Director of Development

Special Instructions to Applicants: To be considered for the Director of Development – Natural Sciences opportunity at Rice University, please submit your resume and cover letter in confidence to Paradigm Advancement Group at [email protected] with the subject line: Director of Development – Natural Sciences at Rice University.

About Rice:

Boasting a 300-acre tree-lined campus in Houston, Texas, Rice University is ranked among the nation’s top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has a 6-to-1 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio, and a residential college system, which supports students intellectually, emotionally and culturally through social events, intramural sports, student plays, lectures series, courses and student government. Developing close-knit, diverse college communities is a strong campus tradition, which is why Rice is highly ranked for best quality of life and best value among private universities.

Rice is also a wonderful place to work. Rice faculty, staff and students share values that are essential to our success as a healthy community. Those values guide our decisions and behaviors and shape Rice’s culture. They come through in the way we treat each other and the welcome we extend to our visitors. These values can be recalled simply by our name — RICE — Responsibility, Integrity, Community and Excellence.

In the Wiess School of Natural Sciences, a legacy of scientific leadership drives a bold vision for the future. In six academic departments—biosciences; chemistry; earth, environmental and planetary sciences; kinesiology; mathematics; and physics and astronomy—faculty and students push the boundaries of discovery to understand the natural world, improve the human condition, and prepare tomorrow’s leaders in science and society. Research spanning health, the environment, advanced materials, and the cosmos expands knowledge and fuels breakthroughs that address urgent global challenges and fuel future prosperity. This year, a vibrant alumni community, connected through the Rice Alumni in Natural Sciences affinity group, celebrates the School’s 50th Anniversary as an independent academic unit at Rice.

Position Summary:

Reporting to the Executive Director of Development (Schools), with dotted-line reporting to the Dean of the Wiess School of Natural Sciences, the Director of Development – Natural Sciences will co-create, manage, and execute fundraising strategy to increase philanthropic investment at the Wiess School of Natural Sciences and will help manage the advisory board, consisting of many of the school’s top prospects and donors. This role will actively engage all school constituents—including faculty, students, alumni, and parents—and requires an understanding of the school’s mission, priorities, traditions, and programs, as well as its history and future. The Director of Development – Natural Sciences will work closely with Development and Alumni Relations in aligning school-based priorities with those of institutional leadership and will interact with staff and faculty in the school, as well as with other colleagues throughout Rice University. This position will work dually within the Wiess School of Natural Sciences and Development and Alumni Relations to maximize the School’s development potential and engagement of the school’s prospect pipeline, with a specific focus on gifts at the $100K to $4.9M level. As the chief development officer for the school, the Director of Development – Natural Sciences will manage a portfolio of 80-100 prospects with a capacity of $100,000+ to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward donors to the school and will focus on fundraising priorities set by the Dean.

The ideal candidate is an excellent relationship builder and communicator who has experience developing and implementing fundraising strategies to secure major capital and programmatic commitments for the Wiess School of Natural Sciences.

Workplace Requirements:

This position is offered as a mostly in-person, on-site role on the Rice University campus, and occasional evenings, weekends, off-site meetings and out-of-town travel are required to achieve maximum stakeholder engagement. Per Rice policy 440, work arrangements may be subject to change. 

Must possess (or have the ability to obtain one within 30 days of hire) and maintain a valid Texas driver’s license with no more than three moving violations and/or at fault accidents within the past 36 months, and no convictions or deferred dispositions for Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) or Driving Under the Influence (DUI) within the past five years.

*Exempt (salaried) positions under FLSA are not eligible for overtime.

Minimum Requirements: 

• Bachelor’s Degree
• 5+ years of successful fundraising experience, with at least three years involving major gift level fundraising success at the $100K+ level and/or equivalent experience
• Skills:
  • Ability to develop and initiate new strategies
  • Advanced problem-solving skills
  • Strong verbal and written communications skills
  • Ability to work well under pressure and manage projects simultaneously
  • Strong organizational and time management skills
  • Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office suite
  • Proficient data analysis skills 
  • Ability to work independently and as part of a team to meet expected deadlines and schedules
  • Adept at problem solving, creating contingency plans and handling issues when necessary
  • Strong client service orientation
  • Strong attention to detail and ability to quickly understand and remember details about alumni/donors and projects to which they are assigned

Preferences:

• 6+ years of the experience specified above
• Fundraising experience with an institution of higher education and/or non-profit, medical, science, or STEM organizations
• Ability to demonstrate good judgment in dynamic situations
• Strong communication and storytelling skills
• High emotional intelligence
• Demonstrated experience with Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) and Google applications 
• Proficiency with a fundraising CRM and strong data-driven orientation
• Ability to think strategically and to work collaboratively
• Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) certification

Essential Functions:

• Develop strategic and comprehensive fundraising plans for the Wiess School of Natural Sciences in collaboration with the Executive Director of Development (Schools), the Dean, and advancement staff.
• Collaborate with Development and Alumni Relations, including regional major gifts, annual giving, gift planning, corporate and foundation relations, and prospect management to build a school-centric program and identify prospects to engage at the school and university levels.
• Develop, implement, and manage a yearly fundraising plan for the Wiess School of Natural Sciences to advance the Dean’s priorities, increase principal and major gifts, and increase giving.
• Effectively articulate and persuasively promote the mission and vision of the Wiess School of Natural Sciences and Rice University in the context of securing private support from its various constituencies.
• Manage a portfolio of 80-100 major gift prospects, with the goal of cultivating, soliciting, closing, and stewarding leadership level commitments of $100,000 or more. Metrics will include portfolio management, annual fundraising goals, and monthly meeting goals to be reviewed on a regular basis.
• In collaboration with the Dean, the Executive Director of Development (Schools), and Development and Alumni Relations colleagues, manage the Wiess School of Natural Sciences advisory board, including identification of potential board members and planning and coordinating meetings and events, and providing the Dean with management support.
• Represent the Wiess School of Natural Sciences at meetings, conferences, and other related events.
• Perform all other duties as assigned.

Additional Functions:

• Required daily work on campus, with some flexibility, as schedules permit
• Required to attend after-hours functions and events, including on weekends
• Some travel required (typical minimum 3-5 times annually)
• Active engagement of all stakeholders, including the school’s faculty, staff, students, and alumni
• May supervise the work of a staff assistant
• Works with and supervises the efforts of volunteers involved in fundraising initiatives
• Requires extensive contact within the university at all levels, including upper-level administration
• Requires extensive contact outside the university with donors, alumni, parents, and friends of Rice University

Rice University HR | Benefits: https://knowledgecafe.rice.edu/benefits-overview

Rice Mission and Values: Mission and Values | Rice University

Rice University is committed to ensuring Equal Employment Opportunity and welcoming the fullness of diversity into our candidate pools. Rice considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability, or protected veteran status. Rice also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified persons with disabilities. If an applicant requires a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process, please contact Rice University’s Disability Resource Center at 713-348-5841 or [email protected] for support.

If you have any questions, please email us at [email protected]. Thank you for your interest in employment with Rice University.