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Department

BSD DEV - Development

About the Department

Medicine and Biological Sciences Development’s mission is to inspire and facilitate philanthropy at the University of Chicago Medicine by building relationships with those who share its goals of advancing excellence in research, education, community, and patient care. We accomplish this mission through expertise, integrity, creativity, and collaboration.

Job Summary

Reporting to the Vice President & Associate Dean for Medical and Biological Sciences Development, the Assistant Vice President & Chief of Staff serves as a senior strategic leader for fundraising, operations, and organizational initiatives supporting UChicago Medicine’s philanthropic mission and the newly launched Chicago Minds Campaign. In addition to their own major gifts portfolio, the position manages teams and oversees core functions such as research, analytics, donor relations, outreach, and marketing, and leads affiliate hospital and international fundraising to expand engagement and success. As part of the Executive Leadership Team, they collaborate with senior leadership and stakeholders to advance campaign goals, including participation on the Board of Trustees Development Committee. The role requires sophisticated leadership, strategic analysis, and relationship-building across the University, health system, and community to achieve ambitious fundraising and organizational objectives.

Responsibilities

• Reporting to the Vice President & Associate Dean for Medical and Biological Sciences Development, the Assistant Vice President & Chief of Staff serves as a senior strategic leader for fundraising, operations, and organizational initiatives supporting UChicago Medicine’s philanthropic mission and the newly launched Chicago Minds Campaign.
• Acts as a trusted advisor and strategic partner to the Vice President, helping drive fundraising performance, campaign execution, principal gift strategy, and organizational effectiveness across MBSD. In addition to their own major gifts portfolio, the Assistant Vice President oversees core functional areas including: strategic research, analytics, & donor relations; outreach engagement; and marketing & communications.
• Leads and executes two critical components of the organization's comprehensive development strategy: providing strategic direction and support to affiliate hospital fundraising programs and partnering with the medical center's international programs to advance philanthropic engagement and growth. The Assistant Vice President will drive program development, foster collaboration, and identify opportunities to expand fundraising success across both areas.
• As a member of the Executive Leadership Team (ELT), collaborates closely with senior university and medicine leadership, faculty, trustees, campaign volunteers, and advancement professionals to advance philanthropic priorities and support health and medicine’s goal of raising $2B during the campaign.
• Manages complex initiatives, builds high-performing teams, navigates a highly matrixed academic medical environment, and represents the Vice President in interactions with internal and external stakeholders.
• Participates on the UChicago Medicine Board of Trustees Development Committee.
• Collaborates with University Advancement, monitors progress toward meeting goals and achieving benchmarks, and analyzes data produced by their research and analytics team.
• Manages and executes other special projects on behalf of the Vice President in priority areas as requested, contributing strategy, critical thinking, and analysis, and may lead or participate on project teams, such as grateful patient programs and/or faculty training.
• Develops and maintains a broad understanding of the UChicago Medicine and Biological Sciences, and the broader University in order to represent the University to a variety of stakeholders. Holds a deep appreciation for its mission, its science, and its contributions to society; forming and maintaining productive and positive relationships with the EVP/Dean of the Medical Center, administrative staff of the University, and President of the UCM Health System, civic leaders, and colleagues across MBSD and Advancement.
• Manages, motivates, and mentors large teams, including up to 5 direct reports and up to 30 staff in total. Holds a deep understanding of these functions and provides management, mentorship, empowerment, and strategic direction to ensure their direct reports and their teams are effective in reaching their goals and impacting fundraising results.
• Facilitates interdepartmental cooperation to maximize productivity and meet the needs of the department’s fundraising goals, empowering MBSD to raise $150M+ per year. Provides policy advice and decision-making strategies for MBSD. Considerable judgment and experience are necessary in order to analyze organizational issues, identify department-wide impacts, and make sound recommendations.
• Works closely with the Vice President, AVPs, Managing Directors, UCM, BSD and University faculty, and other key leaders in establishing and executing multi-faceted fundraising plans that meet or exceed established fundraising goals and enhance the organization.
• Manages a small principal and major gifts portfolio.
• Serves as a role model by mentoring staff and implementing best practices that drive fundraising success and operational effectiveness. Reinforces the interconnected nature of fundraising goals and operations, fostering a culture in which all team members understand and value their role in advancing organizational goals.
• Drives both philanthropic growth and operational effectiveness across MBSD and Central Advancement.
• Provides strategic leadership and guidance to affiliate hospital fundraising programs, supporting the growth and effectiveness of community-based and grateful patient fundraising initiatives. Identifies opportunities, shares best practices, and strengthens their fundraising capacity. Leads efforts to develop and enhance grateful patient fundraising programs, helping affiliates establish sustainable processes for patient engagement, donor identification, stewardship, and solicitation.
• Oversees communications and data projects developed by their team to share analytical results and strategic thinking with the Board of Trustees and other critical University and volunteer leadership.
• Crafts high-quality correspondence that is decisive and professional and may include subject matter requiring considerable sensitivity, discretion, judgment, or negotiation. Writes, edits, and contributes strategy to a wide variety of MBSD documents and materials, including internal and external communications, briefings, proposals, and presentations.
• Advises the Vice President on operations, management, and donor engagement tactics and strategies, working across the organization and externally on behalf of the Vice President to gather and prioritize information, ensuring appropriate and timely follow-up, and determining next steps.
• Interacts with offices within the University of Chicago enterprise including, but not limited to: the Dean’s Office, the Office of the President, etc. and the offices of high-profile external constituents, operating with the highest level of resourcefulness, acumen, and confidentiality.
• Develops high-level prospects through visits, events, correspondence, and regular calls. Maintains relationships with top donors, various volunteer committees, and top administrators. Solicits gifts and negotiates complex gift discussions.
• Manages employees through subordinates, usually other managers. Establishes performance goals, allocates resources and applies policies for direct subordinates.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Education:

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

Work Experience:

Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 10+ years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Certifications:

-

Preferred Qualifications

Experience:

• Fifteen years of progressively responsible experience in consulting, business administration or development, preferably in a private higher education or academic medical center environment is required, with demonstrated success in closing leadership 7-and-8-figure gifts

• A minimum of 8-10 years of success in managing and motivating staff or volunteers.

• Experience in successfully managing budgets.

• Public speaking expertise and coaching skills.

• Administrative experience in a complex hierarchical organization.

• Experience in development or a related field.

• Experience working with large hierarchical organizations.

• Experience in or education/training in a medical field and an interest and knowledge base in health care economics, medical research, and health care policy.

• Experience in marketing and communications, and research and analytics.

Preferred Competencies

• The ability to build strong and sustainable relationships and the capability to interact within all levels of the organization.

• High adaptability to change, as well as the ability to accept and incorporate new ideas to innovate work processes and procedures.

• Excellent interpersonal and written communication skills are required as well as a demonstrated ability to think creatively without excessive risk.

• The acumen to handle complex situations and multiple responsibilities simultaneously mixing long-term projects with the urgency of immediate demands on operations.

• A sense of humor, a humble approach, and a high level of comfort working with ambiguity.

• Excellent written and oral communications skills.

• Excellent interpersonal communications and human relations skills including political astuteness with strong influencing, brokerage, and negotiation skills.

• Ability to provide clear, straightforward advice and results that create value to the entire organization.

• Ability to work across departmental, divisional and other lines with members, professionals and stakeholders to achieve actionable results.

• Proven ability to manage and motivate teams and individuals to reach established goals.

• Skill in solving problems and issues with all levels of staff.

• Ability to act in a decisive manner and speak with professionalism and certainty on behalf of the Vice President when dealing with a variety of contacts.

• Ability to take the lead in negotiations at the highest levels, and to determine acceptable solutions to complex or controversial problems.

• A high degree of capability for identifying, evaluating, and resolving issues and areas for improvement.

• Strong organizational skills as evidenced by a record of meeting or exceeding deadlines through both people and process driven approaches.

• Ability to perform positively under pressure and consistently deliver results.

• Ability to provide input to the planning of annual budgets at a complex level and monitor budgetary expenditures.

• Ability to operate with minimal guidance in areas of immediate responsibility.

Application Documents

• Resume (required)

• Cover Letter (required)

The University of Chicago uses AI-assisted tools to streamline and augment some recruitment processes; however, AI is not used to make hiring decisions.

When applying, the document(s) MUST be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.

Job Family

Alumni Relations & Development

Role Impact

People Manager

Scheduled Weekly Hours

37.5

Drug Test Required

No

Health Screen Required

No

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required

No

Pay Rate Type

Salary

FLSA Status

Exempt

Pay Range

$220,000.00 - $300,000.00

The included pay rate or range represents the University’s good faith estimate of the possible compensation offer for this role at the time of posting.

Benefits Eligible

Yes

The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in the Benefits Guidebook.

Posting Statement

The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.

All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history. A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment. Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.

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