Careers at Drexel

Job Summary

The Associate Vice President (AVP) for Foundation and Corporate Relations is a senior leader in Drexel University’s Office of Institutional Advancement (IA) and has primary responsibility to develop and execute strategies to increase philanthropic support across the university from private foundations and corporations. They will lead an effective centralized team in identifying funding opportunities that match the institution's strengths and aspirations. The AVP will cultivate high-level relationships with current and prospective private funders, as well as constituents throughout the Drexel community, including the president, provost, deans and directors, faculty and IA fundraising units.

Essential Functions

• Implement focused fundraising strategies to secure financial philanthropic support from foundations and corporations in alignment with university priorities.
• Expand the prospect pool of potential foundation and corporate funders.
• Oversee pipeline development to ensure a robust approach to fundraising growth. 
• Work in a collaborative and proactive manner with deans, program directors, faculty, staff and administrators.
• Create a culture of philanthropy among this cohort for seeking support from foundations and corporations.
• Develop tailored communications to foundations, in partnership with the development communications and marketing team. 
• Leverage the assets of Drexel's research community, develop opportunities for cross-functional and interdisciplinary proposals. 
• Serve as a coach and mentor, providing direct managerial oversight for a centralized Foundation and Corporate Relations team.
• Set annual revenue targets in collaboration with team members and track progress against goals.
• Ensure that all proposals and grant reports to potential funders are accurate, compelling, professionally presented and completed in a timely fashion.
• Proactively steward funder relationships throughout the grant lifecycle, from proposal through final reporting.
• Ensure that resources allocated to the office of FCR, both human capital and operating funds, are well stewarded.
• Serve as an active participant of the Institutional Advancement Leadership Team. 
• Serve as an active participant on the Principal Gifts team, submitting materials on a timely basis, effectively managing all projects and assignments, and accompanying the President, Provost and other academic leaders on visits when appropriate. 
• Work in a consultative and cooperative manner in support of the President’s Office, the Provost Office and University and Community Partnerships.
• Work closely with the Office of Research and Innovation to coordinate all fundraising efforts as they pertain to multi-tiered funding opportunities for philanthropic and sponsored research.
• Develop and maintain a metrics-based system for tracking and measuring Foundation and Corporate Relations goals and activities.
• Annually develop a comprehensive strategic operating plan for FCR across all units.
• Keep abreast of new trends in the field of institutional fundraising with an emphasis on using data-driven decision-making models.
• Other duties and projects as assigned. 

Required Qualifications

• Minimum of a Bachelor's Degree or the equivalent combination of education and work experience. (Please review the Equivalency Chart for additional information.)
• Minimum of 10 years of experience working in advancement/development, including experience in significant FCR and working as/with senior-level staff.
• Demonstrated record of success in generating six and seven-figure grant commitments.
• Experience working with foundation boards and corporate giving structures.
• Experience identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding gifts.
• Experience supervising a team of professional/administrative staff.
• Ability to ask leading questions to gather strategic information.
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize a variety of projects and to complete them in a timely manner with limited supervision.
• Excellent organizational, interpersonal, active listening and supervisory skills.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment and work effectively under pressure.
• Ability to collaborate with colleagues from across the organization to achieve shared goals and objectives.
• Understanding of data-management systems.
• Ability to travel to Main Campus, St. Christopher's, College of Medicine at Reading, PA, and Salus at Drexel campus
• Valid Driver's License and willingness to drive.
• Ability to work evenings and weekends.
• Ability and willingness to travel domestically as needed.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree
• Experience working at a major research university or a comparably complex organization.

Location

• University City - Philadelphia, PA

Additional Information
This position is classified as Exempt, grade P. Compensation for this grade ranges from $129,850 - $194,770 per year. Please note that the offered rate for this position typically aligns with the minimum to midrange of this grade, but it can vary based on the successful candidate’s qualifications and experience, department budget, and an internal equity review.

Applicants are encouraged to explore the Professional Staff salary structure and Compensation Guidelines & Policies for more details on Drexel’s compensation framework. For information about benefits, please review Drexel’s Benefits Brochure.

Special Instructions to the Applicant
Please make sure you upload your CV/resume and cover letter when submitting your application.

Please also upload a copy of a foundation or corporate grant proposal you have written within a non-profit setting. Please remove/black-out any sensitive information.

A review of applicants will begin once a suitable candidate pool is identified.