Associate Director, Corporate & Foundation Relations

About the Opportunity

The role of the Associate Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations (AD), is to serve as a link between the university and the corporate and foundation community—establishing and retaining relationships for the university at multiple levels. Reporting to and operating in close partnership with the Director of Corporate & Foundation Relations, Julia Van, the AD will support colleges and programs within the Global Campus Network to secure corporate and foundation funding for a range of opportunities including college- or campus-specific programs and interdisciplinary initiatives.

As a key point-of-contact for strategic relationship planning and coordination, the AD will closely partner with faculty and research administration to develop and submit proposals for funding; build bridges and relationships between the university and targeted corporate and foundation funders; create strategies to advance the University’s mission by leveraging funding opportunities; and steward existing grants while also providing faculty with funder-related guidance. This requires a balance between strategic, long-term relationship management and the ability to derive ongoing benefit to the university.

Key to the success of this role will be the ability to develop, implement, and coordinate creative and targeted outreach, communications, and solicitation strategies for the university in select areas. Northeastern will dedicate an Associate Director to support work in computational sciences and health sciences across the university, with a primary focus in the Khoury College of Computer Sciences and the Bouvé College of Health Sciences. The university will also dedicate an Associate Director to support work in the biomedical sciences across the university, with a primary focus in the College of Science and College of Engineering including the Chemical Engineering and Bio Engineering departments.

The ideal candidate will bring an aptitude for and experience as a successful relationship builder, exceptional written and verbal communication skills, and the ability to speak persuasively about lifelong learning and the value of skills gained through a structured education as well as through hands-on work experience. They will provide evidence of self-direction, initiative, and problemsolving abilities, and be a true team player who has collaborative instincts, an inclination to integrate efforts, and the tolerance for ambiguity and uncertainty in a complex, interdisciplinary environment.

RESPONSIBILITIES

FUNDRAISING

• Manage a targeted pool of 100 local and national foundations and corporate prospects.
• Advance the university's agenda by gaining foundation and corporate support of university initiatives, either through direct funding, gifts-in-kind, or other agreements.
• Develop and execute cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies.

STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT & MOVES MANAGEMENT

• Develop strategies to engage and encourage key foundation and corporate partners towards greater involvement with the university.
• Work externally with foundation program officers and corporate researchers/executives.
• Establish and maintain enhanced communication.
• Develop, coordinate, and implement funder site and campus visits.
• Help to create communication and marketing strategies for the university in its work with corporations and foundations.
• Increase the involvement of Northeastern alumni, parents of current students, and other friends of the university who are in senior positions within corporations to increase corporate support, as well as individual giving by those individuals.

PROPOSAL WRITING

• Meet with deans, faculty members, and other stakeholders to gather information to develop detailed and compelling proposals.
• Draft letters of inquiry, stewardship reports, and other documents, as needed.

COLLABORATING & REPORTING

• Work with the C&F team and the overall Advancement team to coordinate activities, develop best practices, streamline processes, and improve overall fund-raising capacity.
• The Associate Director will track their own cultivation and fundraising activities through existing databases and systems and will generate reports on their own work to be shared with colleagues and senior management.

QUALIFICATIONS

• 5-7 years of front-line fundraising experience or equivalent with particular expertise in raising funds for higher education.
• Superior written communication skills.
• Ability to interface effectively with corporate and foundation representatives, as well as with university stakeholders.
• A sincere interest in being a member of a highly interactive and mutually supportive team.
• Resourceful and able to collaborate with colleagues and external constituents at all levels.
• Self-motivated with the ability to think and plan strategically.
• Excellent attention to detail; strong organizational skills.
• Customer-orientation that includes exceptional follow-up and responsiveness.
• A proactive approach that takes initiative and actively seeks to deepen current donor relationships and forge new ones.
• An appreciation for lifelong learning and the value of skills gained through a structured education as well as through hands-on work experience.
• Proficient in SalesForce, or a similar relationship management solution, Microsoft Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience.

Position Type

Advancement

Additional Information

Northeastern University considers factors such as candidate work experience, education and skills when extending an offer.  

Northeastern has a comprehensive benefits package for benefit eligible employees. This includes medical, vision, dental, paid time off, tuition assistance, wellness & life, retirement- as well as commuting & transportation. Visit https://hr.northeastern.edu/benefits/ for more information.  

Northeastern University is an equal opportunity employer, seeking to recruit and support a broadly diverse community of faculty and staff.  Northeastern values and celebrates diversity in all its forms and strives to foster an inclusive culture built on respect that affirms inter-group relations and builds cohesion. 

All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, disability status, or any other  characteristic protected by applicable law.

To learn more about Northeastern University’s commitment and support of diversity and inclusion, please see www.northeastern.edu/diversity .