Position Function:
The Executive Director of Development provides strategic leadership and direction for all fundraising and development activities in consultation with the Vice President. The Executive Director of Development designs and executes comprehensive advancement strategies to secure major, principal, and planned gifts; manages a portfolio of high-capacity donors and prospects; and leads development staff in achieving ambitious fundraising goals aligned with institutional priorities. This role partners closely with senior leadership, academic administrators, and fellow executives to strengthen philanthropic engagement, expand donor pipelines, and enhance long-term revenue growth.
Salary Grade: 20
Please see Staff Compensation Structure for salary ranges.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
1. Develops, implements, and continuously refines comprehensive fundraising strategies aligned with institutional priorities, campaign initiatives, and unit-level funding needs. Integrates annual, major, principal, corporate, and planned giving strategies to maximize philanthropic revenue and donor engagement.
2. Utilizes data, prospect intelligence, and market analysis to inform strategy development and resource allocation.
3. Establishes measurable short- and long-term fundraising goals in alignment with university strategic plans, capital campaigns, and institutional advancement objectives. Monitors progress toward revenue targets and adjusts strategies to respond to emerging opportunities, donor interests, and organizational priorities.
4. Manages a portfolio of high-capacity donors and prospects, conducting strategic donor visits and engagement activities, developing customized cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship plans designed to secure major and principal gifts.
5. Prepares, presents, and/or reviews complex gift proposals, naming opportunities, and case statements in partnership with academic leadership and advancement colleagues. Ensures proposals are donor-centered, strategically aligned, and reflective of institutional priorities. Provides guidance to fundraising staff on proposal strategy, messaging, and gift structuring.
6. Establishes clear performance metrics, activity benchmarks, and accountability standards for development staff to ensure cultivation and solicitation activities are strategic, productive, and aligned with fundraising priorities. Conducts regular portfolio reviews, pipeline analyses, and performance meetings to monitor progress and provide coaching.
7. Directs prospect identification, research, qualification, and pipeline development in partnership with advancement services and prospect research teams. Ensures a robust and sustainable donor pipeline by prioritizing high-capacity prospects, monitoring movement through the cultivation cycle, and aligning prospects with institutional funding opportunities.
8. Recruits, hires, trains, and evaluates team members while fostering a collaborative, high-performance culture. Provides ongoing coaching, mentorship, and professional development to strengthen fundraising capability and staff retention.
9. Evaluates and evolves organizational structure, staffing models, and functional alignment to support continued fundraising growth. Implements scalable team frameworks, territory assignments, and portfolio distribution strategies that maximize productivity and donor engagement.
10. Works closely with Deans, faculty leaders, and program administrators to identify funding priorities, develop compelling cases for support, and align philanthropic strategy with academic and programmatic needs.
11. Collaborates with fellow executive team members to shape organizational strategy as it relates to philanthropy and external engagement. Contributes to enterprise-level planning, campaign design, and institutional funding priorities.
Minimum Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in business, management, engineering, architecture or a related field
- 10 years of progressive leadership experience in advancement, development, or higher education philanthropy
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
• A demonstrated track record building credibility and respect through active listening, responsiveness, building strong relationships and inspiring others to action.
• Excellent communication skills both oral and written with a reputation for building and maintaining relationships with people at all levels of an organization, across a diverse range of backgrounds; sophisticated writing and editing skills are highly valued.
• Commitment to communicating strategies, priorities, and opportunities with all development team members; strong capacity to align teams around a shared vision.
• Proven ability to handle confidential and sensitive information with the highest level of integrity, professionalism, and discretion.
• Exhibits strong moral character, consistency, and trustworthiness in all interactions, serving as a credible and principled advisor to senior leadership, colleagues, and stakeholders.
• Skilled in engaging effectively with senior leaders, governing boards, external stakeholders, and high-level partners through clear communication, strategic insight, and poised interpersonal delivery.
Working Conditions and Physical Effort
• No unusual physical requirements. Requires limited lifting of files and records. Work may be performed inside and outside.
• Frequent- External imposed deadlines; set and revised beyond one's control; interruptions influence priorities; difficult to anticipate nature or volume of work with certainty beyond a few days; meeting of deadlines and coordination of unrelated activities are key to position; involves conflict-resolution or similar interactions involving emotional issues or stress on a regular basis.
• Job frequently requires walking, sitting, reaching, talking, hearing, handling objects with hands.
• Vision requirements: Ability to see information in print and/or electronically.
• Involves frequent night and weekend work.
• Must maintain a valid driver’s license for work-related travel.
Instructions for Applying:
Submit an online application along with a resume and cover letter.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement:
Mississippi State University is an equal opportunity institution. Discrimination is prohibited in university employment, programs or activities based on race, color, ethnicity, sex, pregnancy, religion, national origin, disability, age, sexual orientation, genetic information, status as a U.S. veteran, or any other status to the extent protected by applicable law. Questions about equal opportunity programs or compliance should be directed to the Office of Civil Rights Compliance, 231 Famous Maroon Band Street, P.O. 6044, Mississippi State, MS 39762, (662) 325-5839.
What do I do if I need an accommodation?
In compliance with the ADA Amendments Act (ADA), if you have a disability and would like to request an accommodation in order to apply for a position with Mississippi State University, please contact the Department of Human Resources Management at tel: (662) 325-3713 or ada@hrm.msstate.edu.
If you have any questions regarding this policy, contact the Department of Human Resources Management at (662) 325-3713 or ada@hrm.msstate.edu. Upon request, sections of this job listing are available in large print, and readers are available to assist the visually impaired.
