Manager, Advancement, Langara. The College of Higher Learning

The Manager, Advancement is responsible for and will assist with the planning, development, and implementation of fundraising and alumni and community relations initiatives for Langara College. Reporting to the Executive Director (“ED”), Langara College Foundation (“the Foundation”), this position provides leadership and support to deploy fundraising initiatives, increase alumni/community awareness, engagement, and programming; and promotes engagement and partnership opportunities for the College.

Working as a part of the College Advancement team, the Manager, Advancement provides direct leadership support to the ED, to set and achieve the strategic goals of the department, oversee financial management, human resources and overall department management. The incumbent will support the development partnerships, funding opportunities and create strategies to engage alumni. These initiatives will play a key role in connecting to the business community and fostering alumni relationships, to increase support opportunities for students. This role will support a broad range of organizational goals by aligning a comprehensive strategy for the department with the College’s strategic plan and growth initiatives.

Duties & Responsibilities:

1. Responsible for the implementation and management of fundraising program(s):

• Assists the ED in establishing the fundraising strategies;
• Manages activities related to the development, implementation and evaluation of fundraising strategies including: annual gift giving programs, major gift programs, alumni campaigns, recognition programs, and special events;
• Develops and oversees the overall donor stewardship strategy;
• Develops and supports the solicitation of major gifts, sponsorships and partnerships from individual prospects and the business community through the development of strategic partnerships program.

2. Alumni Engagement:

• Develops, expands, and manages alumni programming, including alumni benefits; alumni support services; networking and engagement activities;
• Develops and oversees a strategy for communications, marketing, and community outreach activities, including but not limited to: collateral materials, newsletters, web presence, social media, events, and public relations;
• Cultivates, builds, and manages relationships with alumni influencers/leaders to encourage active alumni/community involvement and engagement;
• Manages events that support alumni milestones such as anniversaries, homecomings, meet ups and other activities that actively engage Langarans; and
• Leads and hosts the Outstanding Alumni Award program annually.

3. Community Engagement & Partnership Development:

• Develops and implements a campus-wide engagement strategy that addresses the needs and leverages the strengths of individual programs, departments, divisions, faculties or campus events/assets with community partners;
• Facilitates the development of cross-organizational teams (e.g., faculty, staff, administrators, alumni, retirees, community partners, etc.) to increase benefits and engagement opportunities for building greater community awareness;
• Provides recommendations/solutions to support cross-organizational teams in matters related to community engagement and partnerships.

4. Financials Management and Advancement Reporting:

• Oversees and directs budget planning and management for the department;
• Works with ED and College Finance department to articulate spending priorities, monitor adherence to budget commitments, and investigate discrepancies;
• Provides regular updates, including written reports and data collection, to the ED and the Foundation team;
• Assists in the development of program metric systems and reports to benchmark and track engagement and growth of the alumni program;
• Collect, analyzes and presents statistical data for fundraising initiatives and identifies sector trends.

5. Management of Advancement team:

• Supports the ED in creating an advancement team to develop, execute, and maintain partnerships, and engagement initiatives;
• Facilitates selection, assessment and on-boarding processes, ongoing training and development.
• Provides operational guidance and leadership to direct reports including performance reviews, annual goal setting and measurement, and development and monitoring of individual learning plans.
• Actively works on strategies to promote staff engagement, problem-solving, and follows through as appropriate to ensure positive outcomes for all stakeholders;
• Directs, schedules, and assigns duties to staff, and reviews work for accuracy and completeness.
• Ensures that new employees receive orientation and ongoing training development.
• Establishes and maintains effective union/management relationships and works with union representatives to resolve problems effectively, and represent management in complaints and grievances.

6. Other related duties and responsibilities assigned by the Executive Director.

Requirements

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in communications, leadership, marketing, public relations, or related discipline. Masters preferred.
• Minimum six (6) years of relevant and progressive experience in fundraising, alumni relations, marketing, communications, and/or community building at a senior capacity, preferably in the public or non-profit sector. Post-secondary experience an asset.
• Certified or working towards a CFRE designation
• An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.
• Demonstrated knowledge, understanding and skill in the management and stewardship of gifts donated for charitable purposes.
• Demonstrated knowledge of financial management, including budgeting, CRA chartiable regulations, legislation, and records management policies, regulations and procedures.
• Comprehensive knowledge of business and industry sectors at the provincial level as it related to relationship building and fundraising.
• Experience managing, recruiting, supervising, and working with the evaluation and discipline of staff and volunteers.

• Extensive knowledge of standard computer applications for word-processing, spreadsheets, as well as web, print, and digital design.
• Experience with customer relationship management applications.
• Established success in building and managing teams including: hiring, supervising, recruiting, training, and performance managing staff and volunteers, preferably in a complex unionized environment.
• Demonstrated ability to think outside the box, inspire others, and achieve set program/strategic goals
• Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of community relations/advancement. A strong understanding of/experience in a post-secondary environment an asset.

Skills & Abilities

• Strategic-thinking with a strong sense of vision.
• Possess exceptional relationship building, influencing skills and exceptional discretion and judgment, with a high degree of tact and diplomacy.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, with superior presentation skills and attention to detail.
• Demonstrated ability to identify and successfully obtain support for any initiative.
• Ability to develop and manage staff.
• Develop, lead, implement and evaluate fundraising programs.
• Understanding of and experience with best practices in Foundation financial accountabilities and reporting requirements.
• Effective interpersonal skills and ability to engage cooperatively with diverse groups, including volunteer staff.
• Ability to lead and adapt to changing situations.
• Ability to function with a high degree of tact and diplomacy.
• Ability to think innovatively and creatively in planning new fundraising activities and developing a fresh approach to existing activities.
• Effective organization skills with ability to prioritize, manage time, and meet deadlines.
• Ability to display sound judgement and make effective decisions.
• Ability to handle confidential and sensitive issues with tact and discretion.
• Ability to analyze, interpret and organize information accurately and in a timely manner.
• Ability to develop, interpret and apply College, government, agency and departmental policies, procedures and guidelines.
• Excellent judgment involving problem solving and analytical reasoning abilities.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively and productively with considerable independence.
• Demonstrated ability to participate as a team member, contributing to the development and enhancement of the team.
• Goal oriented and results driven with the ability to achieve continuous improvement.

• Possess effective priority management abilities.
• Ability to negotiate contracts and function effectively in an entrepreneurial environment.

Leadership Competencies

• Collegiality - values and demonstrates inclusivity, openness, civility and respect.
• Problem solving and decision making - considers a wide range of information and perspectives to solve problems and make reasoned decisions; demonstrates a comfort with uncertainty and ambiguous conditions.
• Organizational awareness - understands and appreciates an organization's internal culture and operating practices as well as the political and business climate in which the organization operates.
• Innovation - welcomes, generates, and implements new ideas and solutions that help to achieve and organization's strategic goals.
• Student Focus - making decisions with the students in mind, focusing on providing the best possible experience for the student.
• Integrity - acts with openness, honesty and respect to build and maintain an environment of trust.
• Professional maturity - demonstrates courage to take on issues and make tough decisions while managing self with aplomb and emotional maturity.
• Tenacity, resilience and patience - believes that own actions and efforts will overcome obstacles, make progress and attain successful results.
• Business awareness - considers and understand the financial, operational and human perspective and impact of decisions.
• Visioning and Strategic Thinking - energizes people around the vision and keeps the bigger picture in mind.
• Team Leadership - creates team spirit and helps to direct individuals toward achievement of team and organizational goals.
• Inspires others to do their best, develop professionally and contribute to the success of the leadership team.
• Relationship management - builds and maintains a crucial network of contacts both internally and externally.
• Communication - uses the power of personal interaction and language to effectively influence, inspire and lead others.
• Achieves results - goal-oriented individual who thrives on achieving outcomes through consultative and collaborate methods.

Benefits

Salary Range: $45.72 to $67.06 per hour

Pay Grade: Admin Paygrade 10 - Compensation beyond the mid-point requires approval by the Public Sector Employers’ Council Secretariat (PSEC).

Scheduled Weekly Hours: 35 Hours

Hours may vary according to the needs of the department.

Shortlisted candidates will be required to provide proof of educational and professional credentials noted on their resume. In addition, those shortlisted with international credentials must have their education credentials evaluated through WES (World Education Services) and provide Langara College, People & Culture document evaluation access for employment purposes.

Langara is committed to enhancing our diverse workforce.

We thank you for taking the time to complete an application. Only complete applications will be reviewed.

Application deadline: We are accepting rolling applications until the position is filled.

Check status of the search process here: https://www.gerardsearch.com/searches.html

Contact [email protected] for more information.

If you require an accommodation in the assessment process, please also contact us at the time you submit your application.