Director of Advancement

Date Posted: 01/14/2025
Req ID: 41127
Faculty/Division: Library
Department: Advancement
Campus: St. George (Downtown Toronto)

Description:

The University of Toronto is seeking a Director of Advancement to lead and manage University of Toronto Libraries’ (UTL) advancement programs with the goal of increasing fundraising revenues in support of (UTL) highest academic and institutional priorities.

The Director of Advancement reports jointly to the University Chief Librarian, University of Toronto Libraries, and to the Vice President, Advancement (or their designate). The Director is a member of the University Chief Librarian’s Executive Leadership Team and a member of the Vice-President, Advancement’s University-wide Senior Advancement Leadership Team.

The Director of Advancement is responsible for the development and execution of advancement plans and strategies to accomplish divisional fundraising, as well as the related personal and team results, in close consultation with the University Chief Librarian and the Vice President, Advancement. The Director is accountable to the University Chief Librarian, University of Toronto Libraries on the development and fulfillment of advancement plans and strategies that support UTL’s academic and research missions. The Director has a functional reporting relationship to the Vice-President, Advancement or delegate (typically the AVP Divisional Relations) that ensures alignment with and accountability to University-wide standards, guidelines, and procedures that protect academic integrity and promote best practice, excellence, and equity in advancement. Further details on the definition of joint reporting are included in the Provost’s Guideline on Joint Reporting in University Advancement. 

The Director of Advancement, University of Toronto Libraries will possess superior solicitation experience and a demonstrated track record of securing significant philanthropic support; a strong commitment to recruiting, developing, and empowering a team of high-performance advancement professionals; and a strong commitment to establishing and supporting efforts to engage meaningfully with alumni, friends, and volunteers in support of UTL academic mission. The incumbent will demonstrate proactive leadership and team building skills, outstanding communication and interpersonal skills, creativity, an ability to work collaboratively with other teams to build awareness and capacity for advancement, and a commitment to set and achieve ambitious advancement goals. As such, the Director will also embody a strong commitment to define the leading edge of advancement practice in Canada and to enhance the University’s overall reputation for advancement excellence. 

About the University of Toronto Libraries

The University of Toronto Libraries system is the largest academic library in Canada and is consistently ranked in the top ten among academic research libraries in North America. The system consists of 40 libraries located on three university campuses: St. George, Mississauga, and Scarborough. This array of college libraries, special collections, and specialized libraries and information centres supports the teaching and research requirements of over 300 graduate programs, more than 70 professional programs, and about 700 undergraduate degree programs. In addition to more than 12 million volumes in 341 languages, the library system currently provides access to millions of electronic resources in various forms and over 31,000 linear metres of archival material. More than 150,000 new print volumes are acquired each year. The Libraries' data centre houses more than 600 servers with a storage capacity of 1.5 petabytes.

DEFY GRAVITY: The Campaign for the University of Toronto 

On December 13, 2021, the University proudly launched Defy Gravity: The Campaign for the University of Toronto. The largest university campaign in Canadian history will harness the power of our worldwide community, including more than 640,000 alumni, 95,000 students, and 23,000 faculty and staff, for the betterment of humanity. 

From pioneering work in the humanities to the breakthrough development of neural networks, the University of Toronto has a long history of tackling the impossible and transforming society through the ingenuity of its faculty, students, and alumni.   

In a world searching for positive change, we will build on this tradition to address some of the biggest challenges facing our city, country, and planet as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and grapple with this age of climate change, inequality, and mass technological disruption.   

Through our commitment to inclusive excellence, we will bring together top minds from every conceivable background and discipline to lead pandemic recovery and enable healthy lives, build inclusive cities and societies, create a sustainable future, spark creativity and culture, drive scientific discovery, power bold innovation and entrepreneurship, and support student success as we educate the next generation of creative, engaged, and empathic citizens.  

The campaign theme, Defy Gravity, reflects U of T’s history of advancing the frontiers of knowledge by transcending disciplines and borders in a diverse and inclusive community that emboldens students to think big—a community that accomplishes things no one else believed possible. 

Our campaign has two ambitious goals to meet today’s challenges 

For the first time in U of T history, the campaign will include a goal for alumni engagement: to inspire 225,000 alumni to get involved as volunteers, mentors, donors, participants, and leaders and encourage them to contribute their time and talent to the University one million times collectively. 

The campaign will also seek to raise $4 billion for the University’s highest priorities, a goal commensurate with our excellence, the breadth of our aspirations, the global footprint of our faculty, students, alumni, and donors, and our potential for life-changing impact. 

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED:

EDUCATION:

University undergraduate degree.

EXPERIENCE:

5+ years with direct fundraising experience and a proven track record of executive advancement responsibility and leadership in annual, major and planned giving programs in a large complex organization, preferably in an educational or medical institution. Experience in organizing complex programs and events. Experience in a management capacity and directing the work of others. Demonstrated volunteer management experience. Highly knowledgeable and experienced in both new and traditional channels of revenue generation. 

SKILLS:

• Vision, the ability to think and plan strategically, and a creative, entrepreneurial spirit
• Demonstrated experience and success managing, motivating, and mentoring volunteers and advancement professionals, bringing out the best in teams and individuals
• Be strongly committed to the values of inclusivity, diversity, anti-racism, equity, and accessibility in academic libraries
• The ability to mentor, coach, motivate and inspire colleagues and volunteers
• High level of initiative, maturity, tact and diplomacy; excellent judgement and discretion
• A deep understanding of and sympathy for the mission of an academic and research intensive university
• The ability to serve as an articulate, credible representative of the University with diverse constituencies and particularly with the sophisticated individuals who support the institution
• The ability to understand the research and teaching dimensions of a proposed project, to conceptualize them in an integrated proposal, and to make a compelling case to a donor for philanthropic support
• An engaging personal style, a sincere interest in people, patience, a willingness to listen, and the capacity to engender trust and to establish lasting relationships
• Reputation for integrity, openness, decisiveness and sound judgement
• A high level of comfort interacting with academic leaders as well as donors and volunteers
• The ability to navigate and be effective within a complex matrix organization that values collaboration and teamwork as well as individual initiative and creativity
• Excellent attention to detail and superb organizational skills, including the ability to set principal gift fundraising goals and to establish an internal system for meeting deadlines, tracking, follow-up, monitoring, and reporting of progress
• Ability to work in a hectic and results-oriented environment with a strong focus on results; ability to meet deadlines and budgets
• A high energy level, an appropriate degree of sophistication and self-confidence, optimism (and the ability to engender optimism in others) and a sense of humour
• Exceptional oral and written communication, presentation and interpersonal skills
• Strong research, analytical and problem-solving skills

• Cultural sensitivity and capacity to work with international students and donors
• Ability to commute to site visits with prospects and donors, and other advancement events/functions
• Valid passport for international travel is required

Closing Date: 02/28/2025, 11:59PM ET
Employee Group: Salaried
Appointment Type: Budget - Continuing
Schedule:
Pay Scale Group & Hiring Zone: 1AP -- Broadband Salary Range: $87,384 - $201,658
Job Category: Administrative / Managerial