Assistant Director - Advancement, Major Gifts

The USC Viterbi School of Engineering’s Advancement team supports the School’s philanthropic, alumni, industry, and constituent engagement priorities through coordinated fundraising, donor relations, stewardship, communications, events, and advancement operations. Working in close partnership with school leadership, academic departments, faculty, university advancement colleagues, alumni, donors, and external partners, the team advances university fundraising campaigns and school-level fundraising plans while building long-term relationships that support Viterbi’s strategic priorities and philanthropic goals.

Position Overview

The Assistant Director, Advancement - Major Gifts is one of two positions that build and manage portfolios of prospective major gift donors, focusing on qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship. The position strengthens the Major Gifts pipeline by developing donor relationships and securing philanthropic support for the School’s priorities, with an emphasis on gifts of $100K–$250K.

Core Job Duties

• Qualify assigned prospects based on philanthropic capacity, interests, inclination, and engagement, and build and manage a portfolio of approximately 100 prospects.

• Develop and implement individualized strategies to cultivate, solicit, and steward prospective donors.

• Conduct substantive donor outreach and visits to advance relationships and secure philanthropic commitments.

• Develop fundraising proposals, donor briefings, and follow-up communications in collaboration with the Managing Director, faculty, academic leaders, and Advancement colleagues.

• Identify donor interests and align them with School priorities, developing opportunities for meaningful philanthropic support.

• Serve as the Major Gifts team liaison to Annual and Alumni Giving, supporting lead qualification and donor transfers.

• Assist with prospect research and qualification for both Assistant Director- and Director-level prospects and assignments.

• Coordinate and support Major Gifts regional activities, board engagement, and related initiatives.

• Coordinate with university and school partners to advance prospect relationships, solicitations, gift planning, recognition, and stewardship.

• Maintain accurate and timely prospect records, contact reports, forecasts, and next steps in accordance with University Advancement policies and procedures.

• Achieve established fundraising revenue, activity, pipeline, and proposal goals.

Preferred Position Qualifications

• Demonstrated fundraising experience, preferably involving gifts of $100K–$250K.

• Experience in donor cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, and portfolio management, preferably at a research university or other complex organization.

• Strong relationship-building skills and the ability to work effectively with donors, faculty, administrators, and university partners.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including proposal development and presentation.

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and digital tools for prospect management and contact documentation.

• Valid driver’s license required; evening and weekend work may be necessary to support donor engagement and fundraising priorities.

Additional Expectations: Job duties, responsibilities, and assignments are subject to change based on business needs, advancement priorities, university fundraising campaigns, school-level fundraising plans, donor and constituent needs, emerging technologies, and organizational requirements. The incumbent is expected to work with agility, adapt to changing priorities, support alignment between university-wide fundraising initiatives and Viterbi School priorities, identify opportunities for innovation, and contribute to continuous improvement across the advancement and fundraising enterprise.

Work Modality and Travel: This position is designated as hybrid. The employee must be available to work onsite as needed to support business operations, donor and constituent meetings, fundraising meetings, school and university events, campaign activities, peak-cycle priorities, and constituent needs. The position may require local, domestic, and international travel, as well as occasional evening or weekend work to support donor engagement, fundraising events, campaign activity, and other advancement priorities. Any hybrid work arrangement must comply with the Viterbi School of Engineering Flexible Work Arrangement Policy and is subject to approval, operational needs, and change in accordance with that policy.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The annual base salary range for this position is $101,565.19 - $114,730.16. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope of responsibilities, work experience, education and training, skills, internal equity, and market conditions.

DISCLAIMER This description outlines the general nature and level of work performed; it is not an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or skills required. Management may assign or reassign duties to respond to organizational priorities and evolving needs.

Please include a cover letter and resume when applying.  

Minimum Education: Bachelor's degree

Addtional Education Requirements Combined experience/education as substitute for minimum education
Minimum Experience: 5 years
Addtional Experience Requirements Combined experience/education as substitute for minimum work experience
Minimum Skills: Experience in development, maintaining meaningful relationships with a wide variety of internal/external stakeholders. Ability to self-manage, prioritize work assignments and manage multiple deadlines. Experience maintaining and interpreting large datasets and database systems. Excellent planning, organizational and interpersonal skills. Detail oriented with excellent written and oral communication skills. Proficient in Microsoft Office.
Preferred Education: Bachelor's degree Business Administration Or Bachelor's degree in related field(s)

Preferred Experience: 5 years
Preferred Skills: Development experience in higher education. Experience in management/leadership roles. Volunteer experience in fundraising, campaign or non-profit environments. Experience with email marketing, website development/coding and Adobe Creative Suite. Extensive customer service experience. Fluent in one or more language in addition to English (e.g., Spanish).

USC is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law or USC policy. USC observes affirmative action obligations consistent with state and federal law. USC will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal records in a manner consistent with applicable laws and regulations, including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for employers and the Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, and with due consideration for patient and student safety. Please refer to theBackground Screening Policy Appendix Dfor specific employment screen implications for the position for which you are applying. 

We provide reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. Applicants with questions about access or requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process should contact USC Human Resources by phone at (213) 821-8100, or by email at [email protected]. Inquiries will be treated as confidential to the extent permitted by law.

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