The Development and Grants Manager stewards important funding relationships with individual and institutional donors to Columbia Journalism School, works with department fundraisers and faculty to prepare applications for gifts and grants, and project manages many aspects of the department’s work with the central office of Annual Fund Programs.

This person is a crucial member of an eight-person team that regularly exceeds its fundraising goals, and places importance on the excellent management of our relationships with donors, both individuals and institutional. The incumbent will manage a gifts and grants portfolio, with responsibilities that include, but are not limited to, advising and collaborating with faculty, the school’s finance department, central administrative offices, and with frontline development staff to prepare grant proposal narratives, budgets and ancillary materials; project managing seeking internal approvals for these proposals and filing grant requests; maintaining good relationships with foundation grants officers, as well as with individual donors and their philanthropic advisors; working closely with the Annual Fund manager to project manage the direct mail/marketing operations for the Journalism School’s Annual Fund and ensure the smooth transmittal of gifts to our partners in central administration.

This is an opportunity to work with all members of the Journalism School’s development team, as well as with staff and faculty across this world renowned school, and with our partners at central offices in research administration, Annual Fund Programs, stewardship, and beyond.   Additional responsibilities include assisting in preparing reports, briefings, broad-based communications, agendas and related correspondence in connection for donors and potential donors. In performing their duties, the incumbent will interact frequently with colleagues, both faculty and staff, from across the school, and with colleagues in many central university offices. Professionalism, good judgement and  efficient management of issues are hallmarks of a qualified candidate.

Responsibilities: 

• Manages and monitors grant activity for compliance.  Acts as liaison with faculty, Finance, and Sponsored Projects offices.  Working closely with colleagues, prepares and submits budgets and financial reports to foundations.
• Acts as the school’s primary administrator of the research compliance and administration database including updating projects in the system and shepherding them through approval.
• Stewards relationships with funders and ensures regular communication through phone, emails, in-person outreach and meetings. Assists development colleagues with site visits and meetings.
• Speaks and acts authoritatively on grants administration matters as a representative of the school and university.
• Creates and maintains tools to track programs and manage project updates.
• Works closely with leadership to develop drafts and edit letters of interest, proposals, and reports.

• Works with financial staff to prepare and submit budgets and financial reports to foundations

• Serves as the day-to-day point of contact for the Journalism School with the Annual Fund Programs unit. Monitors the schedule and anticipates/follows-up to ensure materials for AFP are produced in a timely manner.  Addresses issues and make timely decisions, conferring with management as needed.
• Assists with the management of the leadership annual fund gift pipeline by tracking cultivated donors and pulling reports to direct the work of front-line fundraisers and alumni volunteers.Performs other related duties, including but not limited to, completing gift transmittals, acknowledgements and pledge reminders, ensuring prospect files are updated in a timely manner, and other tasks to ensure the smooth operation of the office.
• Performs other related duties as needed.

Minimum Qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s degree and/or its equivalent required.
• 3-5 years of related experience required.
• Working knowledge of financial budgets required.
• Some evening and weekend work required.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills required.  Strong interpersonal skills and ability to handle confidential information with excellent judgment and discretion required. Demonstrated ability to set priorities and work with diplomacy and efficiency in a fast-paced environment. Familiarity with fundraising and the desire to advance in development and external relations is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated excellence in a variety of competencies including: teamwork, critical thinking, problem solving, flexibility and excellent client/customer awareness. We are seeking someone with excellent organizational, analytical skills including a high level of attention to detail, active listening skills. The successful candidate must possess the ability to work independently as well as the ability to effectively partner with a diverse group of colleagues, including varying levels of management.
• Must be proficient in Microsoft Office (with a special emphasis on Excel) and have the ability to use Google Docs/Sheets, as well as quickly learn new software programs as required. A familiarity with communications and marketing software, Salesforce Marketing Cloud, a plus.

Columbia University is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating and supporting a community diverse in every way: race, ethnicity, geography, religion, academic and extracurricular interest, family circumstance, sexual orientation, gender identity, socioeconomic background, and more.