UATX

Senior Development Manager

Austin, Texas · Senior

Sponsorship not specified$25k-$40kDetected 41 days ago

ResearchLeadershipCommunication

About the role

The Senior Development Manager advances one of the most ambitious fundraising efforts in higher education to support a new university in Austin, Texas.
You will cultivate and manage a portfolio of mission-aligned current and prospective donors, executing sophisticated moves management strategies to secure 5-plus-figure gifts.
This role is ideal for a dynamic fundraiser who thrives on building relationships, advancing major gift opportunities, is an adept collaborator, and wants to shape a growing institution at a pivotal moment. A candidate should demonstrably pursue excellence in their work and possess a desire to build a best-in-class fundraising program and portfolio at the nation's most innovative new university.

Implement major gift methodology to build a portfolio of major donor supporters and prospects both in a regional strategy and within the state of Texas, setting fundraising strategies for each, and executing on each.
Also perform prospect research, portfolio management and stewardship as appropriate to maintain a steady and well-tended portfolio.

Exceptional intellectual and social curiosity, with the ability to engage thoughtfully across disciplines, ideas, and perspectives.
Proven ability to synthesize complex institutional priorities and communicate them in compelling, accessible language for external audiences.
Demonstrated success cultivating, soliciting, and closing major gifts in higher education, nonprofit, startup, or mission-driven environments.
Strong interpersonal agility and emotional intelligence
able to adapt communication style, tone, and approach to a wide range of donors, trustees, founders, faculty, and prospects.
Skilled relationship builder who asks insightful questions, listens deeply, and uncovers donor motivations and philanthropic interests.
Strategic and confident fundraiser who can move prospects toward solicitation with clarity, transparency, and persistence.
High level of comfort engaging sophisticated, entrepreneurial, and intellectually independent donors.
Experience using data, research, and analytics to prioritize prospects, manage portfolios, and drive fundraising outcomes.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including donor correspondence, proposals, briefing materials, and presentations.
Ability to collaborate effectively across leadership, academic, and development teams while maintaining strong independent execution.
Commitment to the mission and vision of University of Austin and enthusiasm for advancing innovative higher education.

Conduct 120+ visits a year, 25-40 solicitations per year (50% of those >$50k), and close $1-2.5M per year consistently outside of transformational gifts.
Also perform prospect research, portfolio management and stewardship as appropriate to maintain a steady and well-tended portfolio.

Match donor interests with institutional priorities to pursue unrestricted funding for UATX to continue to deliver our model of no tuition, no government funding and merit-based admissions.

This listing is sourced directly from UATX's careers page and normalized into a canonical job model.