Associate Dean for Advancement

The Grainger College of Engineering

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

The Grainger College of Engineering Office of Advancement and the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement (OVCIA) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign seek an experienced, strategic, and collaborative advancement leader to serve as its next full-time Associate Dean for Advancement / Chief Advancement Officer (CAO). Joining the Dean of The Grainger College of Engineering, the CAO will provide strategic vision, leadership, and direction for all fundraising, alumni engagement, and advancement operations for the College.

The Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana‑Champaign is among the world’s most prestigious and largest engineering programs. With more than 16,000 undergraduate and graduate students, over 550 faculty across 12 academic departments, and a global network of more than 120,000 alumni and friends, Grainger Engineering is a leader in education, research, and innovation.

Philanthropy is essential to advancing the college’s mission and sustaining its excellence. This position plays a key role in cultivating and stewarding relationships with alumni and donors across all departments, partnering with college leadership and faculty to align philanthropic support with institutional priorities. Each department produces highly accomplished alumni whose engagement and generosity fuel Grainger Engineering’s continued growth and impact.

Guided by its strategic plan, the college is investing resources over the next five years to advance overarching strategic directions, including expanding research impact, fostering an inclusive and supportive learning environment, and ensuring faculty and staff thrive. Advancement and fundraising are central to the path to excellence and access - acquiring, stewarding, and aligning resources to support these goals.

To learn more about The Grainger College of Engineering, visit grainger.illinois.edu.

Primary Function

Based in The Grainger College of Engineering, the Associate Dean for Advancement reports jointly to the Dean of The Grainger College of Engineering and to the Associate Vice Chancellor for Advancement. The Associate Dean is part of Dean's cabinet and serves as the head fundraiser for the college and coordinates all alumni relations, stewardship, donor relations, communications, and related activities. The position leads an overall team of approximately 22 professionals.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Major Gifts
  • Facilitate the Dean’s engagement with a portfolio of the college’s most important major donors and prospects. Regularly travel with the Dean to meet alumni, friends, corporations and foundations.
  • Manage a personal portfolio of high-level major prospects, using a focused and accountable approach of strategy development and implementation. Oversee and provide direction for the college’s overall prospect portfolio, and gift officer assignments, engaging the dean as appropriate.
  • Manage the volunteer advisory boards by defining roles for advisory board(s) that support the priorities of the college. Identify recruits and orient board members, lead board meetings, and evaluate board performance. Prepare volunteers to participate in cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of major gifts as needed.
  • Lead a major gift team tasked with identifying, cultivating and soliciting major donors; creating, coordinating and writing funding proposals directed at individuals, corporations and foundations; and ensuring consistent message throughout the College and its units. Encourage and facilitate collaboration with other advancement professionals across campus.
• Strategy and Planning
  • Plan and implement a comprehensive strategic plan and goals for the college’s advancement program in support of the University’s mission, vision, and goals.
  • Provide guidance as chief advisor to the Dean in matters related to advancement.
  • Build and maintain productive working relationships with academic department heads, associate deans, faculty and administrators throughout The Grainger College of Engineering to thoroughly understand their programs and priorities and to collaborate on engaging alumni and donors in support of advancement activities.
  • Facilitate effective collaborative relationships with other advancement offices across campus, the Office of Institutional Advancement, the University of Illinois Foundation, and the University of Illinois Alumni Association.
  • Work collaboratively with the Assistant Dean for Marketing and Communications, providing input and direction to the public relations and marketing programs for the College, and advance communications related to fundraising and engagement activities.
  • Serve as a member of the Dean’s Cabinet and the GCOE Administrative Committee. Work with other senior administrators and faculty to identify and define priority needs to be funded through private support.
• Constituent Engagement
  • In alignment with the strategic priorities of the college, oversee coordination of enhanced, comprehensive and meaningful alumni and corporate engagement activities that foster lifelong connections between the college and its constituents.
  • Ensure that the college’s significant stewardship program is functioning at the highest level. Provide strategic leadership to ensure appropriate processes and procedures for gift documentation and acknowledgement, stellar fund management processes and outstanding donor recognition and reporting.
  • Develop strategies and tactics to share the college’s vision, mission and goals with important external stakeholders, including alumni, friends and parents through public relations, communications, and marketing efforts.
• Management and Budget
  • Plan and administer the budget for the advancement office to ensure operation within fiscal constraints.
  • Set policy, procedures, and best practices for the college’s advancement program inspiring innovation and collaboration across its functions. Determine appropriate staffing levels in consultation with the Dean. Oversee the development of programs to recruit, hire, mentor and evaluate advancement staff.
  • Maintain familiarity with current academic issues in higher education. Retain knowledge and understanding of the specific programs, degrees and strengths of the College.
  • Perform other duties as assigned.

IMPACT IN YOUR FIRST YEAR

At Advancement at Illinois, we value our employees and provide resources to help you continually learn and grow. We foster a strong, collaborative community of people who are driven by their ability to make a difference.

Within 3 months, you’ll:

• Understand the Dean’s strategic vision and priorities for the College
• Build positive relationships with the college’s key internal faculty, staff, and external constituents as well as with leadership and peers in Advancement
• Assess the structure, resources, capabilities, and bandwidth of your advancement office/team as well as individual and collective progress to goals
• Become familiar with the overarching structure of Advancement at Illinois and the alignment between central Advancement services, the University of Illinois Foundation, and the University of Illinois Alumni Association
• Attend professional development and networking activities for newcomers within Advancement
• Meet your college’s assigned Prospect Development Analyst and begin to dig into your team’s portfolios as well as your own

Within 6 months, you’ll:

• Begin cultivating relationships with the college’s key prospects/donors/alumni
• Partner with stewardship and donor relations, events, alumni relations, and communications colleagues on department and college-wide initiatives and funding priorities
• Be able to share multiple meaningful impact stories of transformative gifts

By the end of the first year, you’ll:

• Continue to develop and enhance a trusting and collaborative team culture
• Cooperatively set annual performance goals/metrics with your staff, portfolio management team, and OVCIA Strategic Planning and Organizational Development
• Partner with OVCIA People & Culture team for individual and team coaching, professional development, retreat, and goal-setting opportunities
• Build a robust network of colleagues across campus

Travel Requirements

30% Ability to maintain a travel schedule of 30-40% including some evenings and weekends.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree.
• A minimum of ten years of advancement experience, preferably in a higher education environment.
• A minimum of five years of management experience, which may overlap with advancement experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree.
• Completion of Plus Delta Discipline of Frontline Fundraising program or similar training in academic advancement best practices.
• Experience supervising and managing a large professional team.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Ability to work in a highly self-directed, proactive, and creative manner.
• Ability to maintain a travel schedule of 30-40% including some evenings and weekends.
• Must be able to communicate effectively with others
• Knowledge of the principles of advancement, fundraising and administration in a university environment.
• Advanced knowledge and/or experience working in the major components of advancement including development, communications and public relations, alumni engagement, and special events. Advanced knowledge of planned giving fundraising vehicles.

Appointment Information

This is a 100% full-time Academic Professional position, appointed on a 12-month basis. The expected start date is as soon as possible after the closing date. The budgeted salary range for this position is $210,000-$250,000. Salary is competitive and commensurate with qualifications and experience, while also considering internal equity. Hybrid work options may be available for this position, with the ability to be on-site at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus as needed per the University’s Workplace Flexibility policy. This position is not eligible for any type of sponsorship for work authorization.

Application Procedures & Deadline Information

To ensure full consideration, applications must be received by 6:00 pm (Central Time) on April 30, 2026. Applications may be reviewed as they are received, but no hiring decision will be made until after the closing date. Apply for this position using the Apply Now button at the top or bottom of this posting. Please upload your cover letter, resume, and names/contact information for three references. Applications not submitted through https://jobs.illinois.edu will not be considered. For further information about this specific position, please contact rfoll2@illinois.edu. For questions regarding the application process, please contact 217-333-2137.

At the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign — the state’s flagship public university and one of the world’s leading research institutions — every staff member helps shape what’s next. Founded in 1867, Illinois is home to a vibrant community of 59,000 students from all 50 states and 129 countries, supported by 15 colleges and instructional units, more than 20 research institutes, and one of the most comprehensive student service ecosystems in the nation. Whether you’re empowering first-generation students, fueling breakthrough innovation, or strengthening communities across Illinois and beyond, your work here has a far-reaching and deeply meaningful impact. The university offers a highly competitive benefits package designed to support your well-being, growth, and financial security. Join a top 10 public university that has launched over 330 startups and continues to redefine excellence — where the Illinois Value Proposition ensures that your contributions are recognized, your potential is nurtured, and your career can thrive.

Champaign-Urbana

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools may be used in some portions of the candidate review process for this position; however, all employment decisions will be made by a person.

This position is intended to be eligible for benefits. This includes health, dental, vision, life insurance, a retirement plan, paid time off, and tuition waivers for employees and dependents.

The University of Illinois must also comply with applicable federal export control laws and regulations and, as such, reserves the right to employ restricted party screening procedures for applicants.

This position is intended to be eligible for benefits. This includes Health, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, a Retirement Plan, Paid time Off, and Tuition waivers for employees and dependents.

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The University of Illinois System is an equal opportunity employer, including but not limited to disability and/or veteran status, and complies with all applicable state and federal employment mandates. Please visit Required Employment Notices and Posters to view our non-discrimination statement and find additional information about required background checks, sexual harassment/misconduct disclosures, and employment eligibility review through E-Verify.

Applicants with disabilities are encouraged to apply and may request a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (2008) to complete the application and/or interview process. Accommodations may also be requested on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth, and related conditions, or religion. Requests may be submitted through the reasonable accommodation portal, or by contacting the Office for Access & Equity at 217-333-0885, option #1, or accessibility@illinois.edu.

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Requisition ID: 1035783
Job Category: Professional and Administrative
Apply at: https://jobs.illinois.edu