The University of Illinois at Chicago and UI Health seek a strategic, collaborative, and experienced fundraising leader to serve as the inaugural Senior Director of Foundation Relations, UI Health (SD) to help build and elevate a high- performing foundations relations program. This position will take the lead in enhancing a foundation relations program for the UI College of Medicine and partner closely with the Executive Director of Foundation Relations, UI Health (ED) and the Associate Vice Chancellor for Advancement, Health Affairs (AVC) to build a dynamic foundations operation across UI Health.
The $2.5 billion UI Health system is comprised of seven health science colleges, a major teaching hospital, a substantial community-based healthcare network, a wide variety of top-ranked primary and specialty clinics, and a cancer center. UI Health has an unswerving commitment to ensuring access to both education and health care in Chicago and beyond, serving as an incubator for life-saving research, a major healthcare provider to underserved communities, and educator of more physicians, nurses, dentists, and pharmacists for Illinois than any other school.
Reporting to the Executive Director of Foundation Relations, UI Health, the Senior Director will be a hands-on strategic partner for the ED, and Executive Dean of the UI College of Medicine, bringing entrepreneurial drive and ambition to establish a best-in-class foundations fundraising operation that supports the clinical, educational, and research ambitions of the College of Medicine and UI Health more broadly. Ultimately, the SD will be responsible for growing philanthropic revenue and generating transformational gifts for the College of Medicine that elevate the entire UI Health enterprise.
The SD serves on the AVC’s leadership team and is a critical partner to faculty leadership and senior leadership within the UI Hospital and Clinics, Mile Square Health Center, the UI Cancer Center, and—especially—the UI College of Medicine. The SD will be relied upon by key institutional partners to provide philanthropic counsel and set best practices that increase productivity and operational efficiency within the foundations team and among other Advancement departments. Especially as UIC enters its next campaign targeting its largest fundraising goal to date, this position will be integral to ensuring the UI College of Medicine and UI Health meet the ambitious goals set forth, all within a supportive, energetic, and high-performing environment.
This is a rare opportunity for a fundraising leader passionate about health equity to achieve unprecedented impact not only within the University of Illinois system and the patients, families, and communities it serves, but also more broadly across the United States.
Job Summary
This position is expected to help build a robust, synergistic foundation fundraising program in pursuit of aggressive growth targets specifically for the College of Medicine as well for UI Health’s associated priorities. Key responsibilities of this position are: to identify and pursue programmatic sponsorship opportunities that exist within the College of Medicine; connect the dots between specific activities within the College and across UI Health; and partner with faculty and leadership to develop compelling cases for support and proposals with well-articulated impact on patients, students, and communities.
The SD serves as a primary strategist for College of Medicine foundation donors and prospects. She/he will build and manage a portfolio of institutional donors (national and regional), develop new prospects, and direct the identification, strategic cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of institutional donors. S/he also develops innovative proposals, cultivates strategic partnerships, and prepares timely donor reports. The candidate will also be expected to help motivate a high-performing team while fostering a culture of collaboration.
This role will work closely with faculty, UI Health leadership, and university leadership to identify and support funding needs as well as proactively identify new institutional prospects for the College of Medicine and UI Health. This role will also partner closely with the corporate and foundation relations team in the central Office for the Vice Chancellor for Advancement to ensure collaboration, consistent communication, and adherence to university processes.
Minimum Qualifications
· Bachelor’s degree required.
· Minimum of ten years of progressive, nonprofit experience, with at least five years of experience in foundation relations preferably within an academic medical center.
· Proven success in securing major grants and gifts and working within a complex healthcare organization to grow institutional giving.
· Deep understanding of funding landscape for academic medicine.
· Local and regional travel required, including evenings, overnights, and occasional weekends.
Preferred Qualifications
· The successful candidate should be an innovative and collaborative advancement leader with a growth mindset, entrepreneurial spirit, and distinctive record of achievement, including expertise in designing, implementing, and leading an institutional fundraising program.
· Demonstrated success increasing the effectiveness of an advancement program through established objectives and performance standards, resulting in a significant increase in philanthropic revenue for an organization.
· Demonstrated skill in achieving alignment, providing active support and close collaboration amongst a broad range of stakeholders in relation to proposal development and execution.
· Excellent communication, collaboration, and interpersonal skills: ability to interact effectively with a wide variety of professionals in writing, on the phone, and in person.
· Excellent leadership, strategic, and management skills with the ability and presence to work with faculty and physician-scientists.
· Knowledgeable in matters pertaining to Healthcare, research, and educational programs.
· Proven management and leadership skills, that motivates successful teams.
· Comprehensive knowledge of all aspects of successful development practices.
· Strong grant strategist who exhibits leadership in working cross functionally with other departments to create funding projects.
· Excellent writing and editing skills: ability to produce high quality professional documents, including detailed proposals and reports. Ability to translate complex medical information into laymen’s terms.
· Stature, credibility, and capacity to build and sustain effective relationships with colleagues at all levels of the Advancement organization and with partners elsewhere at the University; to influence senior colleagues, often without authority.
· Highly responsible, self-motivated, and exceptional attention to detail.
· Extensive knowledge and expertise in MS Word, Excel, and other Microsoft applications.
· Experience with constituent relationship management databases.
TO APPLY, PLEASE GO DIRECTLY TO THE UIC JOB BOARD https://uic.csod.com/ux/ats/careersite/1/home/requisition/6282?c=uic. FOR FULLEST CONSIDERATION, PLEASE APPLY BY August 20, 2023. RESUME AND COVER LETTER REQUIRED. Compensation is competitive and commensurate with experience. UIC also offers a comprehensive benefits package.
As an EOE/AA employer, the University of Illinois encourages applications from individuals regardless of an applicant’s race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, and Veteran or disability status.
The University of Illinois may conduct background checks on all job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent offer. Background checks will be performed in compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
The University of Illinois System requires candidates selected for hire to disclose any documented finding of sexual misconduct or sexual harassment and to authorize inquiries to current and former employers regarding findings of sexual misconduct or sexual harassment. For more information, visit https://www.hr.uillinois.edu/cms/One.aspx?portalId=4292&pageId=1411899.
University of Illinois faculty, staff and students are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. If you are not able to receive the vaccine for medical or religious reasons, you may seek approval for an exemption in accordance with applicable University processes.
