 research and outreach centers, and three university-sponsored PreK-12 programs: UT Elementary School, UT University Charter School, and UT High School. With more than 2,700 undergraduate students, 800 graduate students, and 250 faculty, the college is a vibrant community committed to excellence. Learn more at education.utexas.edu.

About UT Elementary School

The University of Texas Elementary Charter School is a university-sponsored elementary school celebrating 20 years of service to Austin's East Side. The school is embarking on a transformational initiative to reimagine the UT Schools and create a new hub for Education Research, Training, and Innovation, anchored by a new UT Elementary School facility.

The Director of Development-UT Schools will play a pivotal role in bringing this vision to life.

Purpose

The College of Education seeks an experienced, collaborative, and strategic Director of Development to lead fundraising for the capital campaign to reimagine a hub the UT Schools, with a primary focus on UT Elementary School and the capital campaign. This role will join the central COE development team and report jointly to:

• The Chief Development Officer, College of Education

• The Executive Director of the UT Charter School System

Serving as the college's lead fundraiser for the UT Schools initiative, the Director will develop and manage a portfolio of major and principal gift prospects, launch and drive the capital campaign, and co-lead donor volunteer leadership efforts. The role requires an entrepreneurial spirit, strong relationship-building skills, and the ability to inspire support for a high-visibility, high-impact institutional priority.

Why This Role Matters

This position offers a rare opportunity to shape a transformative initiative that will strengthen UT Austin's impact across PreK-12 education, expand educational research and innovation, and build a state-of-the-art school facility for generations of Longhorns.

Responsibilities

Fundraising & Portfolio Management

• Build, manage, and actively engage a portfolio of major and principal gift prospects with a focus on donors capable of giving $100,000+ and $1,000,000+.

• Lead qualification, cultivation, strategy development, solicitation, and stewardship activities for prospects supporting UT Elementary School and the broader UT Schools initiative.

• Deliver compelling, customized proposals and secure commitments that advance capital campaign goals, including a $20M+ goal for classroom facilities.

• Consistently identify and engage new donors aligned with UT Schools priorities and the College of Education's strategic impact areas.

• Document donor contacts, strategies, proposals, and forecasting in VIP in a timely and accurate manner.

• Operate within the Texas Development framework, including specific procedures and policies, such as the Prospect Management Policy, and work collaboratively with campus and University Development Office colleagues.

• Support the development of capital campaign materials.

Capital Campaign Leadership

• Serve as a key architect in launching and managing the capital campaign for UT Elementary School.

• Partner with college and school leadership to develop campaign strategies, case materials, timelines, and fundraising tools.

• Support coordination with campus planning teams conducting feasibility studies for the new school facility.

• Represent UT Schools priorities at internal planning meetings and donor-facing events.

Volunteer & Stakeholder Engagement

• With the Associate Vice President, co-lead the UT Elementary Development Council, serving as a partner to volunteer leaders and donor champions.

• Collaborate effectively with school leadership, teachers, parents, board members, and current donors to support fundraising and campaign momentum.

• Support the annual giving committee and the school's signature "Ask Event"

Collaboration Across the College & University

• Work closely with faculty, academic leaders, University Development partners, campus partners, and COE development colleagues to align donor interests with strategic priorities across the college.

• Contribute to goal setting, proposal development, stewardship planning, and campaign reporting.

• Actively participate as a collaborative, service-oriented member of the College of Education development team and the Texas Development community.

Required Qualifications

• Demonstrated ability to execute successful full-cycle donor strategy with a record of securing major gifts at $100,000+, ideally within a campaign environment.
• Experience managing a major gift portfolio, developing donor strategies, and closing complex or principal-level gifts.
• Strong interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills with the ability to build relationships across diverse communities, including donors, faculty, administrators, and volunteer leaders.
• Ability to work collaboratively across academic, administrative, and volunteer partners as part of a cross-functional team while also operating independently and driving results.
• Self-motivated with high degree of emotional intelligence, professional maturity, and sound judgment.
• Demonstrated ability to think strategically and creatively, work well under pressure, and adapt quickly in a dynamic environment.
• Exceptional project management skills with attention to detail, deadlines, and follow-through.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality, act with integrity, and represent the university professionally.
• Willingness and ability to travel frequently to engage prospects and donors.
• Experience supervising or mentoring colleagues or project teams.
• Bachelor's degree.

Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree and five or more years of directly related fundraising experience.
• Experience in higher education development, K-12 education, or organizations connected to child development, education, or schools.
• Demonstrated success with capital campaign fundraising, particularly for facilities or large institutional priorities.
• Background working in complex nonprofit or academic environments with multiple stakeholders.
• Familiarity with donor management systems, campaign structures, and donor advisory or leadership councils.

Salary Range

$85,000 + depending on qualifications

Working Conditions

• Standard office environment

Required Materials

• Resume/CV
• 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor
• Letter of interest

Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure thatALLRequired Materials have been uploaded. Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questionspresented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above.

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Employment Eligibility:

Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion/transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval.

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Retirement Plan Eligibility:

The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length. This position has the option to elect the Optional Retirement Program (ORP) instead of TRS, subject to the position being 40 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

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Background Checks:

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

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Equal Opportunity Employer:

The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer,complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

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Pay Transparency:

The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor's legal duty to furnish information.

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Employment Eligibility Verification:

If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form. You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States. Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment. Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.

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E-Verify:

The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university's company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following:

• E-Verify Poster (English and Spanish) [PDF]
• Right to Work Poster (English) [PDF]
• Right to Work Poster (Spanish) [PDF]

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Compliance:

Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031.

The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.