Senior Director of Development

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About Us
The Portland State University (PSU) Foundation raises and manages philanthropic gifts in support of the mission and priorities of the university. As an organization, we’ve been consistently recognized as one of the best non-profits to work for in Oregon. We’re committed to creating a workplace experience rooted in inclusivity, collaboration, and excellence.
We’re a team of dedicated mission-driven colleagues who believe in changing what’s possible for our community, advancing equitable outcomes for diverse communities, and we’re looking for values-aligned people to help us do it.
PSU is Oregon’s most diverse, innovative and affordable research university, with more than half of its incoming first-year class identifying as BIPOC. Nearly a quarter of its students are parents. Half are the first in their family to attend college. When PSU graduates enter the workforce, families transform, communities prosper, innovation expands, and our economy grows. Our mission at the PSU Foundation is to inspire donors, engage alumni and community, and steward resources to support and enhance PSU's vital impact.
PSU's School of Business is a leader in inclusive, forward-thinking business education. Our programs combine impactful research, community partnerships, and real-world learning led by globally recognized faculty and deep connections to Portland’s business ecosystem.
Our College of Engineering and Computer Science equips students from all backgrounds with the education, tools and support to create solutions for a changing world. As Oregon’s most accessible engineering college, we encourage students to explore their goals and passions from artificial intelligence to designing resilient urban infrastructure and building renewable energy systems.
About The Role
The Senior Director of Development leads the strategy and execution of fundraising efforts for PSU's School of Business and College of Engineering and Computer Science. In this position you will manage both a team of development officers and an individual portfolio of prospects to advance major and principal gift opportunities in alignment with the mission, strategic goals, and upcoming campaign for Portland State University.
Reporting to the Assistant Vice President of Development, this position is responsible for meeting gift revenue goals, expanding the donor pipeline, and developing and executing comprehensive strategies to cultivate, solicit, and steward donors while maintaining a high-performing, mission-driven team culture through mentorship, accountability, and professional development.
This position supervises Development staff and regularly works with PSU stakeholders, faculty, and Foundation colleagues to align fundraising strategy with academic initiatives.
Essential Functions
Leads, Develops, and Retains a High-Performing Team: Provides clear direction, coaching, and support to team members to ensure individual and collective success. Holds the team accountable to metrics and organizational goals, while celebrating achievements and supporting professional growth to ensure long-term retention and engagement and excellent performance.
Manages a High-Impact Portfolio: Leads a dynamic portfolio of major and principal gift donors and prospects, ensuring strategic qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship. Maintains accountability for achieving fundraising goals while fostering trust and collaboration across teams.
Drives Strategic, Cross-Functional Collaboration: Leads and contributes to complex, cross-organizational initiatives—including annual planning and goal-setting—by promoting open communication, shared ownership, and a solutions-oriented mindset.
Serves as a Strategic Partner to Academic Leadership: Acts as the primary development liaison for academic leaders and/or deans, providing guidance and ensuring alignment between philanthropic opportunities and institutional priorities.
Engages Faculty to Advance Philanthropic Priorities: Builds strong, respectful partnerships with faculty to identify and elevate funding priorities that support the Foundation and University priorities.
Prioritizes Transformational Impact: Identifies and advances high-value opportunities that inspire donors to make meaningful investments in students, faculty, programs, and learning environments—emphasizing long-term impact and shared success.
Leads with Future in Focus: Participates in and leads planning efforts that enhance fundraising effectiveness, encourage innovation, and promotes a collaborative, high-performing team culture.
Represents PSUF at Events: Actively participates in and supports development-related events, serving as a positive ambassador for the university and fostering a sense of community and belonging among stakeholders.
Supervision Duties: Carries out supervisory responsibilities in alignment with organizational values and policies, including hiring, onboarding, and training staff; setting goals and managing team performance; providing regular feedback and performance evaluations; supporting ongoing professional development; and fostering an inclusive, equitable team environment.
Leads with Values + Intention: Demonstrates a commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging and values-aligned leadership as a member of the Supervisor Team, serving as a champion of organizational mission, strategy, and culture; fostering cross-functional collaboration; and promoting organizational change initiatives.
Performs other duties as assigned.
Minimum Qualifications
7+ years of progressively responsible fundraising experience, including proven success in securing six- and/or seven-figure gifts.
3+ years of leadership experience, including managing team performance and fostering an inclusive, equitable team environment.
Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree (e.g., Master’s, JD, MBA) preferred.
Expertise in managing donor pipelines and gift officer portfolios using CRM systems (e.g., Blackbaud, Salesforce, Raiser’s Edge).
Familiarity with planned giving vehicles, IRS charitable giving regulations, and donor stewardship best practices.
Ability to work across departments with academic leaders, trustees, and volunteers to align fundraising with institutional priorities.
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills; ability to craft compelling proposals and represent the institution externally.
Understanding of fundraising ethics, donor confidentiality, and compliance with CASE standards.
Demonstrated ability to contribute to an inclusive, equitable, and respectful workplace by working collaboratively with people from a wide range of backgrounds, identities, and experiences.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience working in higher education or for a large, complex non-profit organization.
Demonstrated success fundraising in higher education for a large public institution with complex matrixed environment.
Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) Certification.
Working knowledge of Portland’s donor community.
Compensation & Benefits
Our compensation philosophy and practices are aligned with our commitment to pay equity and transparency.
The hiring range for this position is $104,300 - $124,00/year.
When preparing an offer, we analyze a candidate’s skills, experience, qualifications, as well as internal pay equity.
We believe that a meaningful benefits program promotes holistic well-being for our employees and their families, and we offer one of the leading benefit packages for non-profit organizations in Oregon that reflects our values in work-life balance and wellness for our team.
Benefits offerings for full-time employees include:
100% employer paid medical coverage on our base-plan for all enrolled employees with additional
buy-up plan offered
95% employer paid dental and vision coverage
Generous paid time off
Paid holidays and 1 floating holiday
Up to 12% employer contributions to an eligible employee’s 401(k) plan after applicable waiting periods
Employer paid Long Term Disability and Life Insurance coverage
Portland State University affiliated employee benefits, including tuition discount
Don’t meet every requirement? We’d still like to hear from you!
If you enjoy being part of a collaborative results-driven team and making a difference in our community, we encourage you to apply, even if you believe you don’t meet all of the requirements listed. Studies have shown that individuals with marginalized identities are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every qualification in the job description. Our priority is finding the best candidate for the role, and we welcome candidates from all backgrounds. PSU Foundation is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.
To learn more about the PSU Foundation, please visit
https:/psuf.org.
Apply
Location:
Portland
Job Type:
FullTime

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