Director of Development, University-Wide

Job summary

The Director leads the discovery, cultivation, and stewardship of a donor portfolio to increase philanthropic support for the university. They manage a team of fundraising professionals and design innovative strategies to meet multi-year revenue goals.

Job details

Classification & Regular Hours Hours per Week: 35 Salary Grade 17 The base salary will be $82,230 - $117,360 per annum. Starting salary will be aligned with the successful candidate’s experience, skills, and demonstrated qualifications. About Western Since 1878, Western University has been committed to serving our communities through the pursuit of academic excellence and by providing students, faculty, and community members with life-long opportunities for intellectual, social, and cultural growth. We seek excellent students, faculty, and staff to join us in what has become known as the "Western Experience" - an opportunity to contribute to a better world through the development of new knowledge, new abilities, new connections, and new ways to make a difference. About Us The Western Advancement division plays a leading role in strengthening awareness of and support for the University’s mission and goals by leading alumni relations and fundraising efforts across campus and beyond. All departments within the Division build enduring alumni and public trust through understanding and support for Western University in a coordinated campus-wide effort that results in the engagement and funding needed to make an impact. There are 3 departments within the Division – Departments of Development, Alumni Relations and Advancement Operations. Responsibilities The Director of Development, University-Wide will play a key role on the Development Team. The Director will lead and participate in the full scope of development activities, relating to the discovery, cultivation, solicitation, recognition and stewardship of a portfolio of prospects and donors to the university. The role will manage and develop of team of centralized fundraising professionals, provide support to the Managing Director in oversight of the Major Gift portfolio across the university, and actively participate in raising philanthropic support for Western. The role will design, develop, implement, evaluate and manage effective, innovative and transformational fundraising strategies which support the goals of the University-Wide team. They will ensure efforts are focused and coordinated to meet the deliverables of fundraising priorities and that progress is continual towards meeting multi-year goals. The role will be responsible for significantly increasing and diversifying revenue to the university and will design, develop, implement, evaluate and manage fundraising strategies as part of an overall development process which matches the University’s academic objectives and financial needs with the highest philanthropic aspirations of donors who have the capacity to make significant gifts. The Director will interact and work closely with senior academic and administrative officers to develop and implement cultivation and solicitation strategies to support their programs. Qualifications Education: University degree; Honours Degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Communications or Public Relations is preferred Accreditation through Certified Fund-Raising Executive (CFRE) designation would be an asset Experience: 8 years’ experience securing six and seven-figure financial agreements within the private sector or similar levels of major gifts in the charitable sector Demonstrated experience leading a team towards revenue targets Experience leading a fundraising, or revenue generating, portfolio towards multi-million-dollar targets Experience with donor strategy development, implementation and evaluation Experience successfully managing multiple projects from conception to completion within tight prescribed deadlines Experience fundraising with a university or other complex non-profit environment is preferred Knowledge, Skills & Abilities: Ability to effectively collaborate in the achievement of a fundraising or revenue- generating campaign and realize targets, preferably in an academic setting Demonstrated oral and written communication skills with an emphasis on proposal development and presentation to internal and external contacts Strong project management skills and the ability to manage multiple projects at once from conception to completion with tightly prescribed timelines Ability to establish and build healthy working relations and partnerships with clients, peers and external stakeholders Exceptional organizational skills and the ability to manage activities both for self and others effectively A well-defined sense of diplomacy, including solid negotiation, conflict resolution and people management skills Flexible, resourceful, creative and pro-active work style with a can-do, enthusiastic attitude Emotional Intelligence (to ensure own work-life balance and good collegial relationships are maintained) Demonstrated commitment to ongoing learning and professional development to stay informed about fundraising initiatives and the unit’s missions and objectives Results-oriented with an ability to handle many tasks and maintain a high level of individual and team performance Flexibility to work outside of regular business hours and travel frequently Advanced computer skills in Microsoft Office and a client/donor relations management software Western Values Diversity The University invites applications from all qualified individuals. Western is committed to employment equity and diversity in the workplace and welcomes applications from women, members of racialized groups/visible minorities, Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, persons of any sexual orientation, and persons of any gender identity or gender expression. Accommodations are available for applicants with disabilities throughout the recruitment process. If you require accommodations for interviews or other meetings, please contact Human Resources or phone 519-661-2194. Please Note: This position is an existing vacancy. This position is fully in-person, on-site. We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those chosen for an interview will be contacted. Interested applicants are asked to visit https://recruit.uwo.ca for further information and to apply online referencing job #44050 by 11:59PM on October 5, 2026.

What you’ll do

The Director leads the discovery, cultivation, and stewardship of a donor portfolio to increase philanthropic support for the university. They manage a team of fundraising professionals and design innovative strategies to meet multi-year revenue goals.

Requirements

Requires a university degree and at least 8 years of experience securing six and seven-figure financial agreements in the private or charitable sectors. Proven experience leading teams toward multi-million-dollar revenue targets is essential.

Listed skills

• Negotiation · Preferred
• Microsoft Office · Preferred
• Team Leadership · Preferred
• Communication Skills · Preferred
• Project management · Preferred
• Conflict Resolution · Preferred
• Fundraising · Preferred

Other relevant skills

Identified from the job description. Confirm important requirements above.

• Fundraising
• Donor Relations
• Major Gift Solicitation
• Strategic Planning
• Team Leadership
• Project Management
• Proposal Development
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Negotiation
• Conflict Resolution
• People Management
• Donor Strategy
• CRM Software
• Microsoft Office
• Communication Skills
• Emotional Intelligence

Job areas

• Management & Leadership
• Education
• Sales
• Marketing
• Government & Public Sector