Senior Director for Development Events, University Events & Experience

Job Posting Title:

Senior Director for Development Events, University Events & Experience

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Hiring Department:

University Development Office

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Position Open To:

All Applicants

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Weekly Scheduled Hours:

40

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FLSA Status:

Exempt from FLSA

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Earliest Start Date:

Immediately

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Position Duration:

Expected to Continue Until Dec 31, 2027

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Location:

UT MAIN CAMPUS

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Job Details:

General Notes

About The University of Texas at Austin

What starts here changes the world.

The University of Texas at Austin, founded in 1883, ranks among the best universities in the world. With 76 programs ranked in the top 10, UT Austin is the #1 public university in Texas and the #7 public university in the nation.

Like the state it calls home, The University of Texas at Austin is a bold, ambitious leader supporting more than 55,000 students, 4,750 faculty, 15,000 staff and top national programs across 18 colleges and schools. Amid the backdrop of Austin, Texas, a city recognized for its creative and entrepreneurial spirit, the University provides a place to explore countless opportunities for tomorrow’s artists, scientists, athletes, doctors, entrepreneurs and engineers.

Learn more about UT’s mission and values ↗ (external site) and leadership ↗ (external site).

Why Join Texas Development?

The University of Texas at Austin is a thriving hub of learning and discovery that anchors our city and enables excellence and innovation on the highest level. And it’s only possible because generous supporters believe in the power and promise of our state’s flagship university to change the world. With more than $6 billion raised in the What Starts Here campaign, Texas Development is quickly becoming one of the best fundraising programs in public higher education.

Texas Development is a dynamic community of 500+ fundraising professionals across the Forty Acres. We strive to reach the highest levels of achievement and success in all that we do by creating meaningful and powerful experiences for our donors.

Follow your passion, grow your career and help us change the world ↗ (external site).

Benefits

The University provides a competitive benefits package ↗ (external site) that includes insurance and retirement benefits in addition to other programs and services.

Texas Development supports growth by offering professional development opportunities that help every team member accomplish their goals, enrich their skillset and deepen their engagement with UT.

Purpose

The Senior Director for Development Events leads the strategy, planning, and execution of high-impact fundraising events and donor experiences that advance The University of Texas at Austin’s philanthropic priorities. Reporting to the CXO, University Events & Experience, this position partners closely with Texas Development leaders and fundraising teams to translate donor strategy into purposeful board, cultivation, solicitation, recognition, and stewardship experiences.

This is a senior event-planning role grounded in an understanding of fundraising, relationship management, and the donor journey. The Senior Director works with Texas Development leadership, donor relations professionals, executive leaders, presidential boards and councils, academic and campus partners, and external vendors to design experiences that deepen engagement, demonstrate the impact of philanthropy, move donor relationships forward, and support long-term giving objectives.

The ideal candidate is an accomplished event leaders who can manage a complex portfolio from concept through follow-up while applying sound judgment about donor audiences’ engagement goals, moves management, stewardship, volunteer leadership, and the role events play within an integrated fundraising strategy.

This position has an end date of 12/31/2027, but may be renewable based upon availability of funding, work performance, and progress toward goals. Funding is expected to continue.

Responsibilities

Fundraising Event Strategy & Donor Engagement

• Lead concept development and annual planning for a portfolio of fundraising and donor engagement events aligned with Texas Development priorities and university fundraising goals.
• Partner with advancement leaders to define each event’s audience, objective, desired donor action, key messages, and measures of success to develop segment-appropriate experiences.
• Design board and council meetings, cultivation of gatherings, campaign and principal-gift experiences, giving-society programs, donor recognition events, stewardship experiences, and regional or international engagements that advance donor strategy as assigned.
• Apply knowledge of the donor journey and moves management to ensure events support identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, retention, and renewed or increased giving.

Board Engagement, Advancement Partnership & Portfolio Leadership

• Serve as the senior events partner for assigned boards and councils, volunteer leadership groups, giving societies, campaign initiatives, and priority donor constituencies.
• Collaborate with central and unit-based fundraisers, donor relations, stewardship, annual giving, principal and major gifts, planned giving, corporate and foundation relations, advancement communications, prospect development, and executive offices.
• Build integrated event briefs that document donor and prospect audiences, relationship context, host and leadership roles, engagement objectives, program strategy, briefing needs, follow-up ownership, budget, timeline, and success measures.
• Guide executive and volunteer participation, including agendas, talking points, donor briefings, seating and interaction strategy, recognition, protocol, and pathways for meaningful engagement.
• Manage a complex event portfolio, establish priorities, balance resources, identify risks early, and ensure project remain aligned with fundraising strategy, institutional standards, and donor expectations.

Team Leadership & Staff Development

• Supervise one to two direct reports responsible for event planning and execution, providing clear direction, coaching, and day-to-day leadership.
• Set performance expectations, establish priorities, assign work, monitor progress, and ensure staff deliverables meet fundraising objectives, donor experience standards, timelines, and budgets.
• Conduct regular check-ins and performance evaluations, provide timely feedback, recognition, accountability, and support for professional development.
• Build team capacity through cross-training, documented processes, effective delegation, and shared standards for donor-centered event strategy, planning, and execution.

Event Planning, Production & Donor Experience

• Direct end-to-end planning and on-site execution, including venues, budgets, contracts, catering, travel and hospitality, accessibility, technical production, staffing, security, transportation, gifts, recognition, and contingency planning.
• Create donor-centered guest journeys from invitation through post-event follow-up, ensuring every touchpoint is personalized, mission-aligned, and appropriate to the donor relationship.
• Develop distinctive event concepts and experiential approaches that translate fundraising objectives, donor audiences, institutional priorities, and brand into sophisticated, memorable experiences.
• Lead site visits, production meetings, rehearsals, run-of-show development, speaker and executive preparation, live event operations, and post-event debriefs.
• Select, contract, and direct external partners while maintaining university procurement, risk, accessibility, brand, and financial stewardship requirements.
• Coordinate timely handoffs and follow-up with fundraising partners, including attendance and engagement information, donor feedback, next-step participation, audience composition, engagement, relationship progression, donor experience, budget, and other agreed measures; apply findings to future strategy and portfolio decisions.
• Research trends and best practices in higher education advancement, philanthropy, board and volunteer engagement, donor relations, hospitality, and experiential events.

Additional duties as assigned.

Salary Range

$110,000+ depending on qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and at least eight years of progressively responsible experience in complex event planning and production, including significant work in higher education advancement, nonprofit fundraising, donor relations, or a closely related environment.
• Demonstrated success leading high-touch cultivation, stewardship, recognition, board, volunteer leadership, campaign, or fundraising events for donors, prospects, senior leaders, and other VIP audiences.
• Working knowledge of fundraising principles, the donor lifecycle, moves management, donor segmentation, stewardship, and the ways events support relationship progression and philanthropic outcomes.
• Proven ability to translate fundraising goals and donor intelligence into audience strategy, event concepts, program design, personalized engagement, and disciplined follow-up.
• Demonstrated creative and experiential judgement, with the ability to develop an event concept from a strategic objective and carry that vision through design, production, and execution.
• Advanced command of event operations, hospitality, protocol, production, vendor management, budgeting, contracts, timelines, risk mitigation, and live execution.
• Experience partnering with fundraisers, donor relations and stewardship teams, executive offices, communications and creative team, campus partners, and external vendors in a matrixed organization.
• Exceptional judgment, discretion, service orientation, and written, verbal, interpersonal, and presentation skills; ability to advise senior leaders and manage sensitive donor and institutional information.
• Ability to manage multiple complex events simultaneously, make timely decisions, maintain accuracy under pressure, and deliver against demanding deadlines and budgets.
• Ability to travel and work evenings and weekends as required for planning, donor engagement, rehearsals, and event execution.

Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Preferred Qualifications

• Ten or more years of relevant experience, with a substantial portfolio of major-gift, principal-gift, campaign, presidential, board, giving-society, or donor stewardship events.
• Experience within a complex research university, large advancement organization, academic medical center, cultural institution, or national nonprofit.
• Experience working directly with principal and major gift officers, donor relations and stewardship leaders, university executives, deans, faculty, board or council members, and volunteer leaders.
• Experience using advancement or constituent relationship management data to inform guest strategy, personalization, engagement tracking, and post-event follow-up.
• Demonstrated success evaluating and improving event portfolios based on fundraising priorities, donor outcomes, audience insights, resource use, and return on engagement.
• Established knowledge of premier creative, production, hospitality, entertainment, and specialty vendor resources in Austin, Texas, and nationally.
• Experience delivering highly personalized donor experiences in environments requiring diplomacy, confidentiality, cultural awareness, executive presence, and exceptional service standards.

Working Conditions

• This is an on-site position (40 hours per week), and the schedule will vary based on university and department schedules, and with the types of events scheduled and operational functions.
• Must be able to travel occasionally, overnight and weekends as necessary.
• Work late evenings and some weekends for scheduled events. Hours are subject to change.
• Works in standard office conditions, in a shared office environment, with repetitive use of a keyboard at a workstation.
• May work in all weather conditions.
• Regular and consistent attendance is required in this job.
• Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States. The University Development Office does not sponsor work visas for this position.
• This position is based in Austin, Texas.
• May require additional hours during peak periods and special events.
• Regular and consistent attendance is required in this job.

Required Materials

• Resume/CV
• Three work references with contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor
• Letter of Interest

Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded. Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above.

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Employment Eligibility:

Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion/transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval.

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Retirement Plan Eligibility:

The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length. This position has the option to elect the Optional Retirement Program (ORP) instead of TRS, subject to the position being 40 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

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Background Checks:

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

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Equal Opportunity Employer:

The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer ↗ (external site), complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

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Pay Transparency:

The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.

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Employment Eligibility Verification:

If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form. You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States. Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment. Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.

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E-Verify:

The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university’s company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following:

• E-Verify Poster (English and Spanish) ↗ (external site) [PDF]
• Right to Work Poster (English) ↗ (external site) [PDF]
• Right to Work Poster (Spanish) ↗ (external site) [PDF]

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Compliance:

Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031 ↗ (external site).

The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here ↗ (external site) or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.