DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT BOSTON, MA Position Overview The College of Computer and Information Science (CCIS) at Northeastern University seeks an entrepreneurial, proactive, and engaging fundraising professional to serve as the Director of Development with a focus on corporate and foundation relations. This person will establish new philanthropic relationships and expand long-standing partnerships with innovative leaders in the computer and information sciences field, interacting with a diverse range of stakeholders from Fortune 50 technology executives to young entrepreneurs on the forefront of emerging technologies. Grounded in its signature Cooperative Education program (co-op) with a rapidly growing interdisciplinary research enterprise and expanding global profile, Northeastern University is a leading force in experiential education. Undergraduate and graduate students have substantially benefited from the co-op program where they spend critical on-the-job time in internships with local, regional and national businesses. For CCIS, these partners range from multinational companies such as Amazon, Intuit, Microsoft, Google, and EMC to cutting-edge technology start-ups. The Director of Development will partner closely with the Dean and faculty to increase awareness of and support for CCIS innovative programs, faculty and student achievements, research and interdisciplinary initiatives. S/he will assist the Dean, program directors, and faculty in identifying funding opportunities and will help to translate their work into compelling cases for support. The Director will examine the College s past and current relationships to determine the potential for multifaceted partnership opportunities with key corporations and foundations. In addition to managing a small portfolio of high capacity corporate and foundation prospects, s/he will staff the Dean in the direct cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of these prospects while working in partnership with central Advancement colleagues to pursue individual prospects. Operating as an integral member of The Office of Corporate and Foundation Advancement, the Director will further partner with the AVP to understand the University s philanthropic priorities, fully contribute to and benefit from the achievements of the department and the University as a whole, and jointly execute ambitious fundraising strategies for CCIS. The Director will oversee a Development Officer. Work responsibilities will be carried out based on a plan to be developed collaboratively and agreed upon between the AVP and the Dean of CCIS. It is an exciting time at CCIS with visionary new dean, Carla Brodley at the helm. An expert in machine learning and data mining, Dean Brodley understands that the information age has created a climate for an integrated and multi-disciplinary approach to computer and information science which in turn catalyzes critical advancements in a variety of fields including cyber-security, health informatics, neuroscience, artificial intelligence and social networks. Not only has CCIS been on an impressive trajectory in its own right, but the University has also made strategic moves in the opening of two new satellite graduate campuses in the tech-driven areas of Seattle and Charlotte and is an ideal living laboratory for advancements in on-line learning and experiential
education. Additionally, the University has embarked on an ambitious $1 billion research and endowment campaign. This is a unique opportunity for a seasoned development professional to help define a fundraising agenda commensurate with the University s and Dean s objectives. The Director will have many avenues of support to explore whether it is to expand upon existing co-op or research relationships or to leverage the strategic involvement of Northeastern alumni in senior positions within corporations to increase both C&F support and individual giving. This position requires a sophisticated and comprehensive understanding of development strategy, major gifts fundraising principles and practices, extremely high levels of professionalism, collegiality, and selfmotivation. An ideal candidate will have at least eight years of fundraising experience with a focus on six- to seven-figure gifts and cultivating strategic partnerships with corporations and foundations, and a familiarity with an academic, scientific, technological, and/or research-driven environment. A demonstrated ability to conceive, plan and execute multi-faceted, mutually beneficial corporate and foundation partnerships is essential as is the ability to develop, implement, and coordinate outreach, communications, and solicitation strategies. Excellent organizational and interpersonal skills are necessary, with a philosophy of teamwork and hands on implementation. The Director of Development must have a strong, metrics-driven approach to his/her work and an ability to work independently. Strong management experience with staff, advancement colleagues and special events teams is expected, as well as a track record of working across a diverse range of stakeholders and disciplines; the capacity to synthesize complex information, identify emerging opportunities, and cultivate mutually reinforcing relationships. S/he will possess the charisma, cultural sensitivity and communication skills necessary to be an effective representative of the University and CCIS. A Bachelor s degree is required and advanced degree is preferred. Northeastern University has retained Nonprofit Professionals Advisory Group to assist in this recruitment. Vice President Tracy Welsh and Senior Managing Associate Adele Mezher are leading the search. About the College of Computer & Information Science Northeastern created the nation s first college devoted to computer science in 1982, and today s College of Computer and Information Science remains a national leader in education and research innovation. Here, education and research focus on providing the knowledge and perspective needed in an increasingly complex world. Educational programs combine computing with an important application domain, such as health or security. Research both advances computing and contributes to resolving major societal challenges. CCIS boasts one of the country s top programming languages groups and has strong research programs in software development, algorithms and theory, formal methods, networks, systems, databases, information retrieval and data mining, human-computer interaction, artificial intelligence and robotics. Faculty work individually and with researchers across Northeastern to address how computing can contribute to improving the quality and cost of health care, understanding the impact of social networks, and increasing the reliability and security of the systems and networks people turn to every day. The college has plans to grow the faculty dramatically over the next several years. Dean Carla Brodley joins the College of Computer and Information Sciences in Summer 2014 as the first female dean of the college. Prior to this, Dean Brodley was a professor of computer science and chair of the
Computer Science Department at Tufts University. There she succeeded in creating opportunities for female students within the department, which resulted in a 200% increase in the number of female majors. She is an internationally recognized researcher in machine learning and knowledge discovery in databases who has applied her expertise to problems in personalized and evidence-based medicine, medical imaging, neuroscience, remote sensing, and computer security. Her research has been funded by a wide range of federal agencies, corporations and foundations, among them the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, NASA, DARPA, IBM, and the Multiple Sclerosis Society. She recently served as the program co-chair of the Annual Conference on Artificial Intelligence for the Association for Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) held in July of 2014. Dean Brodley holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics and computer science from McGill University and a doctorate in computer science from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. About Northeastern University Founded in 1898, Northeastern is a global, experiential research university. Grounded in its signature co-op program, Northeastern today provides unprecedented experiential learning opportunities around the world. The University s rapidly growing research enterprise is strategically aligned with three national imperatives: health, security, and sustainability. The University enrolls about 16,000 undergraduate and 4,500 graduate students representing 125 countries and approximately 28% students of color across the student body. In 2012, the University received over 44,000 applications, enrolling just over 3,000 students for the incoming class. Students can choose from over 96 undergraduate and 158 graduate programs across its nine schools and colleges. Supporting these programs are 1,033 faculty members, 65% of whom are tenured and tenure-track. Over the past five years, Northeastern University has made dramatic strides across a broad range of priorities: global experiential education, student achievement, academic innovation, faculty strength, useinspired research, and alumni engagement. The University recruited three founding deans for the College of Arts Media and Design; the College of Science; and the College of Social Sciences and Humanities. Specific Responsibilities and Duties Reporting into both the Dean of CCIS and the Associate Vice President, Corporate and Foundation Relations, the Director of Development at CCIS will serve as a major link between the University and the corporate and foundation communities, establishing, retaining and expanding relationships for the University at senior levels. The following are the specific responsibilities and duties of this position: Drawing upon collective experience, vision and excitement, analyze the College s current fundraising plan and conceive a new strategy that is in line with the landscape of donors, the Dean s vision and advancement leaderships objectives. Develop and implement an annual work plan with measurable objectives and course of action for all relevant activities during the year. Coordinate with the Dean and faculty to identify the full range of funding opportunities at the College and champion fundraising in support of faculty and research initiatives. Guide and support the Dean for advancement purposes. Staff the Dean fully with respect to donor meetings, cultivation activities and speaking engagements. Demonstrated ability to think strategically about relationships with donors, prospects and internal stakeholders, and to communicate organizational mission in ways that are exciting and enticing to donors.
Build effective relationships inside The Office of Corporate and Foundation Advancement and with the overall Advancement team to coordinate activities, develop new practices, streamline processes, and improve overall fundraising capacity. Collaborate with colleagues in The Office of Corporate and Foundation Advancement to achieve department and University goals; capitalize and contribute to available Advancement resources, foster internal partnerships, and appropriately leverage University assets for donor cultivation. Contribute to the University s efforts to expand and deepen corporate relationships by working closely with the Executive Director of Corporate Relations and colleagues within to identify and broaden CCIS partnerships where they intersect with University-level priorities and interdisciplinary initiatives. Develop and execute comprehensive cultivation, solicitation and stewardship strategies that expand corporate and foundation partnerships for CCIS and interdisciplinary programs; utilize the successful national attention of the Co-op program to strategically increase partnerships with corporations in particular. Manage a pool of targeted individual, corporate and foundation prospects to gain support through direct funding, gifts-in-kind or other collaborative agreements; work externally with senior executives to maintain and establish regular avenues of communication and identify areas of mutual interest. Develop and implement a plan for expanding the strategic involvement of Northeastern alumni in senior positions within corporations, to increase both corporate support and individual giving. Embrace opportunities for collaboration with development and sponsored research colleagues within the College in order to identify and cultivate new donors, and gain internal alignment for significant and interdisciplinary partnership opportunities across the University. Qualities of the Ideal Candidate This is an exciting opportunity for an entrepreneurial and proactive corporate and foundation relations professional to assist a highly relevant and uniquely positioned College with its ambitious goals. While no candidate is expected to have all of the professional and personal characteristics sought in this position, the ideal Director of Development will have the following personal and professional qualifications: At least eight years of relevant corporate/foundation fundraising experience in a complex operation recognized for its strength and effectiveness; a high level of comfort and effectiveness working with corporate leaders and high net worth individuals; and expertise within the information technology and/or engineering industries; Demonstrated ability to think strategically about relationships with prospects, clearly articulate mission and core initiatives, and synthesize these concisely and persuasively to excite and entice funders and/or supporters; The entrepreneurial and creative spirit to suggest and collaborate on innovative donor solicitation strategies with particular emphasis on expanding the College s reach to its corporate and foundation partners; The maturity, perspective, and credibility necessary to effectively engage and influence senior university administrators and faculty as well as key alumni in the cultivation, solicitation and stewardship of key prospects and donors; Communication (writing and speaking) skills necessary to be an effective representative for the University; and an ability to communicate and interface effectively with a wide range of senior corporate representatives and executives;
Proven capacity to manage and effectively execute large scale events; strong organizational planning skills, customer-oriented focus, with a high degree of follow-up and responsiveness; The desire to work in an entrepreneurial environment; the creativity, energy, and political astuteness required to introduce and champion new ideas; an assertive but not aggressive approach; the ability to influence, while maintaining the spirit of collaboration; A deep appreciation for the achievements and aspirations of Northeastern University; an interest in computer science and emerging technologies; the ability to effectively articulate the vision of the University and the College of Computer & Information Science to a diverse audience of supporters; Honesty, integrity, enthusiasm, and perspective; a very strong work ethic, supported by commitment and follow-through; Ability to travel, including nights and weekends; Undergraduate degree required, and advanced degree preferred. To Apply Applications including a cover letter describing your interest and qualifications, your resume (in Word format), and where you learned of the position should be sent to: neu-ccis@nonprofitprofessionals.com. Please type only your name (Last, First) as the subject line. Northeastern University is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Educational Institution and Employer, Title IX University. Northeastern University particularly welcomes applications from minorities, women and persons with disabilities. Northeastern University is an E-Verify Employer.