Director of Advancement

Date Posted: 06/20/2025
Req ID:43751
Faculty/Division: Faculty of Architecture,Landscape&Design
Department: Daniels Faculty of Arch., Land & Design
Campus: St. George (Downtown Toronto)

Description:

Your Opportunity:

The University of Toronto is seeking a Director of Advancement to strategically lead the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design’s advancement programs with the goals of increasing fundraising revenues and alumni engagement in support of the Faculty’s highest academic and institutional priorities. The John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design at the University of Toronto is seeking a highly collaborative and strategic fundraising professional with a significant track record of success to join our team.

The Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design at the University of Toronto offers graduate programs in architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, forestry, and visual studies — as well as unique undergraduate programs that use architectural studies and visual studies as a lens through which students may pursue a broad, liberal arts-based education. Its mission is to educate students, prepare professionals, and cultivate scholars who will play a leading role in creating more culturally engaged, ecologically sustainable, socially just, and artfully conceived environments.

The greater Toronto region serves as a dynamic laboratory for both its students and faculty, while the University of Toronto, which year after year ranks among the top universities in the world, provides a wealth of knowledge and expertise that they can draw from. Like Toronto, Daniels students and faculty are incredibly cosmopolitan in sensibility, hailing from every part of the world, with their work crossing all sorts of geographic and cultural boundaries. The city’s multicultural networks and international connections make the Daniels Faculty a powerful place to start a career.

The Director of Advancement reports jointly to the Dean, John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design, and to the Vice President, Advancement (or his/her designate) and is 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 and alumni engagement goals, as well as related personal and team results, in close consultation with the Dean, John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design, and the Vice President, Advancement. The Director of Advancement is accountable to the Dean, John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design on the development and fulfillment of advancement plans and strategies that support the faculty’s academic mission.

The Director of Advancement 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 meaningfully engage alumni and volunteers in support of the Faculty’s academic mission. The incumbent will demonstrate proactive leadership and team building skills, outstanding communication and interpersonal skills, an ability to work collaboratively with other teams, and a commitment to set and achieve ambitious advancement goals. As such, the Director of Advancement 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.

The Director of Advancement, has overall responsibility for a team of professionals tasked with identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding donors and developing tailored programs to enhance the interest and engagement of individuals who directly, or through other sources, have or are capable of making gifts at a significant level.

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.

Key Result Areas:
1. Develop, lead, and implement annual and multi-year plans and strategies to achieve transformational growth in lifting the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design’s overall fundraising and alumni engagement results and to advance the Faculty’s highest academic, strategic and institutional priorities.

2. Provide exemplary leadership, direction, and mentorship to a team of advancement professionals, in order to increase the impact and effectiveness of staff in advancing the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design’s goals and to build the Faculty’s capacity in major gifts, stewardship, annual leadership giving, and alumni engagement. By example and direction, the incumbent will help create an organization and culture that values excellence, initiative, effectiveness, and community, and offers opportunities for professional development and growth. Will build and foster a culture based on respect, humanity, and inclusion in all our relationships.

3. Work closely with the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design’s academic leadership to translate academic priorities into compelling funding propositions and alumni engagement propositions that create opportunities to advance the Faculty’s academic, institutional, and strategic priorities, both within the immediate community of the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design alumni, friends, and partners, and among broader national and international constituencies.

4. Represent the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design’s priorities and mission to external constituents as an effective, credible institutional leader, persuasively projecting opportunities for engagement and maximizing opportunities for giving. This will include contributing to the Faculty’s fundraising performance by assuming personal responsibility for cultivating and soliciting a portfolio of major and principal gift prospects.

5. Work closely with the leadership of University Advancement to ensure alignment with the University’s best practices for fundraising and alumni relations programs, compliance with relevant University and Provostial guidelines and policies, collegial and collaborative engagement with other University advancement programs, and to take full advantage of the broad range of the Division of University Advancement’s services and supports for the benefit of the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design’s advancement programs.

EDUCATION:

• University undergraduate degree. Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) designation an asset.

EXPERIENCE:

5+ years of 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, medical, design, or arts institution. Experience in organizing complex programs and events. Experience managing and supervising an advancement team preferably in a unionized environment. Demonstrated volunteer management experience. Highly knowledgeable and experienced in both new and traditional channels of revenue generation.

SKILLS:

Proficient with and demonstrated experience working with Microsoft Office suite. Experience working with ARBOR, Blackbaud CRM, or a similar database management system. Demonstrated strategic conceptualization, analytical, and planning skills. Knowledge of current trends as they relate to the duties and responsibilities of the role.

OTHER:

• 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
• The ability to mentor, coach, motivate, and inspire colleagues and volunteers
• High level of initiative, maturity, tact and diplomacy; excellent judgement and discretion
• Ability to build and foster a culture based on respect, humanity, and inclusion in all our relationships
• 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 capacity to meet targets, deadlines, and budgets
A high energy level, an appropriate degree of sophistication and self-confidence, optimism (and the ability to engender optimism in others)
• 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
• Valid driver’s license and access to personal vehicle required
• Valid passport for international travel is required

Closing Date: 07/11/2025, 11:59PM ET
Employee Group: Salaried
Appointment Type: Budget – Continuing
Programme: Full-Time
Pay Scale Group & Hiring Zone: 1AP — Broadband Salary Range: $87,384 – $201,658
Job Category: Administrative / Managerial

Notes: This role is currently eligible for a hybrid work arrangement, pursuant to University policies and guidelines, including but not limited to the University of Toronto’s Alternative Work Arrangements Guideline.

Diversity Statement

The University of Toronto embraces Diversity and is building a culture of belonging that increases our capacity to effectively address and serve the interests of our global community. We strongly encourage applications from Indigenous Peoples, Black and racialized persons, women, persons with disabilities, and people of diverse sexual and gender identities. We value applicants who have demonstrated a commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion and recognize that diverse perspectives, experiences, and expertise are essential to strengthening our academic mission.

As part of your application, you will be asked to complete a brief Diversity Survey. This survey is voluntary. Any information directly related to you is confidential and cannot be accessed by search committees or human resources staff. Results will be aggregated for institutional planning purposes. For more information, please see http://uoft.me/UP.

Accessibility Statement

The University strives to be an equitable and inclusive community, and proactively seeks to increase diversity among its community members. Our values regarding equity and diversity are linked with our unwavering commitment to excellence in the pursuit of our academic mission.

The University is committed to the principles of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). As such, we strive to make our recruitment, assessment and selection processes as accessible as possible and provide accommodations as required for applicants with disabilities.

If you require any accommodations at any point during the application and hiring process, please contact uoft.careers@utoronto.ca.