Managing Senior Director of Development, Leeds School of Business

Requisition Number:

71245

Location:

Boulder, Colorado

City

Boulder

State

Colorado

Employment Type:

University Staff

Schedule:

Full-Time

Posting Close Date:

03-May-2026

Date Posted:

10-Apr-2026

Job Summary

Advancement at CU Boulder encourages applications for a Managing Senior Director of Development, Leeds School of Business!

Reporting to and working closely with the Assistant Dean for Advancement, the Managing Senior Director of Development is responsible for strategizing, developing, leading, implementing and managing comprehensive fundraising efforts for the Leeds School of Business.

As a member of the leadership team for this seventeen-person team, this person will make a great impact through both individual contributions and team leadership. This position is responsible for leading, managing and coaching a team of major gift professionals while also carrying a portfolio of principal gift and major gift donors within Colorado and across the United States. Also, this position will serve as a strategic fundraising partner for the centers of excellence within the Leeds School through cocreating support cases, meaningful engagement plans, and ensuring stewardship of donors and their funding.

This position will successfully navigate the substantial complexity of working with various internal and external constituents and balancing the needs of separate entities while still fulfilling the strategic needs of the unit and the Office of Advancement.

CU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. We are committed to creating a workplace where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

Who We Are

CU Boulder Advancement is committed to a culture of joy, motivated by collaboration, passionate about excellence and driven by impact. These four values define the culture and drive engagement and fundraising success. We are committed to fostering an environment where everyone matters and all can thrive. This dedication is rooted in our core values and our mission to drive impactful fundraising and engagement. Our team actively engages in learning, reflection, and the transformation of systems, policies, and practices that perpetuate oppressive ideologies—including racism, sexism, ableism, and heterosexism. We recognize our responsibility to lead by example in building a supportive and inclusive culture for both internal colleagues and external partners. We hold ourselves accountable through individual and divisional goals that continuously assess our progress, growth, and outcomes—ensuring alignment with our mission and values every step of the way.

What Your Key Responsibilities Will Be

Portfolio Management and Donor Engagement

Develop and manage a portfolio of approximately 25-40 individual prospects capable of making gifts at the major and principal gift ($5M+) level. At this level, the portfolio is expected to be mature and stable with about 1/3 of the portfolio existing in the discovery phase.
Work closely with potential donors to invite at least three seven-figure solicitations, ten six-figure solicitations and secure philanthropic commitments that total over $2M annually.
Develop strategic plan for cultivating, soliciting and stewarding each donor as appropriate, collaborating with the system’s gift planning team, colleagues and academic partners when appropriate.
Conduct regular travel to visit with donors in pursuit of achieving established goals and metrics.
Plans, staffs, and briefs senior university leaders and faculty for prospect/donor visits and events
Document prospect strategies and contact reports, evaluate new prospects and generate stewardship reports and general correspondence to cultivate major gift prospects.

Team Leadership and Management

Complete all aspects of managing and leading teams of major gift professionals. Examples include:
Provide coaching and mentorship, especially to new team members.
Carry out administrative personnel actions (performance management, hiring, training, onboarding, offboarding, etc.).
Collaborate on annual metric setting and provide regular feedback to help employees meet goals.
Serve as a member of the Advancement Management Team. Attend scheduled meetings and collaborate with colleagues regularly.
In partnership with the Assistant Dean and leadership team, develop annual goals around philanthropy and engagement work (face to face meetings, proposals, dollars raised, total constituents engaged and unique number of constituents engaged).

Strategy Development and Other Duties as Assigned

Lead fundraising and engagement strategy with the four centers of excellence within the Leeds School (Burridge Center for Finance, Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility, Klump Center for Real Estate, and Deming Center for Entrepreneurship). This includes collaborating with center directors to define fundraising priorities, comprehensive engagement plans, and stewardship of donors and donations.
Support Assistant Dean in working with the Dean around external engagement in 2035 Leeds, the strategic plan for the Leeds School of Business, and funding priorities to enable this vision.
Lead and provide strategic direction related to performance goals and metrics for advancement initiatives using data, knowledge of campus culture and standard processes in higher education advancement.
Grow philanthropic totals by deepening collaboration with advancement and other campus colleagues for enhanced donor engagement.
Work closely with the dean, faculty and volunteers to develop and implement fundraising strategies to meet established goals.
Facilitate productive relationships daily between donors and CU administrators, faculty and staff to ensure effectiveness of programs.
Represent the University at events to support CU and cultivate donors.
Other duties as assigned.

What You Should Know

This position will require local, regional, and out-of-state travel to meet with donors.
This position has the ability to work a hybrid schedule with some days on campus and some days remote.
This position will occasionally be required to work evenings/weekends.

What We Can Offer

The salary range for this position is $150,000-$180,000 annually. Relocation assistance is available within Advancement guidelines.

Benefits

At the University of Colorado Boulder, we are committed to supporting the holistic health and well-being of our employees. Our comprehensive benefits package includes medical, dental, and retirement plans; generous paid time off; tuition assistance for you and your dependents; and an ECO Pass for local transit. As one of Boulder County’s largest employers, CU Boulder offers an inspiring academic community and access to world-class outdoor recreation. Explore additional perks and programs through the CU Advantage program.

Be Statements

Be collaborative. Be dynamic. Be Boulder.

What We Require

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience or a combination of education and experience may substitute.
5+ years of professional, job-related experience, including lead or supervision experience.

What You Will Need

Ability to lead, inspire and empower a fundraising team towards achieving individualized goals and metrics.
Ability to strategize plans for employee retention and satisfaction.
Ability to practice situational leadership and discover what motivates individual team members to achieve goals.
Expert knowledge of fundraising techniques, especially in a higher education/nonprofit environment.
Ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously and adapt to changing priorities; able to appropriately manage time and meet set timelines.
Ability to take constructive feedback from leadership and campus partners.
Knowledge of organizational change techniques and the ability to communicate decisions in a clear manner.
Ability to champion the shared values of the Office of Advancement.
Ability to exercise a high degree of tact, discretion, and collaboration in working with a diverse range of constituents including employees, students, volunteers, alumni, donors, and campus colleagues.
Phenomenal relationship building skills.
Growth mindset, resilience and perseverance.

What We Would Like You to Have

Software Used: Microsoft Office products, donor tracking software (Salesforce), Zoom, Teams, LinkedIn, Paciolan.
6+ years of progressive fundraising experience.
Experience managing a team of major gifts officers and/or alumni engagement professionals.
Experience working in a non-profit or higher education environment.
Background in business schools.
Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) certification and/or Master's degree (or equivalent experience) in management.

Special Instructions

To apply, please submit the following materials:

A current resume.
A cover letter that specifically tells us how your background and experience align with the requirements, qualifications, and responsibilities of the position.

We may request references at a later time.

Please apply by May 3, 2026 for consideration.

Note: Application materials will not be accepted via email. For consideration, please apply through CU Boulder Jobs.

In compliance with the Colorado Job Application Fairness Act, in any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.