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Senior Associate Director, Principal Gifts - University Advancement

Washington University in St. Louis
West Campus Main Bldg, United States, United Statesfull_timeVerifiedPosted 21 Apr 2026
💰 $112,700/yr($65,900/yr$112,700/yr)

About the role

Scheduled Hours

37.5

Position Summary

The Senior Associate Director, Principal Gifts partners with the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Principal Gifts to manage their portfolio of Principal Partner prospects and for WashU Medicine, including those with the capacity to make gifts of $5M+. The Senior Associate Director works collaboratively with advancement colleagues, faculty, students, and university staff, and plays a vital role in the effort to secure significant support for WashU Medicine priorities. The position requires experience, sensitivity, and diplomacy; understanding of the high-level relationship-building and strategies involved in securing complex gifts; and talent in guiding projects. The Senior Associate Director proactively facilitates the implementation of strategy to engage high level prospects through a variety of efforts to cultivate and steward donor support. The Senior Associate Director reactively responds to urgent requests to meet the same objectives when unexpected opportunities for donor engagement arise. With a broad, sophisticated understanding of the university’s strengths and in-depth knowledge of institutional priorities, the Senior Associate Director contributes to setting and delivering principal gifts fundraising and engagement strategies and goals. Strong writing skills will be required to be successful in this position.

Job Description

Primary Duties & Responsibilities:

  • Contribute to the management of principal gift prospect portfolios, advancing university-wide fundraising priorities as well as new and emerging initiatives.

  • Accountable for key action items, follow-up, and project management in the delivery of prospect strategies within a rapidly evolving environment with competing priorities, opportunities, challenges, and deadlines.

  • Partner with Assistant Vice Chancellor and Donor Experiences team to deliver innovative, creative, and individually tailored engagement, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies.

  • Provide source material for writers to draft complex and highly individualized proposals to attract transformational gifts to advance Washington University’s mission.

  • Coordinate with Leadership Travel on briefing materials to prepare university leaders for cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of principal gift prospects.

  • Interface with Donor Experiences, Donor Operations, Stewardship and Communications teams to develop plans, strategies and agendas around gift announcements and multifaceted prospect experiences and events.

  • Perform other duties as assigned.

Working Conditions:
Job Location/Working Conditions

  • Normal office environment


Physical Effort

  • Typically sitting at a desk or table


Equipment

  • Office Equipment

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all job duties performed by the personnel so classified. Management reserves the right to revise or amend duties at any time.

Required Qualifications

Education:

Bachelor's degree


Certifications/Professional Licenses:

No specific certification/professional license is required for this position.


Work Experience:

Relevant Experience (3 Years)


Skills:

Not Applicable


Driver's License:

A driver's license is not required for this position.

More About This Job

Preferred Qualifications

  • Patience for the process and time-frame of developing gift ideas within an academic decision-making environment. 
  • Knowledge of and appreciation for the mission of a major research university and ability to represent it broadly. 
  • Understanding of the concepts and principles of nurturing fundraising, campaign and/or project fundraising, and speculative fundraising. Comfort and familiarity with prospect identification, relationship building, strategizing, and solicitation at the principal or major gifts level.

This position is located in St. Louis, MO and the targeted hiring range for this position is $65,900 - $78,000. 

Preferred Qualifications

Education:

Master's degree


Certifications/Professional Licenses:

No additional certification/professional licenses unless stated elsewhere in the job posting.


Work Experience:

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Company

Washington University in St. Louis

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