The University of Utah is one of the state’s largest employers and is rated as one of the top public research universities in the nation. A visit to campus will display a beautiful and natural setting, friendly and knowledgeable faculty and staff, and a diversity of people and ideas that are the University of Utah. For the previous ten years, the ranking order of the origin of students has not changed: Utah, California, Idaho, Colorado, Washington, and Texas.

Health Sciences at the University of Utah is responsible for some of the best research, education and medical services in the United States. Health Sciences is an expansive and complex enterprise consisting of the School of Medicine with Clinical Services, Residency Programs, and twenty-two Academic Departments. There are three prominent Colleges: Health, Nursing, and Pharmacy. The College of Pharmacy is second in the nation for HIH grants, and one of the highest rated across the nation. The Research component is composed of more than fourteen specific Institutes, Centers, and Departments including the Huntsman Cancer Institute, Moran Eye Center, Eccles Genetics Institute, and Cardiovascular Research Institute. The faculty of the School of Medicine includes Mario Capecchi, a 2009 Nobel Prize winner in Human Genetics.

The Development Office helps raise money to support these endeavors. They work with individual donors, foundations, corporations, faculty and staff. They also develop programs that inform and educate the community on the breadth of services and activities at the Health Sciences Center.
The mission of the University of Utah Health Sciences Development team is to foster and support the health care, teaching, research, and community outreach of the Health Sciences Center through linking donors with philanthropic opportunities. It is also part of their mission to inform the communities served—and their leaders—about the services and accomplishments of University of Utah Health Sciences.

Position Purpose:
The Assistant Vice President for Health Sciences is a senior professional position and will serve as the Chief Operating Officer for the Health Sciences Development Office that includes the Colleges of Pharmacy, Health, Nursing; the School of Medicine; the future School of Dentistry; University Hospitals and the accompanying institutes, centers and clinics. The incumbent will be responsible for implementing best fundraising practices in a health care setting and will oversee the overall management of the fundraising team including the Executive Directors of Development for Health Sciences. The incumbent will report to and assist the Associate Vice President in establishing the vision and annual goals for the Health Sciences Fundraising Team and managing its operations. This position will oversee the identifying, cultivating, soliciting and stewarding of those who have made or those who are capable of making major gifts to the University of Utah’s Health Sciences. All efforts are coordinated with colleges, departments, hospitals and clinics within the Health Sciences as well as other university entities and development personnel.

The Assistant Vice President will mentor and coach the development directors and their respective support staff to solicit major gift donors and identify opportunities to strengthen, leverage and engage the organization’s trustees and advisory boards in meaningful ways.

Nature & Scope:
The Assistant Vice President works closely with and reports to the Associate Vice President for Health Sciences Development. The incumbent will be responsible to plan and direct fundraising campaigns, major gifts initiatives, annual giving programs, and planned giving. The incumbent will be responsible in consultation with the Associate Vice President for Development, deans, development directors and annual giving, for setting individual, college and departmental fundraising goals that are meaningful, challenging, realistic, and metric and action-oriented.

While the Assistant Vice President will have substantial management supervisory and mentoring responsibilities, it is also expected that the incumbent will carry a portfolio of major gift prospects and donors and be visible with key donor and volunteer constituencies so as to lead by example.

This position requires a high level of management engagement and oversight, with substantial commitment of time and energy towards recruiting, hiring, supervising, mentoring, and evaluating development officers and other staff to function at optimal effectiveness.

Internal & External Contacts:
Internal contacts are with the department chairs, division chiefs and faculty. Contacts may also include the Dean of the School of Medicine, the Senior Vice President for Health Sciences, the CEO of University Hospitals and Clinics, associate and assistant vice presidents for Health Sciences, other Health Sciences Deans, Department Chairs, Division Chiefs, and the faculty and staff of the Health Sciences, including the School of Medicine Alumni Association staff.

2. A key role for the AVP will be to establish meaningful, regular mechanisms for coordinating, communicating and collaborating with department chairs and unit-based development staff, providing guidance on goal setting and evaluation.

3. This position will meet regularly with academic leaders to help them maximize development productivity and assure the strategic fundraising priorities are being addressed.

4. With review and approval by the Senior Vice President and Associate Vice President, the incumbent will direct feasibility studies for all significant fundraising priorities in the Health Sciences that may include capital campaigns for new buildings, campaigns for endowed chairs, fellowships, clinical needs, scholarships, research funds, or programmatic needs which may arise from time to time.

5. While the Assistant Vice President will have substantial management, supervisory, and mentoring responsibilities for staff, it is also expected that the incumbent will carry at least a small portfolio of major gift prospects and donors, and be visible with key donor and volunteer constituencies. This individual must be self-motivated, determined to succeed, able to make cold calls, able to maintain composure in the face of rejection, and to advocate for and advance the cause of the Health Sciences Center and the School of Medicine.

6. This position will be responsible for making sure critical information about donors is captured in the University’s donor records system. Creates and maintains records of activities, contact reports, in the University’s Advance donor tracking system (training on BSR Advance will be provided but incumbent must be computer literate).

7. Plays a team role by assisting in any Health Sciences Development events that require his or her participation.

8. Works within a defined annual budget and assures optimal use of resources.

9. Assures health sciences development staff has opportunities for professional growth.

2. Increase the number of development officers and directors who are directly meeting with and soliciting donors and donor prospects.

3. Work within an established budget and assure a reasonable return on investment through prudent use of resources.

4. Works collegially and respectfully with fellow development personnel and faculty and is able to win their confidence.

Candidates should be senior professionals with a decade of fundraising experience and a strong preference for academic medical development. Candidates are required to have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution with a master’s or doctorate degree (preferred) or comparable experience preferred. Ideally, this position will be a senior development professional with ten or more years of paid, progressively responsible development experience, preferably in an academic medical center setting. The candidate should be able to model and teach best-practice fundraising skills to those with whom (s)he will work and will foster collegiality and success. Some travel and evening work will be required. Capital campaign experience is required with strong strategic planning, project management and outcomes evaluation is critical. Because of the complex nature of the University of Utah’s Health Sciences Center, successful fundraising experience in such a center will be weighted most heavily.

The candidate must be able to clearly articulate the mission and vision of the health sciences including intricacies of the medical, pharmaceutical, nursing, and health sciences. The incumbent must have solid writing and speaking skills and be adept at befriending, cultivating and soliciting individuals of broad levels of wealth from all walks of life. The incumbent must be able to subordinate their desires and interests to the wishes of the donors or potential donors.

The candidate must be able to be a team-builder with a desire to serve those they oversee. They should be able to counsel, coach, and mentor in productive ways. The incumbent must show respect for the donors, faculty and staff with whom they will work closely.