Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations
Norfolk, VA
Salary Not AvailableFull time
Posted 3 months ago
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Job Description
Overview:
Reporting to the Assistant Vice President for Development, the Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations plays a critical role in advancing the mission and strategic priorities of the Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University by securing significant philanthropic and grant support from corporate, foundation, and municipal partners.
This position is responsible for developing and executing a comprehensive strategy to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward corporate, foundation, and government-related funding partners at the local, regional, and national levels. The Director will build long-term, strategic relationships that generate sustained investment in institutional priorities across education, research, clinical innovation, workforce development, and community health.
Working in close collaboration with academic and administrative leadership, faculty investigators, and the advancement team, this role will align external funding opportunities with the strategic priorities of Brock Virginia Health Sciences. The Director will lead the development of compelling proposals, letters of inquiry, grant applications, and stewardship reports while ensuring excellence in compliance, reporting, and donor engagement.
This position requires a highly collaborative, relationship-driven fundraiser with strong strategic planning, grant development, and project management skills, particularly within a complex academic health sciences environment.
Responsibilities:
Corporate and Foundation Fundraising Strategy
- Develop and execute a comprehensive corporate, foundation, and municipal fundraising strategy in support of Brock Virginia Health Sciences priorities.
- Identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward corporate and foundation prospects capable of making significant philanthropic investments.
- Align institutional priorities with funder interests across research, education, clinical programs, scholarships, community engagement, and strategic initiatives.
- Build long-term institutional partnerships that support sustainable philanthropic growth.
Portfolio Management and Donor Engagement
- Manage a dynamic portfolio of approximately 100 corporate, foundation, and municipal donors and prospects.
- Develop and implement individualized engagement strategies for each assigned prospect.
- Conduct in-person and virtual visits, discovery meetings, proposal discussions, and stewardship interactions.
- Maintain accurate portfolio strategy, activity tracking, and moves management documentation in the CRM system.
- Coordinate site visits, campus tours, faculty briefings, and high-impact funder engagement experiences.
Grant Development and Stewardship
- Lead the development, coordination, writing, and submission of grant proposals, letters of inquiry, and funding requests.
- Partner with faculty, department leaders, and program administrators to translate institutional priorities into compelling, fundable proposals.
- Oversee post-award stewardship, including reporting deadlines, compliance requirements, deliverables, and impact communications.
- Ensure timely completion of narrative and financial reports in partnership with institutional stakeholders.
Internal Collaboration and Strategic Communication
- Collaborate closely with the Senior Associate Vice President, Assistant Vice President, deans, chairs, and faculty to identify funding priorities.
- Serve as a strategic advisor on corporate and foundation opportunities related to institutional growth priorities.
- Maintain strong internal communication regarding proposal pipelines, submission schedules, funding outcomes, and stewardship obligations.
- Support advancement-wide campaign and strategic initiatives as assigned.
Minimum Qualifications
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Demonstrated knowledge of corporate, foundation, and municipal fundraising strategy, including prospect identification, cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, and grant management.
- Strong grant writing and proposal development skills, with the ability to create compelling cases for support for diverse audiences.
- Ability to build and sustain productive relationships with internal stakeholders, corporate leaders, foundation officers, and civic partners.
- Strong organizational and project management skills with the ability to manage multiple deadlines and competing priorities.
- Excellent verbal, written, and presentation communication skills.
- Ability to work effectively within a highly matrixed academic health sciences and university environment.
- Proficiency in CRM systems, donor databases, and Microsoft Office Suite.
- Demonstrated commitment to ethical fundraising practices, confidentiality, and donor-centered stewardship.
Education or Training
Bachelor’s degree in business, communications, nonprofit management, public administration, healthcare administration, marketing, or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
Level and Type of Experience
A minimum of 3-5 years of progressively responsible experience in fundraising, corporate and foundation relations, grant development, or external relations, preferably within higher education, academic medicine, healthcare, or another complex nonprofit environment.
Demonstrated success in personally securing significant grants and philanthropic commitments from corporations, foundations, and/or municipalities.
Preferred Qualifications
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Demonstrated success securing six- and seven-figure grants and philanthropic investments.
- Experience in academic medicine, health sciences, biomedical research, or university-based healthcare advancement.
- Experience working in a complex, decentralized, multi-school or multi-unit organization.
- Strong track record of building innovative public-private and corporate partnerships.
- Demonstrated ability to coordinate complex, cross-functional proposal teams.
- Ability to translate scientific, academic, and clinical priorities into highly competitive proposals.
Special Licenses, Registration, or Certification
CFRE preferred.
Education or Training
Advanced degree in business, healthcare administration, public administration, nonprofit leadership, communications, or related field preferred.
Level and Type of Experience
A minimum of 5-7 years of progressive fundraising experience within a research-intensive university, academic health center or integrated health sciences enterprise strongly preferred.
Location : Location: US-VA-Norfolk
Eastern Virginia Medical School
At the nexus of seven cities, where the Chesapeake Bay meets the Atlantic, you will find Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University. In our home — among a vast and vibrant network of supporters, partners, neighbors, patients, and friends — we see grand new horizons in healthcare. Here, academics, research, care, and community engagement converge to form something new. Something bold. We are born at the intersection of two institutions — Old Dominion University (est. 1930) and Eastern Virginia Medical School (est. 1973) — steeped in a history of collective impact. A confluence of expertise and purpose forging an academic health sciences center like no other in the commonwealth. As one, we amplify our impact and unlock greater opportunities to shape young minds, make new discoveries, and improve the health of our community.
