Assistant Director , Development

As a UW employee, you have a unique opportunity to change lives on our campuses, in our state and around the world. UW employees offer their boundless energy, creative problem-solving skills and dedication to build stronger minds and a healthier world.

UW faculty and staff also enjoy outstanding benefits, professional growth opportunities and unique resources in an environment noted for diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits and natural beauty.

The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) is an independent research center at the University of Washington. Its mission is to deliver to the world timely, relevant, and scientifically valid evidence to improve health policy and practice.

IHME carries out its mission through a range of projects within different research areas including the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors; Future Health Scenarios; Cost Effectiveness and Efficiency; Resource Tracking; and Impact Evaluations. Our vision is to provide policymakers, donors, and researchers with the highest-quality quantitative evidence base so all people live long lives in full health.

IHME is committed to providing the evidence base necessary to help solve the world's most important health problems. This requires creativity and innovation, which are cultivated by an inclusive, diverse, and equitable environment that respects and appreciates differences, embraces collaboration, and invites the voices of all IHME team members.

IHME has an outstanding appointment opportunity for an Assistant Director, Development, reporting to the Chief Philanthropy Officer (CPO). The Assistant Director will be responsible for supporting the development, operations, and execution of IHME's comprehensive philanthropic program, including but not limited to an inaugural campaign. The program will raise critical financial support to diversify IHME's funding sources and set solid foundation for elevating IHME's global profile as the No. 1 health metrics and evaluation think tank and authority in the global population health space.

The Assistant Director will serve as the major gift fundraiser assisting the Chief Philanthropy Officer's global frontline fundraising work for IHME. The AD will be a savvy major gift advancement officer, a leader, expert communicator in cross cultural contexts, and a natural problem solver who is skilled at working across teams at IHME to close major gifts.

The AD will also have significant fundraising experience in large public and private research universities and understand the infrastructure of advancement operations in complex R1 universities and medical centers. They will partner with the CPO on setting IHME strategic philanthropy strategies, establishing fundraising milestones, and identifying operational steps to ensure IHME's financial success. The AD will also oversee the cultivation process of each principal donor and partner with the CPO to execute a tailored fundraising plan for each.

Additionally, the AD will spearhead the stewardship efforts for all principal donors for IHME and serve as liaison between key philanthropists, their foundations, and the CPO. The AD will also be the main point person between the CPO's office, Director's office, UW Medicine Advancement, and the Chief Strategy and Operations Officer's team.

The ideal candidate will be an experienced advancement professional who understand the complexity of a scientific and medical institute while keeping the larger landscape of higher education in mind. They will be passionate about, and have experience with, major gift fundraising, campaign operations, partnering with the CPO of a large and complex organization, and deep knowledge of developing CRM systems with various internal scientific and administrative teams. The AD will possess exceptional knowledge in managing relationships between large foundations and family offices in partnership with the Chief Strategy and Operating Officer's office.

This position is contingent on continued project funding availability and is currently funded through at least the end of June 2026.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Management & Comprehensive Philanthropy Program

Cultivate and oversee a portfolio of principal donors in partnership with IHME's Chief Philanthropy Officer to plan and execute the capital campaign, including researching, creating personalized cultivation plans, stewardship plans, proposal development, and reporting.

Oversee the creation, maintenance, and stewardship of a multi-year strategy and schedule fundraising programs focused on the most critical funding priorities of IHME.

Ensure IHME's comprehensive philanthropy program has a clear long-range vision, measurable goals (KPIs), work plan, and budget and that those efforts are integrated and complementary with the rest of IHME's key projects.

Build and deepen strategic relationships with key donors, stakeholders, marketing and communications team, IHME Client Services Unit, and the Director's Office.

Develop and oversee events, owning the strategy, development, platform, promotion strategy, and execution of event programs that help advance Campaign IHME's goals.

Lead development-centered marketing and PR efforts in collaboration with IHME's marketing team in support of the comprehensive philanthropy program.

Develop and maintain productive relationships with key internal and external stakeholders.

Identify strategic opportunities by working alongside the CPO. This includes: interaction tracking, pattern identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship plan creation.

Campaign Management:

Develop structures and systems to support IHME's first capital campaign.

Coordinate with the Director's Office, CPO's office, and other executive leadership in supporting the capital campaign, including briefing preparation and reporting.

Work in partnership with a diversity of teams to deliver key assets and outreach efforts in conjunction with concerted pushes by IHME (e.g., release of major publications, key events like the World Health Assembly).

Data Management, CRM Customization, Integration, and Training:

Lead the implementation and management of the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system Salesforce in partnership with the Director's Office and the DevOps team to streamline donor data management, enhance donor stewardship, and optimize fundraising strategies.

Work closely with the DevOps team to customize the Salesforce platform to meet IHME's specific needs, including creating customized donor profiles, tracking donor interactions, and automating fundraising workflows.

Regularly evaluate Salesforce's performance, identify opportunities for improvement, and implement enhancements to ensure its effectiveness in supporting the organization's fundraising and donor cultivation efforts.

Provide training and support to the development team and other relevant staff members on how to effectively utilize the Salesforce system to maximize donor engagement and fundraising efforts.

Utilize data from the CRM and Salesforce integration to generate comprehensive reports, dashboards, and analytics that offer valuable insights into donor behavior, campaign effectiveness, and overall fundraising performance. These insights will inform data-driven decision-making and help refine fundraising strategies to achieve optimal results.

Knowledge Command:

Develop and deploy a comprehensive philanthropy program in partnership with CPO.

Develop and deploy a comprehensive understanding of campaigning, marketing, communications, and technology strategies at peer organizations and partner organizations, including their political and cultural contexts.

Develop in-depth strategic plan in conjunction with IHME's key events and projects.

Become the thought partner to the CPO who is an apt emissary for IHME and its mission with high-level external actors from a variety of sectors.

Perform other duties as assigned.

Other duties as assigned, including but not limited to:

Collaborate with the CSU team to strategize and implement fundraising initiatives targeted at corporate partners and sponsors.

Take ownership of a portfolio of major donors, cultivating strong relationships and providing personalized stewardship to maximize their support and long-term engagement with the organization.

Develop and execute tailored cultivation and solicitation strategies for each major donor in the portfolio, including organizing meetings, events, and personalized communication to deepen their connection to the organization's mission and impact.

Regularly assess donor capacity and inclination to give, identifying opportunities for major gift upgrades and multi-year commitments.

Keep accurate and up-to-date records of all donor interactions and communications within the CRM system, using this data to inform cultivation strategies and measure the effectiveness of stewardship efforts.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Bachelor's degree in liberal arts, social sciences, science, or related field, and four years of experience in major gift fundraising in complex public and private research university settings, with health/science fundraising as part of the portfolio, or equivalent combination of education and experience.

At least 5 years of project management experience, including a demonstrated ability to manage cross functional projects and a large portfolio of priorities, creatively solve problems, and reliably meet deadlines with minimal supervision.

Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

A commitment to working alongside other at IHME to illuminate the health impacts of systemic racism and to work within IHME to make our organization more diverse and inclusive. See IHME's DEI statement here: https://www.healthdata.org/about/dei

Ability to operate adroitly in and analyze a multi-stakeholder environment and facilitate the timely flow of relevant contextual information with strong attention to detail.

Demonstrated success managing complex collaborations and representing organizations across diverse social, cultural, and political contexts, including understanding political sensitivities, devising diplomatic and tactical approaches, adapting to organizational norms in a variety of settings, negotiating, influencing outcomes, and building rapport quickly.

Experience in building advancement programs within the context of global health.

Proven ability to utilize existing high net worth global networks of donors and government officials to advance IHME's fundraising agenda.

Ability to employ thoughtful and strategic approach to advise CPO and creative partners toward productive and achievable discussions and goals.

Superior written, oral, and listening skills, with the ability to adjust message and tone for a variety of audiences, including but not limited to government officials, principal donors, academics, scientists, NGO leaders, foundation staff, and university leadership to communicate clearly, professionally, and diplomatically.

Excellent interpersonal and relationship management skills; a cooperative team player, able to develop productive relationships and collaborate with internal and external stakeholders from a diverse set of disciplines, expertise, and backgrounds.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Strong experience working with Chief Philanthropy Officer or equivalent at a large research university

Prior experience managing large capital campaigns.

Demonstrated knowledge of major gift fundraising and donor stewardship.

Demonstrated knowledge of events and fundraising strategy.

Proficiency in more than one language to help build a global, multilingual team.

Prior experience collaborating across complex health and science teams.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

This position assists the Chief Philanthropy Officer and engages a global network of principal donors and stakeholders; as such, evening and weekend work may be required to fulfill job duties.

This position is open to anyone authorized to work in the US. The UW is not able to sponsor visas for staff positions.

International and domestic travel may be required up to 20% of the time.

Office is located in Seattle, Washington. This position is eligible to work fully remote in the United States.

Work schedule needs to overlap at least 50% with IHME's operating hours from 8am - 6pm Seattle time. The supervisor will determine the final schedule based on team needs.

Valid passport or the ability to obtain one is required.

Committed to attracting and retaining a diverse staff, the University of Washington will honor your experiences, perspectives, and unique identity. Together, our community strives to create and maintain working and learning environments that are inclusive, equitable and welcoming.

The University of Washington is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. To request disability accommodation in the application process, contact the Disability Services Office at 206-543-6450 / 206-543-6452 (TTY) or dso@uw.edu.

Application Process: The application process may include completion of a variety of online assessments to obtain additional information that will be used in the evaluation process.

These assessments may include Work Authorization, Cover Letter and/or others. Any assessments that you need to complete will appear on your screen as soon as you select "Apply to this position". Once you begin an assessment, it must be completed at that time; if you do not complete the assessment, you will be prompted to do so the next time you your "My Jobs" page. If you select to take it later, it will appear on your "My Jobs" page to take when you are access ready. Please note that your application will not be reviewed, and you will not be considered for this position until all required assessments have been completed.