Development Specialist, Development and Alumni Relations, Cockrell School of Engineering

As a top-10 engineering school with the No. 1 program in Texas, the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) has been a global leader in technology innovation and engineering education for over a century. With 11 undergraduate and 13 graduate programs, over 20 research centers and a faculty community that boasts one of the highest number of National Academy of Engineering members among U.S. universities, Texas Engineering has launched some of the nation’s most accomplished leaders and pioneered world-changing solutions in virtually every industry, from space exploration to energy to health care. Situated in the heart of Austin — named “America’s Coolest City” by Expedia and “The Best Place to Live in the U.S.” by U.S. News and World Report — the Cockrell School embodies the city’s innovative spirit. Major companies with Austin campuses, such as Dell, National Instruments, Apple, IBM, Samsung, Google and many others, continue to recruit Cockrell School students at a remarkable rate, launching thousands of successful careers and developing Texas Engineers into industry leaders.

Purpose

This position partners with the Cockrell School of Engineering (CSE) Development Office to further the School’s strategic priorities by acting as administrative support to the Executive Assistant/Advancement Services Manager, Directors of Development, Associate Directors of Development, and/or other designated supervisors.  This position will also assist with the supervision of the Development Associate(s), who provide administrative support to the team.

Responsibilities

• Provide administrative support to the Development Team and individual Development Officers. Functions include, but are not limited to, answering telephones, scanning, shredding, and filing documents, making travel arrangements; initiating Requests for Travel Authorizations; contacting prospects to schedule appointments; preparing travel documents; development of donor profiles and briefing materials for meetings and events; handling reimbursement for travel; assisting with follow up from donor visits; drafting and editing letters, proposals, reports, and other materials for major donors and prospects; assist with the maintenance of current information in VIP system for donors; Manage the Development Officers’ calendars and coordinate their activities and meetings with the overall development, Dean’s and the Cockrell School calendar.  Coordinates the management of donors’ records for the office and for other departments. Trains appropriate personnel in the use and requirements of the electronic system, which maintains the alumni/donor database.
• Oversee the development associate who provides direct support to the gift officers and/or other projects as assigned. Support the Engineering Advisory Board mentorship program
• Responsible for working with the development team to assist with the implementation of stewardship programming for Cockrell School donors.  Coordinate activities for the stewardship program, including tours of engineering for alumni, prospective students, and friends of the university upon request.  Oversee the timely acknowledgement of all gifts; including merging and preparing thank you letters for the appropriate person’s signature, as well as drafting and producing correspondence, reports, and follow-up materials.
• Interact with Cockrell School colleagues and other University departments to obtain and share information and materials for donor visits and other purposes. On request, assist the Stewardship Team and other parts of the development operation with meetings, events, fundraising and stewardship functions.
• Assist with the endowment process, to include assisting the development team in the creation of endowment agreements for donors, coordinating internal approval process with Endowment Services and Compliance.  Additional responsibilities include assisting with donor recognition (plaques and certificates).
• Assist with alumni outreach efforts, to include maintenance of current information in VIP system for donors, answering phones, assisting other team members, maintaining copies of documents in office files, attendance at occasional evening and weekend events and scheduling meetings, securing room reservations, and catering as requested.
• Serve as a member of the Development Team. Provide backup support to other administrative personnel in the Engineering Development and Alumni Relations team and other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree and at least one year of experience in administration, development, or related fields.
• At least one year of experience.
• Experience providing administrative or operational support to a multi-faceted team.
• Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to think strategically and creatively, work well under pressure, and manage details of several concurrent projects.
• Proven project management skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a team-oriented environment.
• Capable of working independently.
• Work with integrity and professionalism.

Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Preferred Qualifications

• Two or more years of relevant experience.
• More than a year of experience in a supervisory role.
• More than two years of experience with fundraising at UT Austin.
• Experience working in a large-scale research university.
• Bachelor’s Degree in English, Journalism, or Communications.
• Thorough understanding of the development process and the integral role stewardship and development communications play in overall fundraising strategy.
• Working knowledge of UT Austin’s policies and procedures.
• Experience with VIP database and DEFINE.

Salary Range

$54,000 + depending on qualifications

Working Conditions

• May work around standard office conditions
• Repetitive use of a keyboard at a workstation
• Occasional evening and weekend work may be required for events or during peak periods.

Work Shift

• Standard work schedule is Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
• Periodic work outside of normal business hours, to include evenings and weekends, may be required on a periodic basis or for special events.

Required Materials

• Resume/CV
• Letter of interest
• 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor

Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume in the first step of the online job application process. Then, any additional Required Materials will be uploaded in the My Experience section; you can multi-select the additional files or click the Upload button for each file. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded.  Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find Jobs. Before you apply though, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will need to click the Upload button multiple times in order to attach your Resume, References and any additional Required Materials noted above.

Employment Eligibility:

Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion/transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval.

Retirement Plan Eligibility:

The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

Background Checks:

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

Pay Transparency:

The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.

Employment Eligibility Verification:

If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form.  You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States.  Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment.  Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.

E-Verify:

The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university’s company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following:

• E-Verify Poster (English and Spanish) [PDF]
• Right to Work Poster (English) [PDF]
• Right to Work Poster (Spanish) [PDF]

Compliance:

Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031.

The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.