Director, Foundation Relations and Public Partnerships

Tarleton State University is seeking a dynamic and experienced Director of Foundation Relations and Public Partnerships for University Advancement to oversee a comprehensive resource development program centered on regional and national private foundations and federal and state government opportunities for enterprise-wide funding. Reporting to the Associate Vice President for Development and working closely with the President of the Tarleton State University Foundation and the TSU Foundation staff, the Director of Foundation Relations and Public Partnerships will be a critical contributor to the growth and development of a best practice, leading-edge fundraising and grants program for Tarleton State.

The successful candidate will celebrate Tarleton Stateâ™s service-based mission and record of providing access to first generation students throughout the state of Texas to initiate and sustain outreach with key funders. Emphasis will be placed on alignment with Tarleton Stateâ™s unique strengths and its position as a catalyst for economic development, quality of life, and positive community engagement across the North-Central Texas region.

Enabling internal alignment among university stakeholders therefore will be essential. The Director will provide clearinghouse services, expected to coordinate campus-wide foundation and government requests to leverage distinct university strengths, ensure alignment, and differentiate request for support.

Additionally, the Director will be expected to work with colleges and units throughout the university to facilitate and codify enterprise-wide grant requests, and account for successful requests. Spearheading and facilitating requests through the Tarleton State University Foundation will be a core responsibility, with the Associate Director to play a pivotal role in expanding the TSU Foundationâ™s positive impact on the university.

Position is located on the main campus in Stephenville, Texas with in-office hours of Monday to Friday from 8am to pm or as work requirements indicate, which may include after hours, evenings, weekends, and some holidays.

Must have the ability to work remotely at the request of the university in times of inclement weather or other special circumstances.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The Director of Foundation Relations will be expected to:

• Team with university development colleagues, Tarleton State University Foundation leadership, and TSU Foundation staff to build, sustain, and expand a best-practice grants program that delivers revenue aligned with strategic university initiatives. 

• Codify / catalogue private foundation and governmental requests at Tarleton State to achieve unprecedented levels of organization, efficiency, and impact.

• Leverage the Tarleton State University Foundationâ™s 501c3 status to expand private foundation fundraising opportunities, grow private foundation support, and deliver core operational revenue to the TSU Foundation.

• Coordinate campus wide collaboration as necessary to leverage distinct campus strengths aligned with prospective funders.

• Execute a comprehensive prospect research strategy that yields funding opportunities from foundations and governments aligned with Tarleton Stateâ™s strategic plan and student-centered excellence.

• Execute local and regional outreach to build synergy with North Texas stakeholders.

• Develop, deliver, and close major gift and grant proposals aligned with Tarleton Stateâ™s rise as one of the nation's premier national public research universities.

• Perform other duties as assigned by leadership.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

• The successful candidate will have University based foundation relations experience, with a demonstrated track record of closing major level foundation proposals.

• The successful candidate will exhibit exceptional, writing, and communication skills, and will also have experience with prospect research at a four-year university.

Minimum Requirements

Education and Experience

• Bachelorâ™s degree from an accredited institution; equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered

• Five years of successful experience in foundation relations, grant-writing or a related field.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

This position encompasses a variety of tasks related to communication strategies, negotiating with vendors and internal customers, listening actively, and analyzing arguments, evaluating information sources, gathering and synthesizing information, organizing tasks, and evaluating completed web projects. Further, the Director must be able to work in an at times high-stress, demanding environment, thus requiring exceptional ability to stay focused on the task at hand

• Excellent organizational skills.

• The ability to be customer service-oriented and bring together various institutional partners with varying interests is essential.

• A superior attention to detail.

Preferred Qualifications

• Five (5) years of similar or transferable professional experience, including:

  • Demonstrated written and oral communication skills;

  • Exceptional professional interpersonal and team-building skills including collaboration with others to establish and maintain good working relationships;

  • Demonstrated knowledge of the principles of fundraising.

• Masterâ™s degree preferred

• Deep knowledge of prospect cultivation, solicitation, and recognition strategies.

• Knowledge of federal and state government grant-making ecosystems.

• Proficient with Blackbaud - Raiserâ™s Edge or a similar CRM / fundraising database system.

Registration, Certification, or Licensure

None.

Salary

Commensurate with experience

Salary Range

The target base annual salary range is $70,000 to $80,000 and may be negotiable based on funding availability and candidate experience/skillset in relation to the minimum requirements of this position. Tarleton State University offers a career filled with purpose and opportunity in addition to competitive wages. As part of the Tarleton family, the following benefits are also available to full time and qualifying part time employees:

Educational Benefits - employee perks that help enrich, grow, and foster career and professional development: