Director of Development

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, lecture 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.

Position Summary:

Reporting to the Executive Director of Development (Schools), with dotted-line reporting to the Dean of the Glasscock School of Continuing Studies, the Director of Development – Continuing Studies will co-create, manage, and execute fundraising strategy to increase philanthropic investment at the Glasscock School of Continuing Studies 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 and donors—including faculty, students, alumni, foundations, and corporations—and requires an understanding of the school’s mission, priorities, traditions, and programs, as well as its history and future. The Director of Development – Continuing Studies 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 Glasscock School of Continuing Studies 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 qualification, pipeline building, annual giving, and major gifts at the $100K to $4.9M level. As the chief development officer for the school, the Director of Development – Continuing Studies will manage a portfolio of 80-100 prospects comprised of individuals, corporate, foundation, and community prospects with the capacity to give at leadership ($10K-$99K) and major ($100K+) gift levels. This position will identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward donors to the school and will focus on fundraising priorities set by the Dean.

The Susanne M. Glasscock School of Continuing Studies extends Rice University’s academic excellence by providing public access to lifelong personal and professional offerings that empower individuals and organizations, foster community, and promote the common good in Houston and beyond. There are two graduate academic departments – Education and Interdisciplinary Studies, and six non-credit areas of learning - Professional Development, Community Learning and Engagement, Foreign Languages, the Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership, School Literacy and Culture, and the Center for College Readiness. Building on a strong foundation of philanthropy, the Glasscock School aims to expand its donor base as well as the student population as we head into our next comprehensive campaign. Unlike the rest of the University, our students range in age from 3 to 104. They come to the Glasscock School for workshops, courses, certificates, and degrees. The Glasscock School furthers Rice University’s commitment of educational outreach to the Houston region."

The ideal candidate is an excellent relationship builder and communicator who has experience developing a donor base and implementing fundraising strategies to secure major programmatic commitments for the Glasscock School of Continuing Studies.

Workplace Requirements:

This position is offered as a hybrid role, combining both in-office and remote work to provide flexibility and support collaboration. 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, which can include experience in annual giving, corporate/foundation giving, and/or major/planned giving at the $100K+ level

• Skills:

  • Ability to develop and initiate new strategies
  • Advanced problem-solving skills
  • Strong verbal and written communication 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:

• Preference for experience working within the Houston non-profit community, particularly with local-area donors, local foundations that focus on PreK-12 education, family foundations, corporate philanthropy, and/or equivalent experience 

• 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 Glasscock School of Continuing Studies 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 Glasscock School of Continuing Studies to advance the Dean’s priorities and increase annual, major, and principal-level gifts.

• Effectively articulate and persuasively promote the mission and vision of the Glasscock School of Continuing Studies and Rice University in the context of securing support from its various constituencies.

• Manage a portfolio of 80-100 prospects, comprised of individuals, corporations, foundations, and community organizations, with the goal of cultivating, soliciting, closing, and stewarding leadership and major gifts. 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 Glasscock School’s advisory board, including identification of potential board members and planning and coordinating meetings and events, and providing the Dean with management support.

• Represent the Glasscock School of Continuing Studies at meetings, conferences, and other related events.

• Perform all other duties as assigned.

Additional Functions:

• May be required to attend after-hours functions and events, including on weekends

• Travel required, mostly within the Houston metro area

• Active engagement of all stakeholders, including the school’s faculty, staff, students, and alumni

• Work with and supervise 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, friends and students of the Glasscock School, 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.