Director Of Partnership Development Jobs in Oregon

Department: University Advancement

Appointment Type and Duration: Regular,Ongoing

Salary: $90,000-$94,000 per year

Compensation Band: OS-OA09-Fiscal Year2026-2027

FTE: 1.0

Hybrid eligible - located in Eugene or Portland

Position closes September 1, 2026

The University of Oregon is one of the nation's leading publicresearch universities, recognized for its commitment to academicexcellence, innovation, and student success. Located in Eugene witha growing presence in Portland and throughout the West Coast, theuniversity brings together world-class faculty, dedicated alumni,and passionate supporters to create meaningful impact throughteaching, research, and public service.

University Advancement plays a vital role in advancing theuniversity's mission by connecting alumni, parents, and friendswith opportunities to invest in the future of Oregon. Throughstrategic philanthropy and relationship-building, the division supports transformative initiatives that expand access toeducation, fuel groundbreaking research, and strengthen theuniversity's impact around the world.

Learn more about University Advancement: https://advancement.uoregon.edu/

As the Director of Development, Regional Philanthropy for SouthernCalifornia, you will serve as a frontline major gift fundraiserresponsible for building meaningful relationships with alumni,parents, and friends throughout the California and Hawaii region.Reporting to the Senior Director of Regional Philanthropy, you'llmanage a portfolio of major gift prospects and develop strategiesthat inspire philanthropic investments supporting the University ofOregon's highest priorities.

This highly collaborative position partners closely withdevelopment colleagues across schools, colleges, centraladvancement, annual philanthropy, principal gifts, and advancementanalytics to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward donorscapable of making transformational gifts. Success in this role ismeasured by meaningful donor engagement, portfolio growth, andphilanthropic support that advances the university's mission.

Your contribution will likely include:

• Manage an active portfolio of major gift prospects through allphases of identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation,and stewardship.
• Personally solicit major and planned gifts while supportingdonor strategies led by university leadership and developmentcolleagues.
• Build thoughtful cultivation and stewardship plans thatstrengthen long-term donor relationships.
• Identify and qualify new major gift prospects throughout theCalifornia and Hawaii region.
• Travel extensively throughout the assigned territory to meetwith donors and prospects.
• Partner with development colleagues across schools, colleges,and central advancement to coordinate fundraising strategies andmaximize donor engagement.
• Build productive relationships with faculty, administrators,alumni volunteers, and university leadership.
• Collaborate with Annual Philanthropy, Gift Planning, PrincipalGifts, Prospect Development, and Advancement Analytics tostrengthen fundraising outcomes and maintain accurate donorrecords.

• Partner with advancement leadership to establish fundraisinggoals and regional strategies.
• Help develop and manage regional budgets and fundraisinginitiatives.
• Collaborate with university and alumni association partners tomaximize donor engagement opportunities.
• Recognize and steward gifts in partnership with donor relationscolleagues.
• Participate in development meetings, strategic planning, andregional initiatives.
• Maintain sound fiscal oversight while ensuring compliance withuniversity policies.
• Foster an inclusive, collaborative, and service-orientedculture with colleagues, alumni, volunteers, and donors.
• Support additional advancement initiatives as needed.

• Bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of education andexperience.
• Three years of professional fundraising experience or five yearscombined experience in development and in a closely related fieldsuch as corporate sales.

• Working with donors and prospects: Extensive experience inprospect identification, cultivation, and solicitation with ademonstrated ability to build relationships with donors andprospects, including those who are hard-to-engage or not wellconnected to the university. Ability to maximize gift potentialsfor outright and estate gifts, educate new donors and prospectsabout major gift philanthropy, and leverage volunteerism towardsgiving.
• Portfolio management and systems: Ability to identify topprospects and strategies for a portfolio, including organizing bypotential, connections, and timelines to optimize activity andportfolio makeup; prioritize prospects and regions while fullyengaging with a robust portfolio; and provide constructive feedbackon prospect management systems and structures.
• Professionalism and citizenship: Ability to establish andmaintain strong working relationships with faculty, staff, andothers as appropriate and contribute ideas in interactions anddiscussions with management, peers, and campus partners. Thisincludes actively collaborating and sharing credit with colleaguesas well as communicating in a positive and proactive manner withfellow development officers, leadership, and Prospect Development,and Development Analytics staff.
• Institutional navigation and industry knowledge: Ability torepresent the university's history, mission, demographics, faculty,current programs, departments, and culture, and persuasivelyarticulate how the UO distinguishes itself from peer institutions.Competence in connecting mission and objectives across departmentsinto donor strategies, and extensive knowledge of best practices,trends, current strategies, and other information relevant tophilanthropy in higher education major gifts.
• Pipeline strategy and development: Ability to navigate and leadbroader pipeline discussions for a program, including segmentedstrategy for different donor audiences, strategic alignment tomaximize the impact of annual philanthropy and alumni associationtowards the unit's development goals, and collaboration for sharedprospects across campus.
• Strategic planning: Ability to communicate and articulate howindividual initiatives and programmatic direction fit into overalladvancement strategy; as well as use 12-month and multi-yearprojections and strategic planning tools to reach goals andanticipate trends, gaps, and priorities.
• Commitment to promoting and enhancing diversity, equity, andinclusion.
• Ability to interact, communicate, and work effectively withindividuals from a variety of backgrounds and cultures.
• Ability to travel.

• Experience in higher education development and understanding ofthe nature of a professional school and research university.
• Experience working effectively with volunteer boards.

FLSA Exempt: Yes

All offers of employment are contingent upon successful completion of a background check.

The University of Oregon is proud to offer a robust benefitspackage to eligible employees, including health insurance,retirement plans, and paid time off. For more information aboutbenefits, visit ourwebsite.

The University of Oregon is an equal-opportunity institutioncommitted to cultural diversity and compliance with the Americanswith Disabilities Act. The University encourages all qualifiedindividuals to apply and does not discriminate on the basis of anyprotected status, including veteran and disability status. TheUniversity is committed to providing reasonable accommodations toapplicants and employees with disabilities. To request anaccommodation in connection with the application process, pleaseemail us or call541-346-5112.

UO prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion,national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genderexpression, pregnancy (including pregnancy-related conditions),age, physical or mental disability, genetic information (includingfamily medical history), ancestry, familial status, citizenship,service in the uniformed services (as defined in federal and statelaw), veteran status, expunged juvenile record, and/or the use ofleave protected by state or federal law in all programs, activitiesand employment practices as required by Title IX, other applicablelaws, and policies. Retaliation is prohibited by UO policy.Questions may be referred to the Office of Equal Opportunity andAccess. Contact information, related policies, and complaintprocedures are listedhere.

In compliance with federal law, the University of Oregon preparesan annual report on campus security and fire safety programs andservices. The Annual Campus Security and Fire Safety Report isavailable online.