Development Assistant Jobs in Lawrence, KS (NOW HIRING)

Lawrence Development Leadership Administrator
Department: Lawrence Development
Reports to: Assistant Vice Presidents, Lawrence Development
FLSA Status: Non - exempt
The anticipated salary for this position starts at $63,600+. The final pay will be determined based on several factors, including qualifications, experience, education, and years within the job or industry, with a strong emphasis on maintaining internal equity.
Who we are and what we're about:
KU Endowment is an independent, nonprofit organization and the official fundraising foundation for the University of Kansas. We partner with donors in providing philanthropic support to build a greater KU.
As an employee of KU Endowment, you'll witness firsthand the power of our donors' generosity. You will join a talented and fun group of people who are inspired to help KU through the support of loyal alumni and friends. This support fuels excellence, enabling students and faculty to develop innovative programs and research that distinguish the university. We connect the philanthropic passions of donors with the needs of students, faculty and programs - and everyone benefits.
People are engaged. Purpose is ignited. Lives are changed.
What we are looking for:
This position provides administrative, communications, and operational support to three Lawrence Development Assistant Vice Presidents whose portfolios include constituent fundraising management, the development and execution of strategic fundraising initiatives, and oversight of their own donor portfolios.
The individual in this role manages day-to-day operations for senior leaders, including oversight of email inboxes and dynamic calendars. They ensure calendars are structured with thoughtful pacing-including breaks and travel time between commitments-and anticipate meeting needs by preparing required materials in advance. Responsibilities also include proactive monitoring, triaging, drafting responses, and routing inquiries appropriately, while collaborating closely with the AVPs, who remain actively engaged in their own communications. Additional duties include supporting expense reporting, mileage tracking, monitoring development budgets, and capital and development projects management as needed.
Success in this position requires exceptional organizational skills and strong written communication abilities; the capacity to draft sensitive, time critical materials with minimal guidance; and the confidence to represent leadership priorities accurately and consistently. The individual must handle confidential information with sound judgment and discretion.
This role is essential to ensuring development leaders remain focused on their highest value work, enabling them to carry out fundraising, strategic planning, and people management responsibilities efficiently and effectively.
The individual in this position is expected to embrace KU Endowment's stated core values - collaboration, curiosity, empowerment, and excellence - and demonstrate support for them through professional interactions and activities.
Hybrid Work Environment:
Following the initial training period, this position offers a hybrid work schedule, with the flexibility to work remotely for part of the week. However, the role requires multiple days per week on-site at our Lawrence, KS office to ensure effective collaboration, team engagement, and alignment with organizational goals.
What's a typical day look like?
Senior Level Administrative, Communications, and Leadership Execution Support

• Serve as the primary administrative and communications support for two managing Assistant Vice Presidents of Development and one Assistant Vice President of Strategic Initiatives.
• Serve as a central coordination and execution support resource for leadership driven- initiatives by translating priorities into actionable tasks, coordinating inputs across teams, monitoring progress, and supporting the development of key deliverables, in partnership with formal project management resources when applicable.
• Actively monitor, manage, and triage email inboxes, determining appropriate action, drafting responses, redirecting inquiries, and escalating issues as needed.
• Draft, edit, and finalize critical written communications, including internal memos, donor correspondence, campus partner communications, and leadership summaries, often with minimal direction.
• Correspond independently and directly with donors, campus partners, and senior staff, exercising discretion and sound judgment.

Strategic Triage and Workflow Management

• Anticipate needs, manage deadlines, and proactively address conflicts or gaps across leaders' portfolios.
• Ensure timely follow-through and clear communication across teams.

Planning, Coordination, and Meeting Effectiveness

• Manage multiple and complex calendars, balancing competing priorities and proactively resolving scheduling conflicts.
• Coordinate meeting preparation, including agendas, briefing materials, background information, and post meeting follow-up.

Organizational Effectiveness and Information Management

• Maintain records and documentation of a highly confidential nature, ensuring compliance with privacy and data handling standards.
• Support onboarding and integration of new AVPs by serving as a knowledgeable resource on processes, partners, and expectations.

Relationship Management and Representation

• Represent AVPs with professionalism, diplomacy, and confidence in interactions with donors, campus administrators, and internal stakeholders.
• Build strong working relationships across departments to facilitate collaboration and problem solving.
• Model executive presence and sound judgment in all interactions, serving as a trusted and reliable point of contact.
• Regular and reliable attendance is essential. Performs other duties as assigned.

What's required to be considered:

• High school diploma or equivalent required.
• Bachelor's degree preferred.
• Minimum of three to five years of administrative or executive support experience, or an equivalent combination of administrative and transferable professional experience (e.g., project management, coordination), preferably supporting senior or executive leadership.
• Familiarity with KU Endowment and the University of Kansas enterprise preferred.

What separates the best from the rest?

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to draft high stakes- communications independently.
• Proven ability to exercise discretion, judgment, and confidentiality.
• Advanced organizational and prioritization skills; able to manage complexity across multiple leaders and functions.
• Ability to provide administrative support for projects, including managing timelines, organizing materials, tracking next steps, and coordinating communication among team members.
• Strong interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence; able to build trust with donors, campus leaders, and colleagues.
• Strategic thinking with the ability to connect daily execution to larger organizational goals.
• Proactive, solutions-oriented mindset with the ability to anticipate- needs and propose improvements.
• High proficiency in Microsoft Office products, collaboration tools, and databases.
• Ability to work independently while operating as an integral member of a senior leadership team.
• Preferred experience in CRM databases (e.g., SalesForce), project management tools (e.g., Asana), business intelligence and analytics software (e.g. Tableau), and visualization tools (e.g., Visio)

Physical Requirements:

• A valid driver's license.
• Must have access to reliable transportation to travel between multiple locations for training, donor meetings, networking, events and/or work-related activities.
• Must be able to respond quickly and effectively to directions and safety hazards.
• This job operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office productivity machinery such as computers, keyboards and a mouse, laptops, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets and fax machines.
• This is largely a sedentary role; however, some filing is required. This would require the ability to move files, open filing cabinets and bend or stand as necessary.
• The ability to observe details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• The person in this position frequently communicates with donors, colleagues, students, and general public. Must be able to communicate with others effectively.
• Physical effort/lifting, such as medium up to 50 pounds.
• Rare travel requirements can include the following, evenings, weekends, and out-of-town overnights as a regular part of the job.

KU Endowment is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals to enable them to perform the essential functions of the job as regulated by ADA. If you require accommodation for any part of the application process or during employment, please contact humanresources@kuendowment.org to discuss your needs.
We've got you covered:
KU Endowment offers a competitive salary with an excellent benefit package including:

• 100% employer-paid pension plan
• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) and Roth 401(k) matching program
• Section 125 flexible benefits
• Generous paid leave including holidays, personal and sick leave
• Volunteer and community engagement opportunities
• Paid Parental Leave
• Life, AD&D, short- and long-term disability insurance
• Legal & ID Theft protection
• Critical Illness
• Accident and Hospital Indemnity insurance
• KU education assistance
• Free parking

Sounds good, right? What's next?
Please include your resume and cover letter when applying for this position on our website at https://www.kuendowment.org/careers .
Questions regarding this vacancy may be addressed to:
Human Resources
KU Endowment
PO Box 928
Lawrence, KS 66044-0928
Email: humanresources@kuendowment.org
Review of applications begins immediately and continues until the position is filled. Because of the sensitive nature of KU Endowment business and the importance of our reputation with donors, KU Endowment conducts a comprehensive review of applicants. By submitting your application, you authorize us to conduct reference checks and a review of available public information. Employment is contingent upon background and reference checks that KU Endowment finds acceptable.