Assistant Dean of Philanthropy, College of Engineering

Primary Purpose of Position / Job Summary

The Assistant Dean of Philanthropy is the chief fundraising and engagement officer for the College of Engineering and reports directly to the Dean with a dotted line to the Associate Vice Chancellor, University Development. This role provides strategic leadership for the college’s advancement program, manages the advancement team, and works closely with university leadership, faculty, alumni, donors, and community partners to advance philanthropic priorities and strengthen engagement.

The Assistant Dean also serves as President of the NC State Engineering Foundation and sets the overarching strategy and vision for advancing philanthropy and provides strategic leadership to developing and advancing a comprehensive philanthropy program for the College.

The position partners closely with University Advancement, the Leadership Gift team and the Principal Gifts team to cultivate and secure transformational support for the College and university.The successful candidate will lead and develop a team of advancement professionals while personally managing a portfolio of major, Leadership and principal gift prospects and donors.

Key Responsibilities

Leading People

The Assistant Dean will lead and develop a high-performing advancement team by fostering a collaborative, accountable and donor-centered culture. This role will provide mentorship, establish clear expectations and support the professional growth and success of staff across advancement functions.

Leading Change

The Assistant Dean will help guide the continued growth and evolution of the organization by fostering innovation, encouraging collaboration, and embracing new opportunities and ideas. This leader will be adaptable in a dynamic environment, thoughtfully aligning priorities, resources, and initiatives with the long-term goals of the organization. Working closely with internal and external partners, the Assistant Dean will help cultivate a shared vision that strengthens the organization’s impact, advances strategic objectives, and positions it for sustained success

Results Driven

The Assistant Dean will be an inspiring and visible leader who will engage the collective talents and energies of the development team in collaboration with the AVC for University Development and University Advancement to develop areas of highest potential including donor pipeline building, campaign planning and implementation. They will make decisions that produce high-quality results by applying technical knowledge, and solving problems. They will hold self and others accountable for measurable high-quality, timely, results. They will be committed to continuous improvement.

Transformational Giving

In partnership with the Dean, University Advancement leadership, the Leadership gifts team and the Principal Gifts team, the Assistant Dean will help identify, cultivate, solicit and steward prospects capable of making seven-figure and transformational investments in the College of Engineering. This role will build strategies to grow the pipeline for Leadership and principal gifts and collaborate across the university to maximize philanthropic opportunities and long-term donor engagement.

Foundation Board Strategy

The Assistant Dean’s overarching responsibility is to promote philanthropic investment to fulfill and advance the mission of the College of Engineering. This encompasses working with the Dean of the College of Engineering, the AVC for University Development, Foundation board members and internal partners to foster a culture that advances philanthropy and engagement that goes beyond transactional and toward building lasting relationships with donors.

Foundation Operations

As President of the NC State Engineering Foundation, the Assistant Dean will provide leadership for Foundation governance, board engagement, communication and fiscal oversight. This role will work closely with the Foundation Board of Directors to support effective operations, transparency in alignment with university policies and priorities.

About NC State:

North Carolina State University was founded in 1887 with the purpose of creating economic, societal and intellectual prosperity for the people of North Carolina. Today, NC State is the largest university in North Carolina, with more than 40,500 high-performing students, more than 10,000 preeminent faculty and staff and more than 310,000 dedicated alumni. NC State is a Research One (R1) university known for its leadership in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. We’re also at the forefront of teaching and discovery in agriculture, business, design, education, humanities and social sciences, natural resources, textiles and veterinary medicine. NC State is consistently named as one of the best values in higher education, and many of our programs are ranked at the top of their respective disciplines.

We take a great deal of pride in our collaborative, supportive and collegial team culture. All staff are provided opportunities for training and professional development, with an eye to personalized career growth.

About The College of Engineering:

Engineering has been a cornerstone of NC State University since the university’s founding in 1888. Today, with more than 10,000 students and 300 tenure/tenure-track faculty, the College of Engineering is among the largest and most preeminent engineering programs in the nation. The College of Engineering seeks to actively engage its 78,000 alumni households, the largest alumni body of any academic college at NC State.

Through support of the North Carolina legislature, the College is undergoing a period of significant expansion to help meet the needs of the state’s booming technology sector. Our students and faculty are focused on meeting the Grand Challenges of the 21st Century through discovery, innovation, education and outreach. Our cutting-edge research and education programs provide the knowledge and workforce to fuel the future of our state, nation and world. In the College of Engineering, we truly Think and Do.

Minimum Education/Experience:

• A bachelor’s degree plus alternative or equivalent professional training and experience is required.
• At least eight years of progressively responsible experience in major gift fundraising and advancement leadership is required.
• Experience developing and successful implementation of comprehensive fund-raising strategies, including campaigns.
• Experience managing institutional advancement staff.
• Experience managing volunteer boards.

Required Skills and Qualifications:

• Proven leadership skills that nurture an accountable, goal-oriented and values-based team environment.
• Robust knowledge of institutional fundraising in a large, complex organization.
• Demonstrated success in personally cultivating, soliciting and stewarding major and principal gifts from individuals, foundations and corporations with a sound knowledge of principles, practices and ethics of charitable giving.
• Excellent interpersonal and relationship-building skills; along with outstanding written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to serve as a critical and trusted leader and partner displaying evidence of high integrity, honesty and trustworthiness.
• Demonstrated ability to develop strategic plans, implement programs and manage and implement change.
• Unrelenting commitment to a collaborative and collegial team approach.
• Strong track record of working effectively with volunteers, faculty and administrators, engaging them in the life of the institution and assisting them in improving their effectiveness in all aspects of fundraising.
• Demonstrated ability to exercise a high degree of sound judgement and diplomacy, and a commitment to confidentiality are essential.
• Experience managing and motivating advancement professionals.

Preferred Experience, Skills, Credentials, Qualifications:

• A master’s degree is preferred along with at least eight years in fundraising at a research university or research institute.
• Previous campaign experience is preferable along with a strong knowledge of all aspects of corporate/foundation, individual and planned giving.
• An understanding of the land grant, research Tier One university environment.
• Familiarity with NC State University.
• Management and oversight experience of a foundation or 501(c)3 nonprofit.

Note About Hybrid Work: NC State University supports flexible hybrid work arrangements where operationally appropriate. Schedules are based on the responsibilities of the position and business needs and are determined in partnership with the hiring manager.