Job Opening: External Relations and Strategic Initiatives Officer

Job Title & Grade: Development Officer 2, Gr. 10

Position Title: External Relations and Strategic Initiatives Officer

Effort:  100%

Reports to:  Director of External Relations and Strategic Initiatives, School of Architecture and Planning

Position Overview

The External Relations and Strategic Initiatives Officer will provide strategic and operational expertise to the School of Architecture and Planning’s (SA+P) fundraising efforts, including collaborations with some of the world’s most successful and well-known individuals and corporations. Reporting to the Director of External Relations and Strategic Initiatives, and working closely with faculty, development, finance, and communications leadership in the School, and across MIT, this individual will build programs and relationships with donors and prospective donors, with a focus on those with a capacity to make contributions in the upper six figure to greater than $1M range. A key role for the Officer is to help create a robust fundraising infrastructure to grow SA+P’s revenue stream and to appropriately steward past donors.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities (Essential Functions):

  • Collaborate closely with the Director of External Relations and Strategic Initiatives and the Dean’s Office to envision, develop, and implement a robust fundraising infrastructure to support SA+P’s mission, including creating and strengthening processes, building out a strategic development plan, growing the pipeline, and mapping pipeline to travel and events.
  • Work with the Dean’s Office development team to continue to build a culture of philanthropy among the alumni base by meaningfully increasing gifts to core needs of the school and increasing the number of development meetings with alumni and friends.
  • Strengthen relationships and collaborations between SA+P and the Office of Resource Development and the MIT Alumni Association, along with colleagues across the Institute, through a commitment to process, transparency, and attention to detail.
  • Oversee and manage fundraising strategies and plans for certain departments, laboratories, centers, and initiatives.
  • Help shape special projects with the dean, department heads, and faculty, including contributing to the development of white papers, proposals, collateral materials, and events.
  • Develop and maintain a portfolio of prospects – both as relationship manager and core team member in collaboration with other advancement colleagues – and move these individuals, foundations, and corporations through the donor engagement process by implementing cultivation and stewardship strategies to advance the fundraising needs of SA+P.
  • Identify and research prospective donors; grow and help manage the Dean’s Office pipeline of prospective donors, in accordance with MIT due diligence policies.
  • Prepare written correspondence and briefing materials, as needed, to support the efforts of the dean, department heads, and faculty.
  • Strategically plan, develop, and oversee cultivation activities with donors, prospective donors, and corporate/foundation representatives, including visits to campus, events (on-site, off-site, and virtual), workshops, and special sessions.
  • Monitor research developments and faculty interests within the School, and proactively identify opportunities of potential interest to donors and prospective donors.
  • Work with SA+P Dean’s Advisory Council on fundraising efforts.
  • Ensure work is appropriately documented in the fundraising database of record.
  • Contribute to other efforts in the Dean’s Office, as advised.

Supervision Received:
Reports to the Director of External Relations and Strategic Initiatives.

Supervision Exercised:
May be required to advise and/or provide functional supervision to support and administrative staff.

Qualifications & Skills:

REQUIRED:
Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of three years of relevant experience with increasing responsibility in fundraising, marketing, and relationship management. Candidates should have excellent verbal and written communication skills, as well as superior interpersonal, and presentation skills. Ability to work successfully with a diverse, international population of faculty, sponsors, staff, and students required.
 

Must be able to function effectively in a constantly evolving academic environment. Travel, evening, and weekend work as required.

PREFERRED:
Knowledge of or interest in the fields represented in SA+P, especially architecture, art, design, and urbanism.