Development Executive in Kilmarnock

Role: Development Executive – Major Donor

Grade and Salary: Grade 7 (£37,694 - £47,389)

FTE and working pattern: 1 FTE, 35hrs per week, Monday - Friday

Holiday Entitlement: 33 days annual leave, plus 9 buildings closed days for all full‐time staff.

Interviews are expected to take place WK commencing 4th May.

Purpose of Role

This is a skilled role requiring specialist knowledge and experience of major donor fundraising. Reporting to the Head of Major Gifts, the post holder will be responsible for securing a high return on investment in the form of major philanthropic gifts from individuals, thus providing significant funding for a spectrum of university projects including capital campaigns, research, and scholarships. The post holder should have exceptional communication and written skills, with strong influential and negotiating skills to develop high quality funding proposals and impact reports.

About The Team

The Advancement Office keeps graduates, friends and supporters connected and engaged with Heriot‐Watt, building and strengthening our globally connected community and securing support to help the University achieve its strategic aims.

• Building flourishing communities: With a focus on engaging our students and staff to be proud advocates of the university.
• Pioneering in Education: Create opportunities to showcase our excellent teaching, student experience and engagement with industry.
• Excellence in research and enterprise: Ensure recognition for our work and maximising opportunities for collaboration with strategically aligned external stakeholders.
• Global, connected university: Creating enabling frameworks and tools to ensure effective collaboration and knowledge exchange across the university community of staff, students and partners.

We are a Scottish University with truly global reach and ambition. In our communications, social, print and image media we celebrate our diversity and our strengths.

The Advancement Office has responsibility for connecting and engaging with graduates, friends and supporters in a multitude of ways, ensuring that our 130,000‐strong alumni community are supported throughout their lives by the University and each other, generating income through philanthropic gifts and other support, supporting the work of schools and departments to add value, collaborating internally to seek out and capitalise on opportunities, raising money to support access to education through scholarships, bursaries and other activity, and more. In addition to development activity supporting access to education, we also raise philanthropic funds to support the University's extensive world‐class research.

Key Duties & Responsibilities

• Work closely with the Head of Major Gifts and academics to plan, co‐ordinate and support the University's fundraising approaches to Major Donor prospects. This will include overview of your own prospect portfolio, managing a pool of high‐net‐worth individuals, scheduling approaches, liaising with colleagues on project information, meeting with high‐net‐worth individuals arranging visits to the University and writing effective proposals/pitches to secure gifts upward of £10,000.
• Establish good working relationships with major donor prospects ensuring where necessary other senior colleagues are involved.
• Work closely with colleagues to attend events, seminars and meetings that strengthen stakeholder and supporter relationships and promote the University's work.
• Liaise with Supporter Engagement to implement appropriate stewardship programmes that thank and maintain long‐term relationships with donors, including correspondence, visits, events and personal meetings.
• Work with the Head of Major Gifts to prepare and update materials that effectively communicate complex academic and scientific projects to both internal and external audiences to support fundraising and to maximise visibility of campaigns and philanthropic projects.
• Lead and negotiate major gifts upward of £10k in support of the University's strategy and key priorities and activities and meet overall fundraising targets.
• Develop relationships with and work closely with academic schools.
• Assist in the wider work of the department at the request of the Head of Major Gifts.
• Keep abreast of professional and regulatory developments in charity legislation and higher education fundraising.

Essential Education, Qualifications and Experience

• Educated to degree standard
• Track record of fundraising across either of the following income streams (Trusts, Companies, Regular Giving, or Major Donors)
• Fundraising experience essential covering a range of sources including face to face and proven knowledge in fundraising regulations
• Experience of managing a prospect pool and progressing relationships from 'cold' to cultivation to 'ask' and stewardship
• First‐rate communicator (written and verbal)
• Track record of building external relationships and stakeholder management
• Creative thinker – someone who has a track record in initiating and implementing new ideas
• Ability to prioritise and manage a diverse workload including the ability to work in complex organisations.
• Self‐starter and team player

Desirable

• Experience of involvement in fundraising campaigns
• Higher education fundraising experience
• Knowledge and experience of donor stewardship
• Knowledge of databases particularly Raisers Edge

Special Factors

Willingness to travel occasionally across the UK (worldwide on occasions)

How To Apply

Please submit your application via the Heriot‐Watt on‐line recruitment system with your cover letter and CV. Applications must be submitted by 11:59pm UK time on Thursday 30th April.

At Heriot Watt we are passionate about our values and look to them to connect our people globally and to help us collaborate and celebrate our success through working together. Our research programmes can deliver real‐world impact which is achieved through the diversity of our international community and the recognition of creative talent that connects our global team.

Our flourishing community will give you the freedom to challenge and to bring your enterprising mind and to help our partners with solutions that can be applied now and in the future. Join us and Heriot Watt will provide you with a platform to thrive and work in a way that also helps you live your life in balance with well‐being and inclusiveness at the heart of our global community.

Heriot-Watt University is committed to securing equality of opportunity in employment and to the creation of an environment in which individuals are selected, trained, promoted, appraised and otherwise treated on the sole basis of their relevant merits and abilities. Equality and diversity are all about maximising potential and creating a culture of inclusion for all.

Heriot-Watt University values diversity across our University community and welcomes applications from all sectors of society, particularly from underrepresented groups. For more information, please see our website here and also our award‐winning work in Disability Inclusive Science Careers here.