Director of Development and Alumni Relations

Job description:

The University of Sheffield is a world-leading research institution, ranked in the top 100 universities globally, home to 26,000 students and 7,800 staff from 150 countries. As a founding member of the Russell Group, we combine our proud heritage with a contemporary and ambitious strategy to deliver life-enhancing research, innovation and education that transforms the lives of our students and shapes the world we live in. 

An outstanding Development and Alumni Relations function is critical to delivering the University's strategic ambitions. We are seeking to appoint an exceptional individual to fulfil the role of Director of Development and Alumni Relations, bringing creative vision and strategic leadership to drive our fundraising activity. Building on our highly successful Forged in Sheffield, Shaping the Future campaign, the Director will lead our fundraising strategy and cultivate our global alumni community, working closely with colleagues across the University to engage alumni in support of our broader strategic ambitions and enhance our global reputation.

Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, this role involves working closely with the President and Vice-Chancellor and the wider University Executive Board on fundraising activity and the cultivation, solicitation and stewardship of our most significant donors and prospects. A natural collaborator, the Director will work closely with Professional Services colleagues in supporting the University’s wider strategic ambitions, and will lead the Campaigns and Alumni Relations team to deliver ambitious fundraising targets, secure transformational gifts that enable the University to pursue its mission of excellence in teaching, research and innovation, and harness the influence of our alumni to enhance student recruitment and employability. This represents one of the most exciting and rewarding development leadership roles in UK higher education.

You will bring significant experience of principal gift fundraising and strategic advancement in a complex and global context. Passionate about our values and mission, you will join a community that thrives on shared ambition, celebrates world-leading academic strengths, encourages bold, independent thinking and contributes significantly to the civic life of Sheffield and the wider region.

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