Job Description for the Senior Director of Development Research position. Review job description, requirements, and qualifications. Apply or register interest for the position.

Title: Senior Director of Development Research

Position Type: Staff Full-Time

Days Per Week: Monday - Friday

Hours Per Week: 40

VP Area: University Advancement

Department:

Position Summary

The Senior Director of Development Research is responsible for implementing and managing donor/prospect research and prospect management and tracking efforts at the university, using their advanced querying, analytical, and critical thinking skills to collect and repackage data to inform philanthropic strategy for fundraisers, senior staff, and the University President. This work includes identifying, qualifying, quantifying, and profiling corporations, foundations, and individuals. The Senior Director ensures that the university has an organized system to manage the philanthropic/biographical data, fundraising assignments, and gift strategies on past, current, and prospective donors, with a focus on major/principal gifts.

Benefits of Working at Elon

Benefits of Working at Elon: Full-time Position

As an Elon University employee, you’ll join an internationally acclaimed university with a commitment to fostering a thriving community. Ranked among the most innovative, creative and best-run universities in the nation, Elon’s personal approach to education extends to employees, whose growth, professional development and success is a hallmark of our training and advancement opportunities.

Elon University’s home is the charming town of Elon, North Carolina, a small, friendly community located a short distance from the beach and the mountains, and among the vibrant cities of Greensboro, Raleigh and Durham. In addition to the beautiful canopy of historic oak trees iconic to our campus, you’ll find boundless opportunities for family-friendly recreation, cultural events and outdoor activities. Hiking, water sports, fine dining and entertainment are just a few of the many happenings in the Elon area, making the region one of the nation’s premier travel destinations.

Employees at Elon enjoy a generous and comprehensive benefits package that includes:

28 annual days off, including holidays and vacation.

Immediate tuition remission for undergraduate courses

Tuition remission for approved graduate-level courses after 12 months of employment.

Retirement plan with an 8 percent contribution from the university.

Immediate eligibility for health, dental and vision insurance, along with free acute care and lab services at our onsite Health & Wellness Clinic.

Free use of campus fitness facilities.

Free admission to musical and theater performances, guest speakers, religious and ethnic observances, recitals, art exhibitions, entertainment and our Division I Phoenix athletics.

Eligibility for tuition remission at Elon for spouses, qualifying domestic partners and dependents begins at two years of service. After two years of employment, eligibility begins for participation in the Tuition Exchange, a national scholarship exchange program that enables dependents to enroll in nationally recognized partner colleges and universities.

Elon values and celebrates the diverse backgrounds, cultures, experiences and perspectives of our community members. As an equal opportunity employer, Elon’s principles of diversity extend to race and gender identity, age, disability status, veteran status, sexual orientation, religion, and other aspects of one’s identity. At Elon, our employees respect human differences, passion for lifelong learning, emphasis on personal integrity and an ethic of service.

Minimum Required Education and Experience

Bachelor's degree in any relevant field of study with more than 8 years of experience with the following relevant work experience: Minimum of eight years professional experience in prospect research, preferably in a higher education setting. Experience working with Raiser's Edge NXT preferred.

Preferred Education and Experience

Master's degree in Library Science

Job Duties

• Strategic Leadership Provides strategic leadership as a member of the University Advancement Leadership team, the Major Gifts team, and the Development Research team Provides thought leadership in creating shared policies and procedures around data collection, entry, storage, and retrieval Coordinates annual process to collect and analyze parent/grandparent information for undergraduate and graduate constituencies – including managing timelines, identifying data import issues, and sharing key data with team members – in collaboration with Advancement Services and Parent Engagement Sets annual departmental goals and tracks progress to completion Prioritizes, delegates, and proofs all work produced by the Development Research team
• Operations - Uses advanced online databases, Internet resources, and in-house data to gather biographical and financial information, including employment, stock holdings, compensation, inherited wealth, real estate, philanthropy, valuable collections, foundation assets, etc. Analyzes and interprets information to create estimated gift capacity ratings Creates event briefings (bullets/bios), prepares research profiles, responds to requests, and generates leads through internal data mining Manages proactive alerts on high-level prospects and updates appropriate staff members with new information Collaborates with the Vice President for Enrollment to brief the President on undergraduate applicants Executes all prospect management functions including assigning solicitor relationships, informing staff of student status changes, and administering bi-annual portfolio reviews with frontline fundraisers Creates advanced queries and exports to report out on data accurately and efficiently
• Management and Budget Hires, supervises and coaches the Assistant Director of Development Research and the Development Research Analyst Reviews all work of the Research team for accuracy and adherence to shared communication style Assesses and selects necessary resources for the Research function and budgets for professional development
• Communications and Engagement Provides staffing support for major Elon events including, but not limited to, Elon Day, Move-In/New Student Convocation, Family Weekend, Homecoming, Night of the Phoenix, and Commencement Communicates confidential information to fundraisers, senior staff, and University President to inform fundraising strategy Regularly communicates with campus partners to share information and gather data for research documents