Institutional Relations Manager

• Final salary and rates are based on education, experience, and skills relevant to the role.

Term - 6 months or more (Fixed Term)

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83,299.00 USD -

UCAR is excited to announce the job opening for the Manager of Institutional Relations. Reporting to the Executive Director of Friends of the National Center, this position will lead corporate and foundation fundraising efforts on behalf of UCAR. This role identifies, cultivates, solicits, and stewards foundation and corporate funding to secure significant philanthropic support advancing UCAR's mission, while managing a portfolio of institutional donors and prospects in close collaboration with leaders across UCAR and NSF NCAR.

• Term: 2 years, with potential for extension.
• Schedule:
  
  Hybrid - 3 days/week in the Boulder office or traveling to meetings throughout the Front Range.
• Travel:
  Domestic travel up to 10% of time.
• Events:
  Availability for networking events and in-person meetings (mornings, evenings, and weekends) approximately 2-3 times per month.

Background checks are conducted for candidates selected for hire. Learn more.

This position is open to candidates seeking in-person or hybrid (combination of 3 days in-person and 2 days of remote), opportunities. UCAR requires ALL positions to be performed within the U.S., excluding U.S. Territories.

Here is a brief summary of what one would expect to be generally responsible for in this role.

• Relationship Cultivation:
  Initiate, build, and steward highly productive, long-term relationships with foundation program officers, foundation and corporate executives, and institutional decision-makers — designing systems to ensure donors receive exceptional reporting and impact metrics that lay the groundwork for renewed support.
• Portfolio Growth:
  Actively manage a portfolio of ~75 active corporate and foundation prospects/donors, systematically moving them through the qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship pipeline.
• Strategic Solicitations:
  Coordinate customized solicitation strategies to secure six- and seven-figure gifts. Manage the growth of the corporate event sponsorship program, bringing in unrestricted gifts through event sponsor ships.
• Prospect Research & CRM Management:
  Conduct prospect research to identify new or existing relationships that align with organizational funding priorities, and consistently record and track relationship development ("Moves") and institutional prospect profiles in the Salesforce database, ensuring organizational transparency and future-proofing these relationships.

• Strategic Matchmaking:
  Understand UCAR and NSF NCAR's organizational capabilities and emerging initiatives well enough to connect them with aligned funders — either by matching an internal project to a target foundation, or identifying a foundation's strategic goals and working internally to surface the strongest project to move forward. Serve as the central liaison between corporations/foundations and internal technical teams, ensuring fundraising strategies align with scientific integrity and organizational capacity.

• Concept Development:
  Support the strategic framing of pitches and letters of inquiry (LOIs), determining how a project should be positioned to win corporate or foundation support.

• Bachelor’s degree required (Master’s degree preferred);
• 5 years of relevant program experience;
• Or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Minimum of 5 years of successful fundraising experience, with a proven track record of securing significant gifts from corporate and foundation entities.
• Experience navigating complex non-profit, academic, scientific, or highly matrixed research environments.
• Demonstrated ability to "open doors," navigate institutional hierarchies, and build authentic rapport with external…