Managing Director, Development

Overview The Managing Director, Development, serves as the senior frontline fundraising leader for all academic units across the university—including professional programs and STEM-based colleges and institutes. Reporting to the Associate Vice President for Development, the Managing Director oversees a team of frontline fundraisers and manages a select major/principal-gift portfolio of 50–75 high-capacity prospects. The role supports fundraising strategy, drives campaign execution, and ensures strong alignment between academic priorities and donor interests. The Managing Director leads a unified frontline team to ensure consistent standards and coordinated strategies across units. The Managing Director partners closely with the planned giving team and plays a critical role in building and mentoring a next-generation frontline team during an upcoming hiring expansion. This position is pivotal to pipeline growth, portfolio performance, and the success of the university’s public-phase comprehensive campaign. The salary range for this role is $155,000-$170,000 and is commensurate with experience. Key Responsibilities Lead, coach, and develop a team of frontline fundraisers at varying levels, including Senior Director/Director/Associate Director, setting clear activity, pipeline, and revenue expectations and holding the team accountable to results. Manages the team toward successful outcomes for Advancement's strategies and metrics for qualification, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship. Conduct regular 1:1s, portfolio reviews, and performance assessments aligned with campaign targets. Recruit, onboard, and support new frontline fundraisers as hiring expands. In partnership with Prospect Research & Management, assign and rebalance portfolios to ensure equitable capacity coverage and alignment with unit needs. Collaborate with Communications, Donor Relations, Gift Administration, and Events on proposals, agreements, acknowledgments, and donor experiences. Maintain a personal portfolio of 50–75 major/principal gift prospects with capacity of $500K+, focusing on 6- and 7-figure solicitations. Maintain an annual visit and solicitation cadence that includes approximately 75 visits and 20 solicitations, supporting consistent portfolio movement. Meet escalating revenue expectations in alignment with campaign benchmarks, beginning around $2M in Year 1 and increasing to approximately $4.5M by Year 3. Academic Partnerships & University Coordination – 20% Serve as a key advancement partner for deans across all academic units in collaboration with the VP and AVP for Development. Translate academic priorities into donor-ready opportunities and support interdisciplinary initiatives. Ensure appropriate involvement of university leadership, faculty, and volunteers within the cultivation and solicitation cycle. Campaign Planning, Portfolio Analytics & Operations – 15% Contribute to campaign planning, goal setting, revenue forecasting, and progress monitoring. Maintain clear reporting lines for team metrics, pipeline health, activity quality, and donor movement. Partner with Prospect Research & Management to ensure disciplined use of the CRM (Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT), including documentation standards, stage management, and forecasting accuracy. Define portfolio standards and operating rhythms (e.g., review cadences, stage movement expectations) in partnership with Prospect Research & Management. Implement portfolio optimization strategies (coverage, capacity balance, velocity). Minimum Qualifications 5+ years of progressive experience successfully managing frontline fundraisers in a complex organization and a proven record of closing major and/or principal gifts. Overall 10+ years of professional experience strongly preferred. Preferred Qualifications Advanced degree. 10+ years in higher-education advancement or a comparably complex nonprofit; experience managing school- or unit-based fundraising programs. Campaign experience preferred. Familiarity with capital and endowed gift structuring. Strong analytical proficiency and experience with Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT or similar CRM systems. Exceptional communication, relationship-building, organizational, and supervisory skills. #J-18808-Ljbffr Illinois Institute of Technology