General Notes

About The University of Texas at Austin

What starts here changes the world.

The University of Texas at Austin, founded in 1883, ranks among the 40 best universities in the world with top national programs across 19 colleges and schools. By creating educational opportunities for all and leading cutting-edge research at scale, the University fosters positive social change, technological advancement, and economic progress showing the world that change really does start here.

Following our 10-year strategic plan, UT will become the world’s highest-impact public research university, unleashing knowledge, opportunity and innovation from the heart of Texas.

Learn more about UT’s mission and values, leadership and Change Starts Here strategic plan.

Why Join Texas Development?

The University of Texas at Austin is on the front lines of the future: sparking the imagination, driving discovery and transforming lives. And it’s only possible because generous supporters believe in the power and promise of our state’s flagship university to change the world.

Together, through one of the largest fundraising efforts in our state’s history, we will support our people, amplify the unmatched potential of our place, and lead innovation through world-changing pursuits. With more than $5 billion raised over the past six years, Texas Development is quickly becoming one of the best fundraising programs in higher education.

Texas Development is a dynamic community of 500+ fundraising professionals across the Forty Acres. We strive to reach the highest levels of achievement and success in all that we do by creating meaningful and powerful experiences for our donors.

Join us and change the world.

Texas Development supports growth by offering professional development opportunities that help every team member accomplish their goals, enrich their skillset and deepen their engagement with UT.

Benefits

The University provides a competitive benefits package that includes insurance and retirement benefits in addition to other programs and services.

Texas Development supports growth by offering professional development opportunities that help every team member accomplish their goals, enrich their skillset and deepen their engagement with UT.

The University of Texas Medical Center at Austin

The establishment in 2014 of the Dell Medical School (Dell Med), the first ground-up medical school built at a top-tier American research university in 50 years, is arguably the most consequential project ever undertaken by the UT System and marks the beginning of a new era in healthcare delivery in Austin. In August 2023, the UT System Board of Regents – joined, among others, by Governor Greg Abbott, UT Austin President Jay Hartzell, and Dell Medical School Dean Claudia Lucchinetti – announced plans to embark on the next era for innovative care in Austin by expanding the University of Texas at Austin Medical Center (UTMC) and its presence in Austin’s burgeoning medical district, filling a critical void in quaternary care in the city and across Central Texas.

With construction anticipated to conclude in 2030, UTMC is an emerging academic health system that will revolutionize the delivery of healthcare. Anchored by Dell Med, UTMC will transform access to essential care with the creation of a visionary campus that includes a UT Austin tertiary hospital, the world-renowned University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (MD Anderson), and a globally renowned research university working together to achieve healthcare excellence. UTMC will offer a seamlessly integrated model of care, expertly coordinated across providers and accessible to everyone in the community. Its commitment to people and patients is as the heart of everything UTMC does, supported by a digital-first approach using technology, data, and artificial intelligence to provide care, prevent disease, and promote health. UTMC will deliver an exceptional patient experience made possible by harnessing the powerful intersection of health, care, and technology.

Purpose

To serve as Senior Director of Development, Principal Gifts and raise philanthropic support for the University of Texas Medical Center focusing on principal gift donors with a capacity of $1,000,000 plus and soliciting gifts of $1,000,000 plus annually. Successful candidates will have an entrepreneurial mindset and embrace donor and prospect discovery work; will have a natural curiosity to explore and discover new opportunities; will be resourceful and proactive; possess the ability to adapt quickly and navigate ambiguous settings. 

Responsibilities

• Maintain an understanding of university, University of Texas Medical Center and Dell Medical School priorities, vision and mission.
• Discover, build and carry an active portfolio of 50+ prospective donors.
• Engage in qualification, strategy development, relationship building and closing of principal gifts at $1,000,000+ for priority areas at The University of Texas Medical Center at Austin (UTMC). 
• Within 24-36 months, consistently produce $9-12M+ per year.
• Participate in goal setting, proposal preparation, strategy development, and stewardship as required for donors in the portfolio.
• Successfully and consistently deliver funding proposals to prospective and current donors.
• Effectively work with, communicate with, and collaborate with faculty, academic leaders, physicians, and other development staff to develop campus-wide funding opportunities and reach campaign goals.
• Track and ensure that principal gift prospects strategies are in place; when appropriate, utilize faculty and physicians and leadership.
• Increase engagement from high-net worth prospects and $1M+ gifts. Work with Texas Development to engage new Central Texas Wealth.
• Partner with faculty physicians to advance grateful patient fundraising at UTMC.
• Utilize a fundraising database and prospecting tools. Maintain appropriate electronic documentation on a timely basis, including engagement activities, proposal tracking, contact reports, donor strategies and forecasting.
• Record timely reports, letters, proposals, or gift agreements following a donor contact.
• Work collaboratively, proactively, and in a professional, service-oriented manner with all University development team members to further the development goals of the University.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree.
• Demonstrated ability to execute successful full-cycle donor strategy.
• A minimum of seven years’ experience in major and principal gifts fundraising or related fields. Healthcare fundraising preferred.
• High degree of emotional intelligence.
• Demonstrated ability to show tenacity and be nimble.
• Ability to drive results.
• Highly effective communication skills (written, verbal, interpersonal).
• Ability to think strategically and creatively and work well under pressure.
• Project management skills.
• Capable of working independently, while also engaging in collaboration between teams.
• Experience working with VIP, Raiser’s Edge or other similar CRM.
• Ability to travel frequently to visit prospects and donors.
• Ability to use discretion and maintain integrity and professionalism.
• Adaptable with a growth mindset and are open to feedback and change.

Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate

Preferred Qualifications

• Seven years+ of directly related experience in a complex academic setting. Healthcare experience preferred in a dynamic, matrixed organization.
• Experience in health and academic medicine.
• Successfully closed several $1M+ gifts in health or higher education.
• Experience with fundraising database and knowledge of prospecting tools and reports within fundraising systems or other prospective donor relations systems, e.g. Raiser's Edge, Sales Force, etc.
• Proven self-starter capable of making sound, ethical, independent judgments.
• Success working on teams to develop high-level proposals with funding opportunities across disciplines.

Salary Range

$130,000+ depending on qualifications

Working Conditions

• Typical office environment.
• Must be able to travel overnight, holidays and weekends.

Required Materials

• Resume/CV
• 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor
• Letter of interest

Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded.  Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above.