Director Foundation Relations - College of Engineering

Georgia Tech prides itself on its technological resources, collaborations, high-quality student body, and its commitment to building an outstanding and diverse community of learning, discovery, and creation. We strongly encourage applicants whose values align with our institutional values, as outlined in our strategic plan. These values include academic excellence, diversity of thought and experience, inquiry and innovation, collaboration and community, and ethical behavior and stewardship. Georgia Tech has policies to promote a healthy work-life balance and is aware that attracting faculty may require meeting the needs of two careers.

About Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech is a top-ranked public research university situated in the heart of Atlanta, a diverse and vibrant city with numerous economic and cultural strengths. The Institute serves more than 45,000 students through top-ranked undergraduate, graduate, and executive programs in engineering, computing, science, business, design, and liberal arts. Georgia Tech's faculty attracted more than $1.4 billion in research awards this past year in fields ranging from biomedical technology to artificial intelligence, energy, sustainability, semiconductors, neuroscience, and national security. Georgia Tech ranks among the nation's top 20 universities for research and development spending and No. 1 among institutions without a medical school.

Georgia Tech's Mission and Values

Georgia Tech's mission is to develop leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition. The Institute has nine key values that are foundational to everything we do:

1. Students are our top priority.

2. We strive for excellence.

3. We thrive on diversity.

4. We celebrate collaboration.

5. We champion innovation.

6. We safeguard freedom of inquiry and expression.

7. We nurture the wellbeing of our community.

8. We act ethically.

9. We are responsible stewards.

Over the next decade, Georgia Tech will become an example of inclusive innovation, a leading technological research university of unmatched scale, relentlessly committed to serving the public good; breaking new ground in addressing the biggest local, national, and global challenges and opportunities of our time; making technology broadly accessible; and developing exceptional, principled leaders from all backgrounds ready to produce novel ideas and create solutions with real human impact.

Our Mission

The Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) in Atlanta, Georgia, has been an engine of Progress and Service since it was founded in 1885 and is ready to play an even greater role going forward. Georgia Tech is redefining what it means to be a leading public research university in this new era, committed to empowering people of all backgrounds and to integrating our resources across disciplines to create a better future for our community locally, nationally, and globally. As the Institute realizes the strategic plan that was developed under the leadership of Angel Cabrera (https://president.gatech.edu), Georgia Tech will continue to serve as an example of innovation and a leading technological research university of unmatched scale, relentlessly committed to serving the public good; breaking new ground in addressing the biggest local, national, and global challenges and opportunities of our time; making technology broadly accessible; and developing exceptional, principled leaders ready to produce novel ideas and create solutions with real human impact. Additional information about Georgia Techs commitment to excellence and its strategic plan can be found at: https://strategicplan.gatech.edu/.

Georgia Tech Office of Development (DEV)

Led by the Vice President for the Office of Development, Jim Hall (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-hall-913270131/), our fundraising team at Georgia Tech currently consists of more than 100 professionals who are focused on securing transformative philanthropy (major and principal gifts) to support the strategic priorities of the Institute and its colleges, schools, and programs, including Georgia Tech Athletics. For fiscal year 2024 (closed 6/30/2024), the Development teams efforts resulted in over $243 million in new gifts and commitments in support of Transforming Tomorrow: The Campaign for Georgia Tech which will secure more than $2 billion in new commitments and gifts from individuals, foundations, corporations, and other organizations. One of the most significant priorities within Transforming Tomorrow is ensuring access of the brightest undergraduate, graduate, and professional students to Georgia Tech, regardless of their socioeconomic backgrounds. To learn more about Transforming Tomorrow and other campaign priorities, visit https://transformingtomorrow.gatech.edu/.

The Director of Foundation Relations is a front-line fundraiser reporting to the Executive Director in the Office of Foundation Relations. This position is responsible for meeting or exceeding personal annual fundraising goals of $3M+; leading the development of and collaboration with faculty and academic staff to submit compelling proposals to national and local foundations for a diverse range of purposes including, but not limited to, research, facilities, programs, scholarship, and endowment. This position also contributes to foundation relations training for colleagues and faculty, and positively represents Development within the institution and Georgia Tech externally among funders, collaborators, and others. The Director works as a trusted partner and ready resource for faculty and staff colleagues in Georgia Tech schools, colleges, and programs, as well as for Development, the Office of Research, and the Office of Sponsored Programs, lending foundation relations expertise, strategic guidance and hands-on support in fundraising approaches.
In addition, this position will supervise: assigned staff.

Job Duty 1 - Maximize support for Georgia Tech from local and national foundations in following ways: manage a portfolio of approximately 40 private local and national foundations; establish and follow strategies to effectively guide relationships from identification to cultivation to solicitation to stewardship; cultivate foundations through any point of entry afforded university-wide; ability to prioritize multiple projects and funding priorities; and identify new funding prospects and/or proposal opportunities.

Job Duty 2 - Identify funding opportunities and prepare letters of inquiry, grants, and other proposals. Serve as a resource for editing and/or proofreading for proposals and reports before submission.

Job Duty 3 - Become informed on programs and research being conducted by faculty within the colleges, schools, center, and programs for which they are the Foundation Relations liaison as a means of identifying work that aligns with foundations' funding interests.

Job Duty 4 - Serve as a key contributor to and leader in campus-wide foundation relations training for staff, faculty, and program leads through meetings, onboarding sessions, roundtables, and workshops.

Job Duty 5 - Arrange campus visits with foundation representatives and/or secure visits for appropriate Georgia Tech leadership and/or faculty with national and local foundations at their respective offices. Prepare briefings and logistics for the visits and staff Georgia Tech representatives.

Job Duty 6 - Follow Division of Development protocols for timely documentation and database entry of all contact reports and proposal submissions.

Job Duty 7 - Manage Associate Director of Development, including supporting their fundraising and professional development goals and ensuring administrative tasks associated with the role follow Division of Development protocols.

Job Duty 8 - Represent Foundation Relations in campus meetings.

Job Duty 9 - Perform other job-related duties as assigned

Educational Requirements
Bachelor's Degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience

Other Required Qualifications
Travel is an essential part of the position as is participation in evening and weekend activities.

Required Experience
Five or more years of job-related experience.
o Strong proposal writing and editing skills
o Demonstrated success in playing a lead or highly active role in securing grants from foundations,
including at the six- and seven-figure level
o Five years of front-line fundraising in cultivating and soliciting foundations on the national and local
level, including prospect identification and research, and proposal writing

Preferred Educational Qualifications
Master's Degree

Preferred Experience
o Ten years of experience working in an academic setting
o Multiple years of experience and success in foundation fund raising for higher education,
particularly in the sciences and/or technology
o A career of 10 or more years that includes a significant amount of experience in development
which could be coupled with work in other applicable fields such as marketing, communications,
public relations, non-profit management or consulting

Salary Range: $102,088 - $125,000 Commensurate to education and experience.

SKILLS
o High sense of professionalism
o Knowledge of the major national foundations
o Attention to detail. Strong analytical thinking skills
o Goal oriented and commitment to high productivity
o A self-starter who possesses strong communication skills
o An affinity for the mission of higher education and research
o Understanding of effective foundation relations and grant making
o Ability to work independently, as well as an integral member of a team of seasoned foundation relations professionals
o An aptitude for working in a large organization. Ability to interact effectively with university constituents at all levels; to grasp and maintain the service-oriented nature of the office. Project management and organizational skills

The University System of Georgia is comprised of our 25 institutions of higher education and learning as well as the System Office. Our USG Statement of Core Values are Integrity, Excellence, Accountability, and Respect. These values serve as the foundation for all that we do as an organization, and each USG community member is responsible for demonstrating and upholding these standards. More details on the USG Statement of Core Values and Code of Conduct are available in USG Board Policy 8.2.18.1.2 and can be found on-line at https://www.usg.edu/policymanual/section8/C224/#p8.2.18_personnel_conduct.

Additionally, USG supports Freedom of Expression as stated in Board Policy 6.5 Freedom of Expression and Academic Freedom found on-line at https://www.usg.edu/policymanual/section6/C2653.

The Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. The Institute is committed to maintaining a fair and respectful environment for all. To that end, and in accordance with federal and state law, Board of Regents policy, and Institute policy, Georgia Tech provides equal opportunity to all faculty, staff, students, and all other members of the Georgia Tech community, including applicants for admission and/or employment, contractors, volunteers, and participants in institutional programs, activities, or services. Georgia Tech complies with all applicable laws and regulations governing equal opportunity in the workplace and in educational activities.

Equal opportunity and decisions based on merit are fundamental values of the University System of Georgia ("USG") and Georgia Tech. Georgia Tech prohibits discrimination, including discriminatory harassment, on the basis of an individual's race, ethnicity, ancestry, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, disability, genetics, or veteran status in its programs, activities, employment, and admissions. Further, Georgia Tech prohibits citizenship status, immigration status, and national origin discrimination in hiring, firing, and recruitment, except where such restrictions are required in order to comply with law, regulation, executive order, or Attorney General directive, or where they are required by Federal, State, or local government contract.

This is not a supervisory position.
This position does not have any financial responsibilities.
This position will not be required to drive.
This role is considered a position of trust.
This position does not require a purchasing card (P-Card).
This position will not travel
This position does not require security clearance.

Successful candidate must be able to pass a position of trust + education background check. Please visit http://policylibrary.gatech.edu/employment/pre-employment-screening