Senior Development Associate

The Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons Office of Development (VP&S OOD), a part of the Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC), is dedicated to facilitating relationships that support the vision and mission of CUIMC and VP&S: to transform health by driving discovery, advancing care, and educating leaders.

Position Summary

VP&S OOD is seeking a seasoned Senior Development Associate to support the activities of the Office of the Vice President (VP) and the Senior Director of Development (SDOD). Reporting to the SDOD, the Senior Development Associate provides proactive, responsive and effective executive level support to the VP, working to advance the fundraising and donor relations efforts of the VP, Dean, and Board of Advisors. The Senior Development Associate serves as professional face of the VPs and SDOD, operations, ensuring efficiency, effectiveness, and success, while exercising discretion and judgment in performing a wide variety of duties. The incumbent will provide high-level administrative support to the VP and the SDOD and work closely with faculty, administrators, alumni, senior corporate executives, and major contributors.

The incumbent will respond to scheduling questions and meeting requests directed to the VP and SDOD, conserving time and prioritizing key tasks and issues by using sound judgement to manage meetings and appointments proactively. The incumbent will assist the VP and SDOD by triaging phone calls and email requests, ensuring any necessary follow-up action is completed. The Senior Development Associate represents and supports the positive image of the VP and SDOD by welcoming visitors, arranging room reservations and catering for donor-related meetings and functions, in addition to coordinating the VP and SDOD’s transportation, lodging, and processing of reimbursement claims. The Senior Development Associate also handles scheduling of Board and Committee meetings, including reminders and RSVP tracking. This includes membership list management, routine data entry to maintain contact information and track interaction, and working with DataHub, the central resource for Development reporting. Additionally, the Senior Development Associate annually updates the Board Directory and supports board members with Columbia-related administrative and operational tasks (e.g., securing ID cards). The role will require competence with Columbia’s donor database to conduct basic donor research, access gift documents, and prepare reports on an ad hoc basis.

Responsibilities

• Actively manage calendars for the Vice President and the Senior Director of Development; initiate, manage, prioritize, and organize all meeting requests; provide executive-level administrative assistance with the highest levels of discretion and confidentiality; coordinate communications with staff, faculty, and donors; assist in the writing, compiling, and editing of various background materials for internal meetings and donor functions, and ensure the timely flow of information to and from the offices of the Vice President and the Senior Director of Development. – 35%
• Act as the key point of contact with the Dean’s Office, ensuring the timely flow of correspondence, information, and meeting materials; preparing acknowledgment letters, and managing the gift agreement processes. – 30%
• Assist the Senior Director of Development with the activities and operations of the VP&S Board of Advisors by scheduling Board meetings, updating Board materials and membership lists, managing Board contact information, and tracking Board meeting RSVPs with necessary follow-up. – 30%
• Assist with special projects and other duties as assigned. – 5%

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in education and experience, plus three years of related experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience in basic research, MS Office including SharePoint and Advance, or similar fundraising database experience preferred. Experience working for a senior ranking member of a management team, managing multiple demands, and changing priorities preferred.

Other Requirements

• Experience in executive-level administrative support, ideally in a fundraising environment
• Excellent verbal, written and organizational skills including the ability to improve upon existing processes and systems
• Ability to set priorities and perform in a fast-paced environment
• Highly motivated self-starter with excellent judgment and discretion, resilience, with a high level of independent decision-making
• Persistent at follow up and follow through, and detail oriented
• Advanced Microsoft Office skills including presentation, database and spreadsheet applications.
• This position requires work beyond regular hours, including evenings and weekends, as projects and events require

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Hours Per Week: 35
• Standard Work Schedule: M-F