Associate Director, Strategic Initiatives

Position Summary

The Associate Director reports to the Executive Director, Strategic Initiatives (ED) and is a member of the Office of Strategic Initiatives (OSI) within Institutional Advancement. They are responsible for making a substantial contribution to securing grant support from foundations, corporations, and other institutional funders as well as select individuals for the College. They place an emphasis on developing proposals for the institution and supporting faculty in their grant-seeking efforts. Core competencies are: (1) Proposal Writing, (2) Reporting and Stewardship, (3) Faculty Support, and (4) Research. The Associate Director handles the majority of the College’s Foundation Relations operations, proactively manages and consistently expands a portfolio comprised of corporations, foundations, and select government agencies and develops strategies to build or deepen relationships. They support the ED in cultivation and solicitation efforts, collaborate on the College’s annual grant renewal program and ensure comprehensive stewardship related to key foundation donors. They also provides guidance and works with the OSI Coordinator on Foundation Relations to ensure smooth office operations.

Essential Functions

● Manage existing and proactively expand portfolio of corporate, foundation, and government prospects

● Maintain and expand inventory of institutional prospects that support faculty research/projects and communicate funding opportunities to faculty and departments as appropriate

● Partner with ED on proposal management for large institutional initiatives

● Help advise ED on prospect management issues, challenges, and opportunities that affect team’s effectiveness

● Respond quickly and effectively to strategic opportunities for increased foundation engagement Rev 7.2.2021

● Support faculty by assisting in the development of proposals and budgets – adhering to College guidelines – to increase faculty capacity to compete for extramural grant funding

● Serve as the OSI liaison on faculty related grant seeking with the Dean’s Office and Center for Scholarship and Research

● Collaborate with other OSI team members on the College’s annual renewal program of corporate and foundation donors

● Prepare and oversee the development of requisite reports on open grants, working directly with Principal Investigators, Business Office, Grants Office, and other campus offices as needed. Ensure grant compliance and timely reporting.

● Contribute to the development of institutional grant proposal concepts and budgets in collaboration with the ED, academic and program directors, faculty, and other IA team members

● Write Letters of Intent/Inquiry and proposals for select College programs and secure their timely submission in compliance with funders’ requirements

● Work with OSI team members to create background materials for the development of fundraising strategies, including profiles and briefings for the President, ED, faculty, and key administrators

● Write other materials such as acknowledgements, fact sheets, program/project overviews, case statements, and other materials for major gift officers as required

● Support the drafting of proposals for individual prospects as needed

● Conduct research (as appropriate in collaboration with Prospect Research team) to identify and develop new funding sources for the College and its faculty; identify fundable projects on campus in accordance with institutional priorities.

● Collect and validate institutional data to support proposals (and reports) and demonstrate impact of grants/philanthropic support

● Collaborate with OSI Development Coordinator to ensure smooth Foundation Relations operations. This includes overseeing the tracking of grant seeking activities, deadlines, and the acknowledgement process for Foundation Relations.

● Manage site visits and special events to establish, maintain, and improve donor relations. Coordinate with appropriate offices and IA team members as needed.

● Perform other duties as required

Skills and Requirements Requirements:

● Bachelor’s degree and five years of experience with grant proposal writing, or the equivalent in education, training and experience

● Organized self-starter, who can work independently and can learn quickly

● Superior written and oral communication skills

● Outstanding analytical skills

● Strong organizational skills, including the ability to handle multiple deadlines

● Working knowledge of fundraising

● Strong computer literacy

● Experience and aptitude with fundraising databases

● Ability to work in fast-paced, deadline-driven environment 

● Professional demeanor and comfort with diverse constituencies, including funding agencies, administrators, program staff, faculty members, and Institutional Advancement colleagues

Desired qualities:

● Advanced degree highly preferred

● Higher education experience

● Knowledge across academic disciplines

● A commitment to the mission of the liberal arts college

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS Please submit a resume and cover letter explaining how your qualifications meet the requirements of the position to resumes@oxy.edu and donnerhak@oxy.edu As a condition of hire for a staff position and for appointment to a faculty position, Occidental College requires that all candidates who have received a conditional offer of employment complete an application form (if they have not already done so) and consent to a background check. Satisfactory completion of a background check, along with pre-employment verifications and references are required as a condition of employment, but only as permitted by federal, state, and local law, including the City of Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance. We will consider for employment all qualified Applicants, including those with Criminal Histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

Please submit a resume and cover letter explaining how your qualifications meet the requirements of the position.

As a condition of hire for a staff position and for appointment to a faculty position, Occidental College requires that all candidates who have received a conditional offer of employment complete an application form (if they have not already done so) and consent to a background check. Satisfactory completion of a background check, along with pre-employment verifications and references are required as a condition of employment, but only as permitted by federal, state, and local law, including the City of Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance.

We will consider for employment all qualified Applicants, including those with Criminal Histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance.