Associate Director of Development, Interdisciplinary Initiatives

Job Requisition:

JR101850 Associate Director of Development, Interdisciplinary Initiatives (Open)

Job Posting Title:

Associate Director of Development, Interdisciplinary Initiatives

Department:

CC00942 WM001 | WMUA | Interdisciplinary Initiatives

Job Family:

Staff - Giving: Annual, Major Gifts, & Planned

Worker Sub-Type:

Regular (benefited)

Job Requisition Primary Location:

Discovery 1

Primary Job Posting Location:

Posting Location - William & Mary

Job Description Summary:

University Advancement creates the conditions for opportunity – human, financial, & experiential – by garnering and stewarding the resources that advance William & Mary.

The William & Mary Foundation advances the university’s highest aspirations by securing private support, guiding a multi-asset investment portfolio and offering strategic leadership. In this work, we propel the university toward national preeminence and help shape a future worthy of its history.
Consistent with the university’s shared services agreement with the William & Mary Foundation (WMF), this position is assigned 5% effort to support WMF with the responsibilities outlined below.

The Associate Director of Development for Interdisciplinary Initiatives is an important member of the schools and units fundraising team in the Office of Advancement at William & Mary. The Associate Director is responsible for developing and managing a portfolio of donors and building philanthropic strategies for donors and prospects for Interdisciplinary Initiatives.

The Associate Director reports to the Senior Director of Development for Interdisciplinary Initiatives and works closely with internal partners in Advancement, as well as with partner units to cultivate engagement and support from the William & Mary community. The Associate Director will also work closely with other development professionals including colleagues on the communications, events, stewardship, alumni engagement, and annual giving teams, as well as staff and faculty partners on campus.

The Associate Director is expected to identify, cultivate, and manage relationships with potential major gifts donors, while developing an appropriate-sized major gift portfolio of prospects by the end of their second year in the position and to be able to conduct an appropriate number of major gift asks based on the portfolio. The Associate Director will combine strategic planning with the ability to move decisively when opportunities arise. In addition to annual dollars raised, performance goals include number of asks and closes, activity/move measures as well as the number of prospects identified and qualified for major gift potential.

The Associate Director will help foster a culture of belonging that embraces all people and perspectives. This is a hybrid position based in Williamsburg that offers a flexible work environment.

This position is classified as professional, meaning it is salaried and exempt from overtime. For benefits and leave purposes, this role falls under the "12‑month Professionals & Faculty" classification on the HR website.

Learn more and download the position description on the University Advancement recruitment website: https://advancement.wm.edu/come-work-with-us/open-positions/index.php.

Job Description:

Salary: $65,000-75,000 commensurate with experience and internal alignment.

For full consideration, submit application materials by the review date, July 24 2026. Applications received after the review date will be considered if needed. A resume and cover letter are required for this position.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or the equivalent combination of education, experience, and training.
• Understanding of philanthropy in higher education the impact it has on the future of higher education.
• Experience (typically 3+ years) managing and developing relationships with constituents, clients, or customers. Examples include outside sales, marketing or public relations, financial planning or wealth management, admissions or enrollment, and membership development, as well as academic fundraising or alumni engagement.
• Excellent interpersonal, written and oral communication skills with fluency in using persuasive language to promote visionary opportunities.
• An entrepreneurial spirit, flexibility and independence as well as the ability to work effectively and successfully with minimal supervision and collaborate while building consensus among colleagues and manage complex priorities and projects concurrently.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Progressively responsible experience (typically 3+ years) managing and developing relationships with constituents, clients, or customers, in a for profit or nonprofit setting, with the ability to innovate, implement dynamic change, and exceed goals.
• Experience in major gift fundraising in a higher education environment.

Conditions of Employment: 

• This position is subject to additional hours beyond the typical workday, to include evenings and weekends.
• This position may require overnight travel.

Job Duties: 

70% - Portfolio Management:

• The Associate Director’s primary focus is the identification and qualification of prospects who may or may not have existing ties with the university with the goal to build a pipeline of donors for the region.
• Qualify, build, and manage an appropriate-sized portfolio of prospects, and participate in one-on-one virtual and in-person cultivations and solicitations of gift opportunities.
• Cultivate, solicit and move prospects toward gifts benefitting any/all of William & Mary’s schools and programs, targeting philanthropic commitments of $50,000+.
• Work with the Senior Director and regional, central, and university colleagues to identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit, and close gifts while stewarding donors and prospects with major gift capacity.
• Coordinate prospect research with the Prospect Development team to identify new major donor individual/institutional prospects from the database and other sources. Review listings of alumni, parents and friends from the database and other publicly available sources and help to develop individual strategies to engage and cultivate them for new gifts.
• Prepare letters of inquiry and proposals to prospects and donors on behalf of the university, requesting support for endowment, education, research, and capital priorities.
• Develop a working knowledge of the university’s goals, priorities, and programs, and align fund- raising efforts with priorities.
• Research and write briefings to prepare colleagues, including leadership and faculty, for effective meetings with major gift prospects.
• Direct follow-up correspondences and objectives resulting from donor meetings. Document all advancement activity in the donor/prospect database.
• Suggest potential prospects for trustee and advisory boards.

 

15% - Cross-Campus Partnerships:

• Develop and implement overall strategies for advancement and engagement initiatives within interdisciplinary initiative unit, including coordination of leadership travel, prospect strategies, and engagement activities with other giving officers in the assigned region, parents’ program, constituent units (law, business, athletics, A&S, VIMS, Libraries, School of Education, etc.), other regional teams, planned giving, and principal gifts.
• Collaborate closely with constituent unit-based development staff and Senior Director of Interdisciplinary Initiatives as appropriate regarding donors with single interests and/or with high-end capacity.

 

10% - Volunteer Management:

• Provide support to development efforts of unit advisory boards.
• Other duties as assigned.

 

5% - William & Mary Foundation:

• All work below is related to the support for gifts and/or communication about gifts that will support the WMF or other university foundations.
• Negotiate, finalize, accept, document, and execute gift agreements to the WMF.
• Record and store gift agreements to the WMF.
• As appropriate, manage and invest gifts to the WMF.
• Document, administer, and steward gifts to the WMF.

Additional Job Description:

Job Profile:

JP0656 - Major Gifts Officer - Exempt - Salary - S11

Qualifications:

Compensation Grade:

S11

Recruiting Start Date:

2026-06-23

Position Restrictions:

Continuing E&G funded position and not term-limited

EEO is the Law.  Applicants can learn more about William & Mary’s status as an equal opportunity employer by viewing the "Know Your Rights" poster published by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. https://www.eeoc.gov/know-your-rights-workplace-discrimination-illegal

 

Background Check: William & Mary is committed to providing a safe campus community. W&M conducts background investigations for applicants being considered for employment. Background investigations include reference checks, a criminal history record check, and when appropriate, a financial (credit) report or driving history check. 

 

Remote Work Disclaimer: Remote work eligibility is not guaranteed and is subject to approval. Employee eligibility depends on the likelihood of the employee succeeding in a remote work arrangement and the supervisor’s ability to manage remote workers. Departments and/or Human Resources may amend, alter, change, delete, or modify eligibility.