Director of Corporate & Foundation Relations

Office of Development

Position Summary:

UTHealth Houston is seeking a Director of Corporate & Foundation Relations to lead the strategy, development, and execution of a comprehensive corporate engagement program, complementing broader institutional fundraising efforts. This position will focus on building and strengthening partnerships with local, regional, and national corporations to advance the mission of UTHealth Houston.

The Director will leverage their corporate engagement experience to cultivate and manage strategic partnerships, focusing on identifying and capitalizing on corporate opportunities. This includes researching trends, understanding corporate needs, and aligning them with UTHealth Houston’s mission. The role involves developing tailored engagement strategies, managing a portfolio of prospects and donors, and collaborating with internal and external stakeholders to drive meaningful support for the institution’s objectives.

The successful candidate will have a minimum of five (5) years of experience in higher education or healthcare fundraising, or comparable experience at a foundation or corporation. They will bring a demonstrated track record of success in corporate engagement and partnership development. Key attributes include strong critical thinking and problem-solving abilities, effective listening, and the capacity to build trust and credibility with corporate partners. Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills are essential, as the Director will work collaboratively with institutional leadership, faculty, donors, and staff to further the corporate engagement strategy at UTHealth Houston.

Position Key Accountabilities:

1.    Identifies, cultivates, stewards and manages a large pool of prospective donors.  Develops strategy and solicits gifts from local, national and/or international foundations and corporations.  Constructs a set of activities and initiatives leading to the solicitation of major gifts.  Promotes mutually beneficial relationships between foundations and corporations and UTHealth.  In this capacity, guides foundations and corporations in identifying opportunities for partnership with areas of the University which parallel their priorities
2.    Works with volunteers to identify, cultivate and solicit foundation and corporate prospects.
3.    Works with prospect research to develop a strong and continuous donor pool.
4.    Establishes and maintains strong and effective relationships with the University’s major internal constituencies.
5.    Participates in University development meetings as appropriate.  Attends events/special functions as required.  Travel as required to maintain relationships with donors and to cultivate new prospects.
6.    May manage Human Resources activities for direct reports in regards to: recruiting and selection; hiring and termination, training, development, mentoring, counseling, performance evaluations, and salary planning. 
7.    Responsible for the design, execution and effectiveness of a system of internal controls which provides reasonable assurance that operations are effective and efficient, assets are safeguarded; financial information is reliable and compliant with applicable laws, regulations, policies and procedures.
8.    Performs other duties as assigned.

Certification/Skills:

Demonstrated experience working with senior-level and executive leadership.   Ability to work with minimal supervision; demonstrated energetic and enthusiastic self-starter with the ability to relate well with and influence decisions of a diverse constituency.   Ability to systematically analyze complex issues and resolve problems quickly, using discretion with sensitive material.   Proven track-record of cultivating, soliciting and closing gifts of $50,000 and above.  Ability to communicate complex information clearly in oral and written formats to a variety of audiences.  Experience with Raiser’s Edge or similar software.

 

Minimum Education:

Bachelor degree in a related field.

Minimum Experience:

Five (5) years of experience in higher education or healthcare fundraising, or related work at a foundation or corporation at a level comparable to the needs of the position.

Physical Requirements:

Exerts up to 20 pounds of force occasionally and/or up to 10 pounds frequently and/or a negligible amount constantly to move objects.

 

Security Sensitive:

This job class may contain positions that are security sensitive and thereby subject to the provisions of Texas Education Code § 51.215

Residency Requirement:

Employees must permanently reside and work in the State of Texas.