Senior Director of Development, Corporate and Foundation Relations

Title: Senior Director of Development, Corporate and Foundation Relations

Employee Classification: Sr Dir Development Fundraising

Campus: University of North Texas

Division: UNT-Advancement

SubDivision-Department: UNT-Advancement

Department: UNT-Advancement - Gen-170000

Job Location: Denton

Salary: $99,000 - $102,000

FTE: 1.000000

Retirement Eligibility: ORP Eligible

About Us - Values Overview:

Welcome to the University of North Texas System. The UNT System includes the University of North Texas in Denton and Frisco, the University of North Texas at Dallas and UNT Dallas College of Law, and the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth. We are the only university system based exclusively in the robust Dallas-Fort Worth region. We are growing with the North Texas region, employing more than 14,000 employees, educating a record 49,000+ students across our system, and awarding nearly 12,000 degrees each year.

We are one team comprised of individuals who are committed to excellence, curiosity and innovation. We are transforming lives and creating economic opportunity through education. We champion a people-first values-based culture where We Care about each other and those we serve. We believe that we are Better Together because we foster an inclusive environment of respect, belonging, and access for all. We demonstrate Courageous Integrity through setting exceptional standards and acting in the best interest of our communities. We are encouraged to Be Curious about opportunities for learning, creating, discovering, and innovating, and are encouraged to learn from failure. Show Your Fire by joining our team and exhibiting your passion and pride in your work as part of our UNT System team.

Learn more about the UNT System and how we live our values at www.UNTSystem.edu .

Department Summary

The Division of University Advancement strives to transform lives and unlock potential through the power of philanthropy and engagement by awakening and stewarding pride and loyalty for the University of North Texas.

Working in the Division of University Advancement aids as the connector between the donor and project and accomplishes the goals of the university by establishing and continuing mutually beneficial relationships that result in donations that support and empower the future leaders of our generations.

The Division of University Advancement can be extremely rewarding for those who are motivated by making a lasting impact on the campus, students, and programs on campus.

Position Overview

The Sr. Director of Development, Corporate and Foundation Relations, works collaboratively across all University departments to promote top priorities and serve the mission of UNT.

The Senior Director leverages extensive experience in institutional fundraising to strategically cultivate and steward relationships with key grantmaking foundations. This leadership role is focused on expanding the university's financial resources by identifying and securing major funding opportunities, fostering long-term partnerships, and aligning foundation support with the university's mission and priorities.

The Senior Director will collaborate with faculty, staff, and institutional leadership to develop and implement a dynamic, multi-faceted fundraising strategy focused on engaging and securing support from grantmaking foundations. This role will drive efforts to identify suitable projects and initiatives for foundation funding and encourage the submission of compelling proposals. The Senior Director will also work closely with the Advancement Services, Donor Relations, and Communications teams to ensure effective stewardship, recognition, and strategic messaging that aligns with the university's mission and goals.

This position reports directly to the Executive Director of Development, Corporate and Foundation Relations.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor's Degree and seven years' of professional experience in fundraising, donor relations, public relations, or sales; or any equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Extensive knowledge of philanthropy and fundraising principles.
• Demonstrated experience in establishing and maintaining effective professional relationships with internal and external constituents.
• Ability to plan, organize, develop and execute strategies.
• Ability to attend numerous off site events and meetings and travel and work evenings and weekends as necessary.
• Ability to establish and maintain cordial, productive, and professional working relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Exceptional communications skills.
• Ability to master University policies and procedures and apply these in specific situations.
• Ability to exercise resourcefulness and good judgment.
• Ability to manage multiple streams of work.
• Demonstrated excellent analytical skills, problem solving ability and strong critical thinking skills.

Preferred Qualifications

The ideal candidate will possess the following additional qualifications:

• Proven experience in collaborating with faculty in a research university environment, successfully aligning research initiatives with foundation priorities to secure funding.
• Strong track record in developing and maintaining strategic relationships with grantmaking foundations, with a focus on long-term partnership building.
• Demonstrated expertise in preparing and submitting competitive grant proposals that reflect institutional priorities and donor interests.
• Experience in monitoring, maintaining, or reporting on fiscal compliance is considered a strong plus.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to effectively engage and influence diverse stakeholders.
• A results-driven, proactive approach with a history of setting and surpassing fundraising objectives.
• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to conduct research and identify new funding opportunities.

Required License/Registration/Certifications

None

Job Duties:

Prospect Identification and Proposal Development:

• Responsible for developing and managing highly strategic relationships with grantmaking foundations in support of institutional priorities.
• Initiates and facilitates new relationships between foundations and the university.
• Plans, designs, and implements solicitation strategies in support of university priorities.
• Maintains appropriate percentage of constituents in all stages of the development cycle: discovery, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship/re-cultivation, resulting in successful solicitation of five- to seven-figure gifts.
• Leads data-driven research and evaluation efforts to identify and engage prospective grantmaking foundations, with the goal of securing strategic funding partnerships o Demonstrates expertise in cultivating and managing relationships with foundation partners, aligning their philanthropic goals with the UNT mission to inspire long-term engagement and sustained support.
• Researches foundation, corporate and government funding sources, aligning them with current and future institutional priorities to identify and pursue promising opportunities.
• Collaboratives effectively with a variety of units and departments to support advancement initiatives.
• Responsible for the preparation and submission of proposals for support from grantmaking foundations.
• Applies best practices in crafting compelling grant proposals, reports, and high-level briefings, ensuring effective communication with prospective foundation partners.
• Collaborates with faculty and CFR team in submission of proposals, including writing the narrative, organizing support documents, distributing draft proposals for review, and preparing grant packages.
• Collaborates with Advancement and University leadership to achieve fundraising goals.

Funded Project Administration:

• Manage post-award requirements and deadlines for reporting.
• Collaborate with project directors to ensure appropriate and effective use of grant funds, ensuring that all technical and financial reports and deliverables are submitted on time according to grant agreements.
• Collaborates with appropriate personnel to ensure that grant agreements comply with federal, state and university requirements.
• Coordinates with Gift Administration, University Foundation, and Grants and Contracts Administration to ensure CFR gift funds are recorded appropriately.
• In partnership with the Executive Director, oversees gift invoicing and tracks scholarship and fellowship awards to ensure compliance with grant requirements.
• Monitors and enters all activity in the database system in an accurate and timely manner.
• Generates fundraising reports as needed for leadership.

Stewardship and Donor Relationships:

• Coordinate stewardship efforts to maintain positive relationships with existing foundation and corporate donors.
• Develop and compose high-quality foundation proposals, impact reports, and other measures of accountability.
• Maintains regular communication with key points of contact at grantmaking foundations, representing UNT's mission and values with a high level of professionalism.
• Other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule:

Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 5:00pm; Typical 40-hour work week with possible flex-time schedule and hybrid work opportunities.

Driving University Vehicle:

Yes

Security Sensitive:

This is a Security Sensitive Position.

Special Instructions:

Benefits:

For information regarding our Benefits, click here .

EEO Statement:

The University of North Texas System is firmly committed to equal opportunity and does not permit -- and takes actions to prevent -- discrimination, harassment (including sexual violence) and retaliation on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, genetic information, or veteran status in its application and admission processes, educational programs and activities, facilities and employment practices. The University of North Texas System immediately investigates complaints of discrimination and takes remedial action when appropriate. The University of North Texas System also takes actions to prevent retaliation against individuals who oppose any form of harassment or discriminatory practice, file a charge or report, or testify, assist or participate in an investigative proceeding or hearing.