Assistant Director Executive Strategy, Planning & Engagement- AZ- Development and Alumni Relations

Reporting directly to the Vice President for University Advancement, the Assistant Director of Executive Strategy, Planning & Engagement serves as a strategic advisor, project manager, and operational partner responsible for supporting the Vice President's strategic vision, executive priorities, philanthropic engagement, and the successful execution of the Division's highest-impact initiatives.

Working in a collaborative, innovative, and fast-paced environment, this position serves as an extension of the Vice President by coordinating executive operations, leading complex project planning, managing strategic initiatives, and ensuring divisional priorities remain organized, aligned, and moving forward. The Assistant Director partners closely with leaders across Development, Alumni Relations, Advancement Services, and Marketing & Communications and collaborates extensively with the President, Cabinet members, Deans, faculty leaders, trustees, volunteers, donors, alumni, and external partners to strengthen relationships, support executive engagement, and advance Midwestern University's mission and strategic priorities.

This position requires exceptional organizational, project management, communication, and relationship-building skills, with the ability to anticipate needs, coordinate multiple high-level initiatives simultaneously, and translate executive priorities into actionable plans that support fundraising success, institutional engagement, organizational effectiveness, and long-term strategic growth.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Executive Strategy & Planning

• Serve as a strategic partner to the Vice President by anticipating priorities, identifying opportunities, and driving execution of executive initiatives.
• Support the Vice President in developing, implementing, and monitoring strategic priorities, annual goals, divisional initiatives, and long-range planning efforts.
• Manage the Vice President's strategic project portfolio, ensuring initiatives remain organized, prioritized, and aligned with divisional and institutional objectives.
• Develop comprehensive project plans that include objectives, timelines, milestones, deliverables, responsible parties, and follow-up strategies.
• Coordinate strategic planning meetings, project work sessions, and cross-functional initiatives requiring collaboration across the University.
• Prepare meeting agendas, executive briefing materials, presentations, background research, decision summaries, and follow-up action plans.
• Develop and maintain annual planning calendars, project trackers, executive dashboards, and organizational systems that strengthen communication, accountability, and execution across University Advancement.
• Coordinate volunteer initiatives, campaign planning, executive meetings, strategic partnerships, institutional initiatives, and special projects.
• Conduct research, benchmarking, environmental scans, and executive analyses to support informed decision-making and continuous improvement.
• Monitor deadlines, commitments, approvals, and deliverables while proactively identifying issues requiring executive attention and recommending solutions.
• Ensure executive priorities are translated into actionable work plans and coordinated across the Division, maintaining visibility into progress, accountability, and successful completion of strategic initiatives.

Executive Philanthropy & Leadership Engagement

• Partner with the President, Vice President, Deans, and senior leadership to strategically manage executive donor portfolios, ensuring the University's highest-level philanthropic relationships advance through meaningful engagement and disciplined follow-through.
• Develop executive engagement strategies that align presidential, vice-presidential, and dean-level activities with fundraising priorities, campaign objectives, and institutional goals.
• Coordinate and monitor executive touchpoints, including discovery visits, cultivation meetings, solicitations, stewardship activities, proposals, and follow-up actions involving principal, major, corporate, and foundation prospects.
• With Vice President’s guidance, ensure every executive prospect has a documented engagement strategy, clear next steps, and coordinated stewardship plan that advances the relationship through the fundraising pipeline.
• Coordinate and set presidential and vice-presidential donor visits, executive briefings, volunteer meetings, campus tours, and strategic engagement opportunities.
• Prepare executive briefing materials, donor profiles, itineraries, presentations, talking points, correspondence, and follow-up communications.
• Coordinate executive meetings involving the President, Vice President, Deans, trustees, donors, alumni leaders, corporate executives, foundation representatives, elected officials, and community partners.
• Partner with Development Officers and Advancement Services to ensure CRM records, contact reports, proposals, assignments, and portfolio activity remain current and accurate.
• Identify opportunities to strategically connect donors with University leadership, faculty, students, research, and institutional priorities to strengthen long-term engagement and philanthropic investment.

University Engagement, Signature Events & Executive Initiatives

• Support the strategic planning and coordination of the University's signature engagement opportunities, ensuring alignment with institutional priorities, advancement objectives, and executive engagement strategies.
• Coordinate executive planning for presidential inaugurations, commencements, Board meetings, donor recognition events, alumni programs, campaign activities, community engagement initiatives, leadership forums, and other significant University events.
• Partner closely with the University's Campus Events team, Marketing & Communications, academic leaders, and other campus partners to coordinate executive participation, planning timelines, communications, hospitality, project management, and related logistics, while supporting the successful execution of major institutional events.
• Assist in developing event objectives, agendas, executive briefing materials, presentations, talking points, and post-event follow-up strategies.
• Coordinate executive hospitality, VIP experiences, campus tours, and leadership engagement activities that strengthen relationships with donors, alumni, trustees, community leaders, and strategic partners.
• Support the planning and implementation of comprehensive fundraising campaigns, executive engagement strategies, and major institutional initiatives.
• Coordinate campaign leadership activities, executive volunteer engagement, campaign planning meetings, and strategic implementation efforts.
• Monitor campaign milestones, executive assignments, fundraising priorities, and institutional initiatives while ensuring accountability and timely execution.
• Serve as an extension of the Vice President by proactively monitoring commitments, action items, and strategic priorities while ensuring initiatives continue moving forward.

Strategic Execution, Analytics & Organizational Effectiveness

• Develop executive dashboards, reports, planning tools, presentations, and progress updates supporting fundraising, engagement, communications, and strategic initiatives.
• Monitor fundraising performance, executive engagement, campaign activity, volunteer leadership, and organizational priorities while identifying trends, opportunities, and areas for continuous improvement.
• Prepare executive reports, PowerPoint presentations, briefing documents, timelines, and visual communications utilizing Microsoft Office, CRM systems, Power BI, and related technologies.
• Analyze information, prepare recommendations, and provide executive decision support through research, benchmarking, and data analysis.
• Collaborate with Development, Alumni Relations, Advancement Services, Marketing & Communications, Deans, Cabinet members, campus leaders, the Campus Events team, and other University partners to strengthen communication, improve organizational effectiveness, and ensure successful execution of divisional priorities.
• Recommend innovative approaches that strengthen fundraising, executive engagement, communications, project management, and operational effectiveness across University Advancement.
• Foster collaboration, accountability, continuous improvement, and a culture of excellence throughout University Advancement.

Other Duties

Perform other duties as assigned in support of the mission, vision, and goals of Midwestern University and University Advancement.

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Must be able to work in a constant state of alertness and safe manner and have regular, predictable, in-person attendance.  Candidate must have very strong written and verbal communication skills.  The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education and/or Experience                                                   

• Bachelor's degree required; Master's degree preferred.
• Five years of progressively responsible experience in fundraising, project management, signature event engagement, donor relations and execution, preferably within a higher education institution or corporate environment required.
• 1-2 years of supervisory experience preferred.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills are required.
• Demonstrated success supporting executive leadership, managing complex initiatives, coordinating strategic projects, and driving organizational priorities to completion.
• Exceptional organizational, written, verbal, presentation, interpersonal, and project management skills.
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office, particularly PowerPoint and Excel, with experience developing executive presentations, reports, dashboards, and planning tools.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze complex information, prioritize competing initiatives, exercise sound judgment, maintain confidentiality, and manage multiple high-level priorities simultaneously.
• Proven ability to build collaborative relationships with executive leadership, trustees, Deans, faculty, donors, alumni, volunteers, and external partners.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in Business Administration, Higher Education Administration, Public Administration, Nonprofit Management, Communications, Healthcare Administration, or a related field.
• Experience supporting executive leadership within higher education, healthcare, academic medicine, or nonprofit organizations.
• Experience with CRM systems, Power BI, Tableau, Smartsheet, Microsoft Project, or comparable project management and reporting platforms.
• Experience supporting comprehensive fundraising campaigns, executive communications, presidential engagement, donor relations, campaign management, volunteer leadership, or institutional strategic initiatives.

Computer Skills                                               

Computer proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint).  Fundraising Database experience required.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this Job, the employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, use hands to handle or feel and reach with hands and arms.  The employee is frequently required to sit, talk and hear.  The employee must occasionally lift and /or move up to 10 pounds.

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.  The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Midwestern University is a private, not-for-profit organization that provides graduate and post-graduate education in the health sciences. The University has two campuses, one in Downers Grove, Illinois and the other in Glendale, Arizona. More than 6,000 full-time students are enrolled in graduate programs in osteopathic medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, physician assistant studies, physical therapy, occupational therapy, nurse anesthesia, cardiovascular perfusion, podiatry, optometry, clinical psychology, speech language pathology, biomedical sciences and veterinary medicine. Over 500 full-time faculty members and 400 staff members are dedicated to the education and development of our students in an environment that encourages learning, respect for all members of the health care team, service, interdisciplinary scholarly activity, and personal growth.

We offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, and vision insurance plans as well as life insurance, short/long term disability and pet insurance.  We offer flexible spending accounts including healthcare reimbursement and child/dependent care account.  We offer a work life balance with competitive time off package including paid holiday’s, sick/flex days, personal days and vacation days.  We offer a 403(b) retirement plan, tuition reimbursement, child care subsidy reimbursement program, identity theft protection and an employee assistance program.  Wellness is important to us and we offer a wellness facility on-site with a fully equipped fitness facility. 

Midwestern University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer that does not discriminate against an employee or applicant based upon race; color; religion; creed; national origin or ancestry; ethnicity; sex (including pregnancy); gender (including gender expressions, gender identity; and sexual orientation); marital status; age; disability; citizenship; past, current, or prospective service in the uniformed services; genetic information; or any other protected class, in accord with all federal, state and local laws and regulations. Midwestern University complies with the Smoke-Free Arizona Act (A.R.S. 36-601.01) and the Smoke Free Illinois Act (410 ILCS 82/).  Midwestern University complies with the Illinois Equal Pay Act of 2003 and Arizona Equal Pay Acts.