General Statement of Job

Reporting to the Vice President for University Advancement, the Senior Director of University Development is Missouri Southern State University's chief fundraising officer, responsible for leading a team of development professionals. The Senior Director will have primary responsibility for the strategic development, implementation, and management of MSSU’s comprehensive fundraising program. This position will provide operational oversight of major, planned, corporate, and annual giving to maximize private donor support for Missouri Southern State University.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities

Essential Duties:

Effectively supervise, mentor, evaluate, and support staff in the Office of University Development, building a high-functioning team that advances the university’s strategic priorities.

Establish and monitor annual and long-term goals for fundraising staff and programs that support fundraising goals and priorities established by the university.

Coordinate the university’s prospect management system, including identifying new major gift prospects, actively seeking data on current and future prospects, assigning prospects to staff and volunteers, and holding those individuals accountable for relationship building and fundraising results.

Personally manage a portfolio of major gift prospects, including making face-to-face contacts, presenting proposals, and stewarding major donors to facilitate future gifts.

Foster collaboration among MSSU administrators, faculty, athletic administration, staff, and the University Development team to build relationships, establish fundraising priorities, create cultivation and solicitation strategies, and gain insights that help meet the university’s fundraising goals.

Serve as a highly visible representative of Missouri Southern State University, effectively communicating the university’s philanthropic priorities to prospective donors.

Other duties as assigned by the Vice President for University Advancement.

Education, Experience, and Licenses

Required:

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year college or university. Three years+ demonstrated experience in developing relationships that yield major gifts.

Outstanding written and verbal communication skills with internal and external constituents.

Preferred: Master’s degree from an accredited four-year college or university.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Ability to read, analyze, and interpret common business and technical journals, financial reports, and legal documents.
• Ability to respond to common inquiries or complaints.
• Ability to effectively communicate both verbally and by written means at a very high level.
• Ability to make ethical decisions in doing what is best for both students and the University.
• Ability to effectively present information to administrators, faculty, staff, regulators, students, public groups, and/or Board of Governors.
• Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.
• Ability to work in a deadline driven, high stress environment.

Physical Demands/Work Environment

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use hands to finger, handle, feel or use a computer keyboard and talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to sit. The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; and stoop, kneel, or crouch. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 20 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.

The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

NOTICE: The above job profile does not include all essential and nonessential duties of this job. All employees with disabilities are encouraged to contact Human Resources to review and discuss the essential and nonessential functions of the job. An employee with a disability can evaluate the job in greater detail to determine if she/he can safely perform the essential function of this job with or without reasonable accommodation.