Intermediate Specialist, Advancement and Alumni Relations

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Job Type:

Employee

Duration in Months (for fixed-term jobs):

N/A

Job Family:

Advancement and Alumni Relations

# of Open Positions:

1

Faculty/Service - Department:

Donor Relations

Campus:

Main Campus

Union Affiliation:

SSUO

Date Posted (YYYY/MM/DD):

2025/12/01

Applications must be received BEFORE (YYYY/MM/DD):

2025/12/12

Hours per week:

35

Salary Grade:

SSUO Grade 10

Salary Range:

$80, $102,245.00University Advancement plays a pivotal role in fostering meaningful connections between the University and its alumni, donors, and partners. Our team is dedicated to advancing the University's mission by securing philanthropic support, engaging with our vibrant alumni community, and building partnerships that drive innovation and excellence. Through strategic initiatives and collaborative efforts, we help shape the future of the University, ensuring that it continues to thrive as a leading institution of higher education and research. Together, we empower our students, faculty and researchers to make a lasting impact on the world.

Position Purpose

Reporting to the Supervisor Donor Relations, this role develops and coordinates the approval of all donor agreements which include Terms of Reference (ToR) and Memoranda of Understanding (MOU). Provides advice, guidance, and support to internal stakeholders and donors to ensure agreements meet University standards and governmental guidelines, yet respect donor's intents. Executes various donor recognition programs and initiatives with the objective of strengthening the relationship between the University and its donors.

In this role, your responsibilities will include:

• Fundraising Operations: Responsible for developing all donor agreements (ToRs and MOUs) in compliance with institutional and governmental giving guidelines and regulations including Canada Revenue Agency. Ensure that the donor's intent is clearly documented and honoured while advancing fundraising objectives. Makes recommendations to suggested ToRs received from prospect managers to ensure executability of agreement while honouring donors' intent. Maintains accurate and detailed records for each ToR and MOU within the document management platform, disseminates with appropriate internal teams, and coordinates all revisions. Tracks the agreement's status throughout, providing additional support as needed.

• Consultation and Advisory Services: Serves as the central resource for Advancement staff on the policies and procedures around ToRs and MOUs and provides education sessions to ensure prospect managers understand and apply guidelines during consultations with donors. Occasionally, meets directly with donors to report on their funds and to develop or revise TORs that honour their intent while being operationally feasible.

• Compliance Management Strategy: Collaborates with internal teams to address compliance issues and resolve spending irregularities. Analyzes special cases and proposes changes to TORs  that honour the donor's intent and relevant University policies, procedures, guidelines, and best practices in donor relations. Reporting: Responsible for collecting analyzing, and consolidating annual data related to donor endowment funds from various internal sources including Financial Aid and Award Services. Prepares comprehensive endowment report and other reports when needed.

• Communication: Facilitates the creation and delivery of high-quality fundraising communications and donor materials. Ensures messaging is consistent, professional, and tailored to donor interests. Coordinates the translation, review, and approval of communications, and supports faculty and fundraiser collaborations to strengthen donor outreach.

• Donor Recognition and Engagement: In collaboration with the Supervisor, develops and implements a variety of university-wide donor recognition programs and initiatives to maximize retention of donors and increase their giving. Recommends donor engagement strategies and produces content for various communication touchpoints using multiple platforms with the objective of increasing donor engagement and retention. Develops annual fund impact reports, liaising with faculties and/or services to create personalized, high impact communications, reviewing all information in communications to ensure accuracy and prevent damaging relationship with donors.

What you will bring:

• An undergraduate degree, preferably in business administration or communications, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

• A minimum of five (5) years of relevant experience in a field related to the responsibilities of the position.

• Ability to deal with the public, senior officials and high-profile stakeholders with diplomacy and tact

• Excellent customer service and interpersonal skills, and ability to communicate requirements and best practices and influence others to obtain buy-in

• Exceptional planning and time management skills, including experience in event planning; ability to manage multiple projects with prescribed timelines.

• Superior written and communication skills in English and French.

• Strong analytical skills with the ability to synthesize information from various sources and produce clear, accurate reports

• Sound judgement and problem-solving skills

• Ability to be proactive in keeping abreast of new/emerging processes and practices

• Ability to take initiative and work in collaboration with staff, students, volunteers and donors

• Excellent computer skills and the ability to learn and use software programs; experience using a CRM is an asset

• Ability to work flexible hours, on occasion may include evening events

• Knowledge of fundraising principles, practices, Canada Revenue Agency Charity Tax laws, the operation of the university, its governance, its structure and its administrative functioning is considered an asset

• Bilingualism – French and English (spoken and written).

Key Competencies at uOttawa:
Here are the required competencies for all or our employees at uOttawa: 

Planning: Organize in time a series of actions or events in order to realize an objective or a project. Plan and organize own work and priorities in regular daily activities.
Initiative: Demonstrate creativity and initiative to suggest improvements and encourage positive results. Is proactive and self-starting. Show availability and willingness to go above and beyond whenever it is possible.
Client Service Orientation: Help or serve others to meet their needs. This implies anticipating and identifying the needs of internal and external clients and finding solutions on how to meet them.
Teamwork and Cooperation: Cooperate and work well with other members of the team to reach common goal(s). Accept and give constructive feedback. Able to adjust own behaviour to reach the goals of the team.

The University of Ottawa embraces diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We are passionate about our people and committed to employment equity. We foster a culture of respect, teamwork and inclusion, where collaboration, innovation, and creativity fuel our quest for research and teaching excellence. While all qualified persons are invited to apply, we welcome applications from qualified Indigenous persons, racialized persons, persons with disabilities, women and LGBTQIA2S+ persons. The University is committed to creating and maintaining an accessible, barrier-free work environment. The University is also committed to working with applicants with disabilities requesting accommodation during the recruitment, assessment and selection processes. Applicants with disabilities may contact to communicate the accommodation need. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

Note: if this is a union position: The hiring process will be governed by the current collective agreement related to the union affiliation noted above; you can click here to find out more.

If this is a front-line position with responsibilities to interact with students, selected candidates must be rated at the Low Advanced proficiency level or higher for both oral comprehension and reading comprehension in their second official language. The rating is determined by a proficiency test designed by the Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute.

Prior to May 1, 2022, the University required all students, faculty, staff, and visitors (including contractors) to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 as defined in Policy 129 – Covid-19 Vaccination. This policy was suspended effective May 1, 2022 but may be reinstated at any point in the future depending on public health guidelines and the recommendations of experts.

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