Human Resources Employment Opportunities

General Summary: 

UMass Boston

As Greater Boston’s only public research university and the most diverse university in New England, the University of Massachusetts Boston is a springboard to a more prosperous future for its 16,000 students; a gateway to intellectual, practical, and artistic discovery in all branches of knowledge; and the primary lever for higher education equity in Massachusetts. This summer, the UMass Boston community finalized a strategic plan and a campus master plan that will take our university to new levels of impact in public-serving education and research.

University Advancement

Over the next ten years and beyond, we on the UMass Boston University Advancement team will partner with philanthropic individuals and organizations to bring this strategic vision—and its impacts on our community and world—to life.

Our fundraising organization, now a team of about 35 colleagues, is growing in both size and impact. Over the past four years, since a major office reorganization, University Advancement has doubled philanthropic giving to UMass Boston, raised more seven- and eight-plus-figure gifts than it had over the previous 50 years, and quintupled new endowments, increasing the university’s total endowment by 50 percent. Today we seek an experienced creative professional who can help our dynamic, mission-minded development team inspire prospective donors to invest in the success of UMass Boston’s students and faculty.

Associate Director of Strategic Engagement

The Associate Director of Strategic Engagement, reporting to the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Principal & Leadership Gifts, will play an important role in advancing University Advancement’s fundraising, cultivation, and alumni engagement efforts. In this role, you will be responsible for ensuring that UA materials supporting major-gift solicitations, donor cultivation, and stewardship strategies are visually effective and adhere to university and campaign brand standards. You will collaborate closely with UA writers, fundraisers, and engagement teams to develop compelling print and digital design materials, conceptualize innovative design solutions, and prepare materials for presentation to UMass Boston’s donor, prospective donor, and alumni audiences. This position offers the opportunity to work creatively to advance the university’s strategic objectives, using a high level of technical skill, visual sensibility, attention to detail, and adherence to brand standards.

Examples of Duties: 

• Design. Using text developed by university collaborators, create inspiring and effective designs for solicitation and engagement materials and graphics, including proposals, case statements, appeals, one-pagers, event collateral, reports, newsletters, magazine layouts, advertisements, email and social campaigns, and web pages, and other digital and print assets. Source appropriate imagery
  
  
• Campaign development and oversight. Create or help guide the creation of graphic treatments for one-time and recurring fundraising campaigns, events, and appeals. Ensure the consistent application of campaign identities, university branding, and high design standards across UA projects.
  
  
• Vendor sourcing and supervision. Hire, oversee, and manage payment of a variety of design- and production-related vendors as needed, including designers, photographers, illustrators, printers, and mailhouses.
  
  
• Strategic communications. Help develop innovative solutions that drive design and production efficiency, including content strategy, templating, and asset management solutions. Stay informed about design trends and best practices within and beyond higher education and contribute ideas to enhance design and solicitation strategy.

Qualifications: 

A bachelor’s degree in graphic design or a related field, or specialized training in design theory and tools, is required. A minimum of 5 years of professional graphic design experience is mandatory, preferably with in-house or project-based experience at a higher education or non-profit institution. Experience in nonprofit fundraising and/or designing solicitation materials will be valued highly.

Additional requirements and/or expectations include:

• Excellent interpersonal skills, including:
  • The desire and ability to work as part of a collaborative team
  • Professionalism and participation in face-to-face meetings with university leaders, faculty, staff, and students, as well as donors and potential funders
• Dependability and strong project-management, with the ability to:
  • Deliver time-sensitive projects on deadline
  • Develop and implement plans and strategies with clear goals and objectives
  • Perform well under pressure and adapt to change in a fast-paced environment
  • Take initiative and work independently
  • Enthusiastically and strategically pursue solutions
• Highly developed creative/communications skills, including:
  • Graphic design for print and digital media, with an excellent sensibility for design, typographic, and image usage. A portfolio of materials you have created must be submitted for your application to be considered.
  • Knowledge of print production processes
  • Website development and/or design experience
  • Experience collaborating with (and preferably supervising) vendors in graphic design, printing, photography, event production, branding, and/or illustration
  • Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (including but not limited to InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, Acrobat), Canva, and Microsoft Office

Application Instructions: 

Please apply online with your resume, cover letter and list of three professional references.

Review of candidates will begin following the application closing date. 

Only Internal candidates in the Professional Staff Bargaining Unit will be considered during the first 10 business days of the posting.  All other candidates will be considered after that period. 

Salary Ranges for the appropriate Pay Grade can be found at the following link: 

Grade:   33           

Salary Ranges

This is an exempt union position. 

All official salary offers must be approved by Human Resources.