Senior Major Gift Officer, Penn Engineering

University Overview

The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. Penn has 12 highly-regarded schools that provide opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and continuing education, all influenced by Penn’s distinctive interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and learning. As an employer Penn has been ranked nationally on many occasions with the most recent award from Forbes who named Penn one of America’s Best Large Employers in 2023.

Penn offers a unique working environment within the city of Philadelphia. The University is situated on a beautiful urban campus, with easy access to a range of educational, cultural, and recreational activities. With its historical significance and landmarks, lively cultural offerings, and wide variety of atmospheres, Philadelphia is the perfect place to call home for work and play.

The University offers a competitive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, a wealth of health and wellness programs and resources, and much more.

Posted Job Title

Senior Major Gift Officer, Penn Engineering

Job Profile Title
Major Gifts Officer Senior

Job Description Summary
Penn Engineering’s world-acclaimed faculty, state-of-the-art research laboratories and highly interdisciplinary curricula offer an experience that is unparalleled. Innovation and technology drive every program and transform the fundamentals of what future engineers are learning. http://www.seas.upenn.edu/

Penn Engineering is seeking an accomplished, strategic, and collaborative development professional to serve as a Senior Major Gift Officer covering international territories. This is an exciting opportunity to partner with and contribute to a highly successful development and alumni relations team, an engaged Dean and Board, and a committed and involved community consisting of alumni, parents, faculty and friends.

As part of a team of experienced fundraisers, the Senior Major Gifts Officer reports to the Director of Development. This position manages the identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of assigned prospects with the giving ability of $100,000 and above.

The position will focus primarily on Asia (Hong Kong, Singapore, and China) and India, with other potential regions assigned, and is responsible for designing, planning, and implementing a major gifts plan that proactively extends the reach of Penn Engineering internationally to expand Engineering's prospect base and build the donor pipeline. The role is also responsible for developing and maintaining regional knowledge, including an understanding of fundraising practices, philanthropic trends, and cultural norms that influence donor engagement in assigned markets.

At the Senior Major Gifts Officer level, the role carries a higher degree of independence in developing and executing fundraising strategies, managing complex prospect relationships, and advancing high level cultivation and solicitation efforts. The position represents Penn Engineering in key international markets and works closely with School leadership, faculty, volunteers, alumni, and colleagues across the School and the University to advance institutional priorities. The position requires the willingness and ability to travel extensively throughout the year, sometimes for up to two weeks at a time, and to varied countries in a single trip. Availability to work some weekends and evenings is also required.

Job Description

Job Responsibilities

• Manage a top-tier portfolio of approximately 150 donors and prospects, executing comprehensive moves management—including identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship—to develop and advance a robust pipeline of high-level gift prospects.

• Develop strategies for and conduct identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship visits with donors and prospects with giving capacity ratings of $100,000 or more.

• Meet mutually agreed-upon annual goals for core role responsibilities, including donor and prospect visits, solicitations, and philanthropic commitments secured.

• Ensure pertinent prospect information and contacts are accurately recorded in the institutional database in a timely manner.

• Collaborate with fundraisers across the department and University on overall relationship-building with alumni and other constituents of the School.

• Coordinate cultivation events and programs hosted by the School or assigned prospects, and staff programs in the designated geographic region.

• Other duties and responsibilities as assigned

**Please provide a resume and cover letter in order to be considered for this role. Please upload all documents in the “Resume/CV” section of the application prior to submitting.**

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Arts, and 5 to 7 years progressive experience in fundraising, with an emphasis on international major gifts and principal gifts fundraising or equivalent combination of education and experience is required. Higher education work experience a plus.

• Ability to function with a high degree of independence with assigned group of prospects, yet interact collaboratively with colleagues in a centralized framework of fundraising, participating in and contributing to total team effort.

• Maturity, diplomacy, cultural fluency, and interpersonal skills necessary to interact comfortably with faculty, School leadership, CEO-level contacts, donors, prospects, board members, volunteers, and colleagues across international markets.

• Demonstrated ability or commitment to developing regional expertise, including knowledge of fundraising practices, philanthropic trends, and cultural norms in assigned international markets.

• Strong communication skills, both oral and written.

• Excellent planning, organizational skills; attention to details. Manage multiple projects, issues, solicitations simultaneously and creatively, thoroughly, and confidentially; work independently under pressure.

• Ability to travel extensively domestically and internationally, including for extended periods; a valid passport and driver’s license is required.

• Evening and weekend work are required, including blocks of time for major events such as Reunion Weekends and participation in on-campus and off-campus events and activities outside of normal business hours, both in Philadelphia and in regional markets.

• Entrepreneurial inclination and capacity for hard work within an intensely goal-oriented environment.

• Familiarity with database manipulation and other computer software, preferably Microsoft Office and Salesforce.

• Knowledge of university environment and academic mission preferred.

Job Location - City, State
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Department / School
Development and Alumni Relations

Pay Range
$92,592.00 - $122,000.00 Annual Rate
Salary offers are made based on the candidate’s qualifications, experience, skills, and education as they directly relate to the requirements of the position, and in alignment with salary ranges based on external market data for the job’s level. Internal organization and peer data at Penn are also considered.

Equal Opportunity Statement

The University of Pennsylvania is an equal opportunity employer. Candidates are considered for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, national origin   (including shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics) , citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status or any class protected   under applicable federal, state or local law .

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