Description

GENERAL SUMMARY: The Senior Associate Director, Prospect Research, manages a prospect research team responsible for increasing the size and quality of the prospect pool, with an emphasis placed on high-level Major ($100K-$4.9M) and Principal ($5M+) Gift prospects. They work in close partnership with the Director, Prospect Development and Campaign Management to guide overall prospect research strategies.  The Senior Associate Director manages and conducts prospect research on individual prospects and donors, including wealth-related insights produced for the Dean, Deputy Deans, and other senior leaders, and capacity ratings and other materials to support frontline development officers' cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship efforts. They maintain best practice methodologies for research techniques and process documentation.

PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: 

1. Provide executive leadership and strategic direction to the Prospect Research team, fostering a high-performance culture through the oversight of complex program and process initiatives.
2. Direct, develop, and empower two Associate Directors, Prospect Research, leveraging talent management strategies in collaboration with the Director, Prospect Development and Campaign Management to align team objectives with institutional goals.
3. Serve as a collaborative thought partner to frontline fundraisers, alumni engagement staff, advancement operations, and senior staff, architecting and executing high-level prospect research strategies and ensuring seamless integration across advancement functions.
4. Oversee and optimize the execution of enterprise-level prospect identification, capacity assessment, and wealth screening initiatives, setting and monitoring ambitious team goals to accelerate long-term pipeline growth.
5. Guide the delivery of strategic wealth and capacity analysis within executive briefing materials for the Dean, Deputy Deans, and senior institutional leaders, ensuring actionable intelligence for advancement initiatives and high-stakes engagements.
6. Synthesize complex data from a range of electronic and print resources to produce information for prospect profiles—evaluating backgrounds, careers, financial capacity, philanthropic priorities, and institutional relationships to inform top-level decision-making.
7. Spearhead innovative prospecting initiatives by identifying new leadership gifts, major gifts, and principal gifts prospects, contributing to the development of pipelines.
8. Continuously monitor and assess emerging industry trends, best practices, and regulatory changes, serving as a subject matter expert and champion for professional advancement within the team to drive towards continuous learning.
9. Demonstrate expertise in analyzing sophisticated financial and legal documents and maintain advanced proficiency with financial services terminology to enhance analytical rigor and insight.
10. Liaise with UChicago Advancement counterparts on prospect research-related projects.
11. Manage the process for ensuring that prospect research data is maintained in the database of records.
12. Other related duties as assigned.
     

REPORTING RELATIONSHIP: Reports to the Director, Prospect Development and Campaign Management and supervises two Associate Directors. 

MEASURES OF SUCCESS:

1. Demonstrated competency in manipulating data and information resources to meet the Office of Advancement’s prospect research needs.
2. Meeting performance metrics (accuracy of outputs, request deadlines, etc.).
3. Quality, depth, and timeliness of data updates, research, and reports.
4. Feedback from internal clients (Dean's office, senior management, and fundraisers).
5. Meeting of team goals in support of overall department objectives.
    

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND EXPERIENCE: 

1. Bachelor's degree required.
2. A minimum of five years of industry experience in prospect research required.
3. A minimum of two years of management experience preferred.
4. Experience with prospect research tools and applications such as iWave, LexisNexis, Aidentified, Pitchbook, etc. required.
5. Ability to motivate, lead, set objectives for, and manage the performance of a team required.
6. Ability to work independently with little supervision; possess a self-motivated disposition; identify opportunities for improvement and recommend effective changes, all while achieving key objectives resulting in desired outcomes required.
7. Ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously, set priorities, and meet short deadlines required.
8. Superior verbal and written communication skills and the demonstrated ability to articulate complex ideas clearly, accurately, and concisely required.
9.  Knowledge of current trends in prospect research, financial sectors, fundraising and alumni relations, including benchmarking and metrics required.
10. Strong attention to detail and commitment to customer service required.
11. Scrupulous attention to matters of discretion and confidentiality required.
12. Proficiency with the Windows environment and standard MS Office suite required.
13. Willingness and ability to travel to campus and/or non-campus locations for University business required as well as willingness and ability to work evenings and weekends on occasion required.
14. Experience in an institution of higher education preferred.

Pay Range
$89,000.00 - $110,000.00
The included pay rate or range represents the University’s good faith estimate of the possible compensation offer for this role at the time of posting.

Benefits Eligible
Yes
The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in the Benefits Guidebook.

Posting Statement
The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination. 
Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.