Northwestern University · 22 hours ago
Assistant Director, Operations - McCormick
Evanston, IL
Full-time
Onsite
Mid Level
$64K/yr - $65K/yr
3+ years expNorthwestern University is seeking an Assistant Director for Operations in the McCormick School of Engineering. The role focuses on enhancing fundraising and development operations through collaboration across departments, overseeing programmatic initiatives, and managing relationships with alumni and donors.
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Responsibilities
Administers & maintains existing strategic plans
Recommends changes & improvements to operational services strategies to better meet team needs & objectives
Involves high level of collaboration with internal department partners and moderate level of collaboration with University partners in implementing and expanding existing relationships to accomplish strategic goals
Innovate and improve team business processes by collaborating with internal ARD partners to understand needs and goals
Liaise with the Dean’s Office to help efficiently coordinate the Dean’s visits with alumni and donors and ensure timely and accurate briefing materials
Provides oversight and support to staff within the department
Develop effective communications materials (talking points, sample proposals, case-for-support documents) for priority major gift opportunities
Liaise with gift officers and prospect research and management team to identify strong major gift prospects to McCormick
Support gift officer work to qualify, cultivate, and solicit top donors and prospects
Enhance McCormick’s leadership giving program to strategically develop the prospect pipeline for future major gift donors
Draft and develop annual appeal and solicitation communications in partnership with Annual Giving team and Engineering departments to drive giving participation
Liaise with Donor Relations team and McCormick staff contacts for annual expendable and endowed stewardship reports
Develop stewardship communications in line with school priorities for annual fund and leadership giving society, including acknowledgement letter templates and cards
Oversee and manage annual stewardship processes for key McCormick giving programs (Murphy Society and Undergraduate Research Awards)
Partner with the Northwestern Alumni Association team and McCormick partners to scale meaningful engagement opportunities for McCormick alumni
Coordinate with prospect research team to identify potential board members and volunteers aligned with McCormick and department needs
Ensure that McCormick events and engagement opportunities are well-communicated to appropriate audiences to drive participation rates
Identify and track strategic McCormick faculty and programs to feature in alumni engagement opportunities and events
Provide on site and planning support for events involving McCormick faculty and/or alumni
Completes day-to-day oversight, maintenance, continuity and consistency of business processes related operational services
Implements ongoing operational services data integrity initiatives including participating in review, testing and quality assurance of processes, software, hardware, etc
Compiles & analyzes data; prepares reports; shares results and recommendations with clients
Reviews processes and systems and recommends changes to incorporate state-of-the-art processes and technology as appropriate into operational services; streamlining the delivery and/or accessibility of information
Identifies service improvement opportunities that will better enable operational services to achieve its goals and objectives
Creates and maintains documentation, procedures, standards, and policies related to operational services
Researches best practices, peer institutions, market/economic conditions and government rules and regulations and recommends changes and enhancements to improve administrative effectiveness, services and/or resources
Supervises part-time, temporary, and/or work/study employee
Performs other duties as assigned
Qualification
Required
Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree; OR appropriate combination of education and experience
3 years operations, administration, development or equivalent experience is required
Collaboration: Demonstrates the ability to build trust and foster strong working relationships across teams and levels of the organization. Effectively initiates and sustains teamwork, manages diverse stakeholder interests, and communicates clearly and respectfully
Analytical Thinking & Problem Solving: Quickly learns and adapts to new systems, software, and processes. Applies critical thinking to identify root causes, analyze complex issues, and develop practical, effective solutions
Creativity and Innovation: Exhibits curiosity and a willingness to explore new ideas. Thinks creatively and brings fresh perspectives to challenges, contributing to continuous improvement and innovation
Reliability and Initiative: A proactive self-starter who takes ownership of tasks and projects, follows through with minimal supervision, and consistently delivers high-quality results. Demonstrates accountability and dependability in all aspects of work
Time Management & Organizational Skills: Effectively manages multiple, overlapping priorities in a dynamic environment. Adapts to change with agility and maintains focus and organization to drive outcomes and meet deadlines
Preferred
Experience working within a higher education environment, including collaborating with faculty, staff, and academic departments to achieve institutional goals
Strong writing and editing skills
Project management skills
Advanced knowledge of word processing, spreadsheet, email, and database software programs
Benefits
Meaningful, competitive, high-quality health care plans
Retirement benefits
Tuition discounts
Flexible work arrangements
Programs to help you locate and pay for quality, affordable childcare and senior/adult care
Tools and resources for professional growth and development
Company
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research and teaching university that offers academic programs across various fields of study. It is a sub-organization of Northwestern Athletics.
5001-10000 employees
H1B Sponsorship
Northwestern University has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (325)
2024 (308)
2023 (280)
2022 (282)
2021 (184)
2020 (155)
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageTotal Funding
$98.02MKey Investors
National Peanut BoardAdvanced Research Projects Agency for HealthGRAMMY Museum
2024-10-30Grant
2024-10-04Grant· $34M
2023-11-28Grant· $0.02M
Leadership Team
Diego Klabjan
Professor
Henry Bienen
Interim President
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