Senior Director of Principal Gifts

Job Summary:

• Solicitation of principal gifts for The University of Akron from its natural constituency and beyond in the range of 5,000,000+.
• Identify, cultivate, solicit and steward up to 125 prospects for The University of Akron, requiring approximately 80% of their time be spent on direct face-to-face cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship. Responsible for the development and implementation of strategies to drive the principal giving fundraising efforts of strategic initiatives and global principal giving department.
• Functioning as part of a university development team, working collegially, and in partnership, with central and college/school based colleagues.

Essential Functions:

Principal Gift Management ($5M+): Manage strategies for principal gift fundraising by providing planning and oversight to identification, cultivation, stewardship, solicitation, and performance-measurement activities. Ensure a high-level, cohesive approach to the university's most significant philanthropic opportunities.

Portfolio Management: Plan and execute strategies for a portfolio of up to 125 principal gift prospects and donors. Maintain personal responsibility for achieving individual fundraising goals and securing transformative private support for the university. Collaborative Strategy & Execution: Facilitate fundraising visits and collaborate with central development staff, prospect research, and college-based colleagues. Lead cross-functional teams to streamline fundraising activities and perform other duties as assigned.

Leadership and Supervision: Provide strategic direction and supervision to the Director of Development, ensuring the successful management of all college area advancement committees and corporate advisory councils. Oversee the Director’s performance in aligning committee activities with broader university fundraising goals and providing mentorship on donor engagement.

Strategic Goal Setting: Set short and long-term goals and engagement objectives for strategic initiatives and global principal gifts. Evaluate progress against these benchmarks to ensure the sustained growth of the university’s endowment and capital projects.

Prospect Development & Volunteer Engagement: Identify new prospects and develop innovative opportunities for achieving university objectives. Recruit, coordinate, and motivate alumni and campus volunteers, including trustees and senior administrators, to effectively engage global principal gift donors.

Additional Position Information:

Education:

Requires a relevant Bachelor's Degree.

Licenses/Certifications/Requirements:

Valid Ohio Driver’s License.

Experience:

Requires a minimum of 4 years of increasing responsibility in the area of development, alumni relations, public relations or marketing. Proven track record of successful fund raising, relationship building, or preferred sales. Prior supervisor’s experience and development of staff preferred. Demonstrated ability to secure principal gifts of $1M - 5 M+ preferred. Demonstrated credibility is necessary to influence and tactfully manage relationships with internal and external constituencies. Experience in gaining access to and establishing connections with national business, foundation, and industry leaders; philanthropists, and other high-level individuals. Ability to interact with colleagues, supervisors, and customers face to face. Proven ability to plan, initiate, manage, and evaluate challenging logistical situations. Must demonstrate proven ability to troubleshoot and to identify problems and appropriate response to complex issues. Demonstrate excellent communication and interpersonal skills. Capacity to develop and execute complex strategies impacting philanthropic effectiveness. Must possess superior managerial and organizational skills. Strong writing skills required. Must be able to travel and work outside of regular office hours. Computer proficiency (including Microsoft Office and donor or other database systems) and the ability to learn new programs. Ability to meet consistent attendance.

Leadership:

Direct supervision as a first-line supervisor over exempt staff (and non-exempt staff, if applicable).

Physical Requirements:

Job is physically comfortable; individual is normally seated and has discretion about walking, standing, etc. May occasionally lift very lightweight objects.

Application Instructions:

In order to be considered for this position, please complete the online application and attach your resume and a list of 3 professional references.

Application Deadline: Review of applicants will begin on February 7, 2026.

Compensation: The compensation for this position is commensurate with experience.

FLSA Status (exempt/nonexempt):

United States of America (Exempt)

Union Affiliation (if applicable):

For assistance with your application or attachments, please contact the Human Resources representative listed:

Cindy Harm

Email:

[email protected]

Background Check Statement

The University of Akron is committed to providing a safe environment for all students and employees. The University endeavors to protect the health, welfare and safety of all students, employees and visitors on our campus. As such, all offers of employment with The University of Akron are contingent upon verification of credentials, and satisfactory completion of a criminal background check. Some positions may require additional credit investigation and a pre-employment driving record search.

Non-Discrimination Statement

The University of Akron is an Equal Education and Employment Institution. View our

Non-Discrimination Statement

for more information. Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability/veterans.

State of Residence Statement

It is the expectation of the University of Akron that all work performed as an employee of the University will be performed in Ohio.

All About UA

The University of Akron empowers our people to flourish by delivering an applied and community-connected educational experience and cultivating research excellence. Leveraging our passion and expertise, we create innovative academic opportunities, support the well-being of our students and employees, and prioritize community embeddedness and engagement to impact lives through transformative experience. Through this focus, UA aspires to be the leader in community-focused higher education.

The University of Akron is a lifelong learning partner, recognizing and valuing diverse learning experiences and combining traditional classroom experiences with innovative and robust approaches.

As Zips, we prioritize the well-being of our students and employees, cultivate a culture and community where all can flourish, and act as responsible stewards of our resources and infrastructure by leveraging data to differentiate our processes and systems.

We leverage our urban campus as a responsive and reliable partner to identify and meet the needs of the region. We intentionally contribute to economic and workforce development and civic life through research, innovation and engagement to provide community-embedded experiential learning opportunities that will enhance the UA experience for all students.

We welcome candidates who are passionate about shaping and inspiring the next generation of thinkers, experts, artists and leaders.

For more information about The University of Akron or the Akron community please visit our

About UA

page.

Benefits

The University of Akron offers a competitive total compensation package comprised of a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits for eligible employees including medical, dental, vision, short and long-term disability, life insurance, and paid leave of absences including time off for illness, vacation, and maternity or paternity leave. In addition, eligible employees and their dependents are provided tuition remission. All staff and eligible non-bargaining unit faculty have the option to request a Flexible Work Arrangement (FWA). The University of Akron participates in state retirement systems and offers alternative retirement options with competitive employer contributions. Optional investment opportunities are available including deferred compensation programs (403(b) and 457(b)). Please visit our

benefits home page

for more information.