Department
ADV Prospect Development & Decision Support
About the Department
The Advancement Office engages alumni (~220k), current students, parents and friends of the University through intellectual, professional and social activities on campus, around the world and online. Advancement raises $600 Million annually to support faculty and researchers, practitioners and patients, and students and programs across the University. Our work supports priorities in every division, school, department, and institute.
Prospect Development and Decision Support (PDDS) is a strategic partner to fundraising and engagement teams across the University of Chicago. We manage the research, analytics, and prospect management functions that support a strong, sustainable institutional pipeline. Our work helps staff focus their time, make informed decisions, and build meaningful relationships with donors and volunteers.
Job Summary
This role manages a team of professional staff responsible for biographical and financial research, on individuals, corporations, and/or foundations, to support fund-raising. Has shared responsibility for the effectiveness of the fiscal year and campaign progress.
Responsibilities
- Provides strategic leadership and vision for the prospect management team, aligning portfolio and pipeline strategies with the organization’s overall fundraising goals and priorities.
- Manages all aspects of prospect management operations, ensuring effective assignment processes, portfolio health, and timely progression of prospects through the institutional pipeline.
- Leads, mentors, and develops prospect management staff, fostering a collaborative, proactive, and results-oriented team environment.
- Drive innovation in portfolio development and pipeline strategy, including the integration of data-informed processes and behavioral insights.
- Collaborates closely with fundraising teams to ensure prospect assignments, cultivation strategies, and solicitation plans are aligned with donor potential and institutional priorities.
- Oversees the implementation of portfolio engagement standards and ensures consistent practices for tracking prospect movement and fundraising activity.
- Provides guidance and tools to support campaign pipeline development, including prospect identification, assignment strategy, and conversion milestone tracking.
- Designs and leads regular portfolio and proposal pipeline reviews, partnering with frontline staff and leadership to evaluate performance, identify gaps, and adjust strategy as needed.
- Collaborates with partners in research, analytics, and donor experience to surface and prioritize high-potential prospects and pools.
- Ensures the team delivers actionable insights, best practices, and training that support individual fundraiser success and institutional fundraising capacity.
- Promotes the use of technology, performance metrics, and strategic reporting to optimize portfolio and institutional pipeline performance.
- Maintains rigorous quality control processes to ensure data accuracy, policy adherence, and equity in prospect assignment and management.
- Supports continuous professional development and prospect management training for staff and partner teams.
- Builds strong relationships with gift officers, fundraising managers, and executive leadership to ensure alignment and shared ownership of fundraising strategy.
- Contributes to strategic planning and campaign readiness by providing recommendations grounded in pipeline analytics, portfolio trends, and fundraising performance.
- Manages employees by establishing annual performance goals, allocating resources, assessing annual performance, and determining individual merit, incentive and/or promotional increases.
- Monitors fundraisers on annual performance goals and proactively identifies prospective donors using research and analysis. Reviews effectiveness of the fiscal year and overall campaign progress.
- Performs other related work as needed.
Minimum Qualifications
Education:
Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.
Work Experience:
Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 7+ years of work experience in a related job discipline.
Certifications:
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Preferred Qualifications
Education:
- Coursework in project management, business, finance, economics, analytics, library and information science, or non-profit management.
Experience:
- Minimum seven years of professional experience in nonprofit management, development, alumni relations, marketing, public relations, sales or similar professional field.
- Minimum three years of experience leading a project team or managing staff.
- Minimum one year of experience developing and monitoring budgets.
- Background in development or competitive research.
Technical Skills or Knowledge:
- Demonstrated skill and knowledge of, or ability to learn quickly, the internal workings of the University as well as the technology tools available to the Office of Advancement, including the University's donor relationship management system, Salesforce, Tableau.
- Proficient in Microsoft Windows computer environment, Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Project.
Preferred Competencies
- Outstanding interpersonal and communications skills characterized by the ability to listen, speak, and write effectively.
- Manage confidential information with discretion and tact.
- Act with integrity, professionalism, and confidentiality.
- Work collegially and collaboratively in a team setting.
- Self-motivated and take initiative.
- Prioritize multiple projects and independently follow through with detail.
Working Conditions
- This position has a hybrid work schedule which includes weekly in office presence.
- Standard office environment.
- Travel to campus and/or non-campus locations for University business.
- Work evenings and weekends as needed.
- This position is located in Hyde Park at 5235 South Harper Court.
Application Documents
- Resume/CV (required)
- Cover Letter, addressed to Hiring Committee (preferred)
When applying, the document(s) MUST be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.
Job Family
Alumni Relations & Development
Role Impact
People Manager
Scheduled Weekly Hours
37.5
Drug Test Required
No
Health Screen Required
No
Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required
No
Pay Rate Type
Salary
FLSA Status
Exempt
Pay Range
$106,250.00
The included pay rate or range represents the University’s good faith estimate of the possible compensation offer for this role at the time of posting.
Benefits Eligible
Yes
The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in theBenefits Guidebook.
Posting Statement
The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.
Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.
All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history.A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment.Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.
The University of Chicago's Annual Security & Fire Safety Report (Report) provides information about University offices and programs that provide safety support, crime and fire statistics, emergency response and communications plans, and other policies and information. The Report can be accessed online at: http://securityreport.uchicago.edu. Paper copies of the Report are available, upon request, from the University of Chicago Police Department, 850 E. 61st Street, Chicago, IL 60637.
