Associate Director Development,

Permanent, full-time position

Guelph, ON

Are you a strategic and relationship-driven fundraising professional passionate about advancing education, health, and animal welfare? Do you thrive in roles that combine leadership, donor engagement, and the opportunity to shape transformative projects within a world-class academic environment?

The University of Guelph is seeking an Associate Director, Development (Ontario Veterinary College) to play a pivotal role in supporting OVC’s Healthy Futures Strategic Plan and fundraising priorities, including the construction of a new Medical and Surgical Learning Centre. As part of the Alumni Affairs and Development (AA&D) team, you will help drive philanthropic support, build strong relationships with donors, and contribute to the University’s upcoming fundraising campaign.

In this leadership role, you will identify, cultivate, and steward major and principal gift donors, manage a pipeline of high-value prospects, and guide a team of fundraising professionals. You will also work closely with senior university leaders and volunteers, preparing strategies and materials that connect donor passions with the College’s ambitious goals.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced fundraiser who excels at building partnerships, inspiring philanthropy, and leading teams to success. By joining OVC—a global leader in veterinary medicine and health research—you will directly contribute to shaping the future of veterinary education and improving the health of animals, people, and our planet.

If you’re motivated by impact, energized by collaboration, and ready to play a key role in the University of Guelph’s next chapter of growth, we invite you to explore this opportunity.

Your key responsibilities will include:

• Identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major and principal-level donors and prospects through the fundraising cycle.
• Maintaining a robust pipeline of major and principal-level donors.
• Preparing briefing materials to support Senior Administration (President, VPs, AVPs, Deans, Directors) fundraising activity.
• Collaborating with the Director, Advancement (OVC), and other internal partners to identify university priorities that will resonate with donors, e.g., faculty support, and capital projects.
• Creating and presenting materials to advance fundraising asks and negotiating the closure of major and principal-level gifts, including the creation of gift agreements and other supporting documentation.
• Managing a team of two to five development staff members, which may include recruitment and training.
• Undertaking complex planned giving discussions with donors, friends, and alumni to promote planned giving to achieve OVC’s fundraising priorities and create a legacy for donors on campus.
• Participating in the stewardship of alumni, friends, and corporations, and working closely with the OVC Stewardship Engagement Manager. This includes taking personal leadership on gift announcements/communications and supporting OVC partners to implement gifts.
• Working collaboratively with the Alumni Advancement Manager, the ADD will help identify alumni for major gift cultivation and ensure that major gift alumni are engaged in college events.
• Contributing to strategic planning for OVC and other university initiatives along with fellow members of the OVC Advancement team.
• In collaboration with the Director, help develop and implement a long-term fundraising strategy for OVC aligned with the overall AA&D multi-year and annual strategic plans, and work with other members of the team to implement the various projects and initiatives reflected in the strategic plan.

We believe that fundraising is a team sport and building strong internal relationships is key to success. The ADD will work collaboratively with both the Alumni Affairs and Development team members as well as the OVC External Relations team members.

Requirements

The university recognizes that no one individual will have the following skills/experience in equal measure, but the qualifications below will be used to assess the suitability of candidates throughout the process

• 6-9 years of experience in a University or other public sector fundraising experience, with a proven track record of success securing principal and major gifts from a variety of stakeholders.
• An Undergraduate degree. Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) preferred. An equivalent combination of education and experience will also be considered.
• Experience leading and managing team members, volunteers, and working with senior staff.
• Advanced knowledge of the business community (in particular, the veterinary community), and related issues and challenges.
• Ability to engage in senior leadership in a variety of sectors at a strategic level.
• Superior strategic planning, people management, and administrative skills to lead an advancement team, ensuring fundraisers and other team members have both individual and group success.
• Superior interpersonal communications skills, including effective relationship building and experience working with individuals in senior or high-profile positions.
• Leadership and motivation skills, with proven ability to lead groups towards completion of long-term goals in dynamic environments.
• Experience with all aspects of the advancement environment, from alumni engagement, high-volume annual giving approaches to personal principal and major giving, to planned and legacy giving.
• Ability to think and act quickly and effectively under pressure, exercising tact, diplomacy, discretion, and good judgment.
• Experience with public relations, communications, and alumni relations programs.
• Successful experience managing personnel with diverse job requirements, both unionized and professional.
• Experience managing the personnel and resource requirements of competing projects and transitions between projects.
• Experience implementing complex processes and overlapping cycles of activity.

The University of Guelph (www.uoguelph.ca) is one of Canada’s leading research-intensive comprehensive institutions, with a record of outstanding scholarship in the arts, humanities, social sciences, life sciences, physical and engineering sciences, agriculture, and veterinary sciences. This is your chance to join us in our endeavor to improve life.

To view a detailed posting for the role of Associate Director Development, please go to our website at https://careers.uoguelph.ca/.

At the University of Guelph, fostering a culture of inclusion is an institutional imperative. The University invites and encourages applications from all qualified individuals, including from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in employment, who may contribute to further diversification of our Institution.

Job Type: Full-time

Work Location: In person