JOB DESCRIPTION
Deputy Development Director
Department:
Reports to:
Line Manager to:
Development
Strategic Development Director
Database and Research Manager, Alumni Relations Manager,
Annual Fund Officer, Communications Editor, Development
Executive
Pembroke is one of the most dynamic of the Oxford Colleges, with a forward-looking
Fellowship, strong leadership and ambitious and clear academic plans for the future.
Our access and outreach activities in Hackney (Pem-Brooke) and South Cheshire
(Pembroke North), led by Oxford’s first full-time Access Fellow have been hailed as a
gold standard for such initiatives by the Office for Fair Access. Pembroke Fellows
are involved in a wide range of research in their own areas of expertise, as well as
across disciplines in College, and Pembroke is home to a variety of research areas –
for instance the centre for the study of the Changing Character of War was established
here in 2012. Our student body (360 undergraduates and 180 post-graduates) is active
in College life, with wide participation in activities and events. A special feature of
Pembroke is the JCR (undergraduates) owned collection of modern British artworks.
Pembroke has recently taken up occupancy of a brand new set of quadrangles and
buildings which lie immediately to the south of the historic main site – and are joined
to the older buildings by a footbridge across Brewer Street (the first to be built in
Oxford for a century). The new buildings provide an exceptional range of facilities,
including nearly 100 student bedrooms, a suite of teaching rooms, a multi-purpose
auditorium, a café for the whole community to enjoy and an art gallery, as well as
some beautiful new outside space. Our new facilities allow us to have much more
ambitious plans for our academic community as we look to the future.
The past decade has seen rapid progress at Pembroke in the Development arena.
Alumni relations activities have grown from a couple of Gaudy dinners each year plus
the distribution of an annual Pembroke Record to a diverse programme of events
delivered internationally plus regular email and printed communications and a social
media presence. The scale and scope of fundraising campaigns has also moved on
significantly, with the recent high point being the delivery in 2012 of the £17m
Bridging Centuries Campaign for our new buildings against a backdrop of 25% of
alumni participating in giving. The Annual Fund regular donation scheme topped out
at c.£500k in the year just before the public phase of the new buildings campaign, but
unsurprisingly dropped back somewhat during that major fundraising drive. The
College’s fundraising focus is now firmly directed at academic needs, and we are in
the process of shaping our next major campaign. Revenue gifts as well as capital
donations will continue to be strongly emphasised as the College seeks to restore the
importance of the Annual Fund in its overall fund-raising landscape.
The Development team is well-established and all members have been at Pembroke
for some years, except the Development Executive which is a new post to be recruited
in early 2015. Each of the Alumni Relations Manager, Database and Research
Manager, Annual Fund Officer and Communications Editor have significant
experience and proficiency in their own roles. The Strategic Development Director
has been a Fellow of the College since 2007, having come from a career in the
financial sector.
The pivotal role of Deputy Development Director is currently vacant and we are
looking for a talented and ambitious individual to join the team for its next phase,
working in partnership with the Strategic Development Director to plan and
implement the next major fundraising effort. The post-holder must be capable of the
effective management of a team of committed and highly competent professionals.
At the same time, this role provides a chance to make a real impact on the College’s
future, with a personal portfolio of prospects and donors to cultivate and steward. In
response an increased pool of significant supporters, the team needs someone capable
of maintaining existing relationships as well as developing new ones.
Job purpose and main responsibilities
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Act as a second Major Gifts Officer supporting the Strategic Development
Director (SDD) and the Master in this activity, as well as taking key
responsibility for systematic oversight of stewardship for major donors.
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Provide line management and leadership for the Development Team:
Annual Fund Officer (AFO), Database and Research Manager (DRM),
Alumni Relations Manager (ARM), Communications Editor (CE) and
Development Executive (DE).
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Support the SDD in campaign planning and execution, and in liaison with
academics, acting as his Deputy at College meetings or events as necessary.
SPECIFICALLY:
1. Major gifts and other fundraising responsibilities
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Face to face asking: agree a prospect visiting plan and personal fundraising
target in conjunction with the SDD and implement a programme of visits for
stewardship and solicitation purposes. Work with DRM and SDD to develop
the College’s system for tracking fundraising initiatives and
relationships/interactions with prospects and major donors.
Draft proposals for prospective donors, and create brochures/web copy as
appropriate, incorporating feedback from the SDD and senior colleagues.
Input into fundraising event planning: guests, format, speech/presentation
content, etc.
Prepare reports and applications for Trusts as necessary, supported by AFO.
2. Development Team Line Manager
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Provide leadership to an experienced and effective team (AFO, DRM, ARM,
CE and DE): advise on priorities, carry out appraisals, and ensure appropriate
training and support is provided.
Convene and chair regular team review sessions to facilitate planning,
brainstorming and information exchange at a more detailed level than the
weekly update meetings provide.
Oversight of office operations management (as carried out by DE), including
acting as Development budget holder (retaining sign-off authority for invoices,
and having detailed knowledge of the content of budget lines and forecasts).
Oversight of donation processing, liaison with College finance team and cash
flow reporting (as carried out by DRM and DE).
Oversight of data management and prospect research activities (as carried out
by DRM), including via regular prospect review meeting (convened by DRM).
Oversight of Annual Fund activities (as carried out by AFO), including via
membership of the Annual Fund Steering Group (convened by AFO).
Oversight of alumni relations events and publications programme (as
delivered by ARM and CE) and its role in supporting fundraising initiatives.
3. Senior Support for the Strategic Development Director
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Deputise for the SDD at meetings and events as required.
Constant interchange with the SDD on ideas for appeals, prospect knowledge,
stewardship, etc.
Interact with academic Fellows and others to develop specific fundraising
projects as delegated by the SDD.
Support the SDD with the delivery of major fundraising campaigns.
4. Donor Stewardship
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Overall responsibility for the development and implementation of stewardship
mechanisms for donors at all levels: supported by all Development colleagues
as this is a whole-team activity, and by tracking systems as appropriate.
Regular interchange with major donors for stewardship purposes, especially
those on own prospect list.
5. Committees and other activities
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Development Committee: regular member (two meetings per term).
Development Editorial Committee: regular member (ad hoc convened by CE).
Attend alumni/donor/College events and High Table dinners as appropriate.
Travel as required: to attend events and meet with alumni and donors, both
within the UK and occasionally abroad.
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Any other related activities as required by the Strategic Development Director
Person Specification
Essential
 Some management experience, preferably of a small team
 Educated to degree level
 Significant experience working in a fundraising office or similar business
development/sales/marketing environment
 Excellent communication skills
 Experience of managing budgets and meeting targets
 Ability to work on a wide variety of projects at any one time and meet
deadlines
 Strong organisational and time management skills
 Ability to take initiative and take ownership of issues
Desirable
 Professional experience in the higher education environment
 Experience of public speaking and making presentations to board level
audiences
 Experience of securing gifts through face-to-face fundraising
 Experience of direct marketing, possibly in a regular-giving context
 Previous involvement with donor stewardship programmes
 Knowledge of complex data segmentation techniques
 Experience of the Oxbridge Collegiate system
Working Arrangements
Open plan office space shared with other team members. The standard working week
is 37½ hours, times as agreed with the Strategic Development Director. There will be
a requirement to attend evening and weekend events, as well as to travel abroad for
short trips, and for this time off in lieu will be given (overtime is not normally
payable). Annual leave entitlement is 30 days plus bank holidays (except the two May
bank holidays).