Research and Program Coordinator

Office of Institutional Advancement

Exempt, Regular, Full-Time, Pay Grade 1.2

Location: Hybrid (Occasional Travel to Adelphi, MD Required)

Position Summary

Under general supervision and working alongside fundraisers, academic, and programmatic leadership, provides research services for the Government Affairs and Strategic Partnership (GSP) units, complex data entry, program, and project management to support across business units and programs with pertinent donor, alumni, and student records. Responsible for identifying public and private funding opportunities based on strategic need and assessing appropriate fit of highly technical funding programs. Acts as project manager for IA strategic events and programs; responsible for management of all intake efforts, scheduling and coordinating stakeholder meetings and communications, task management, and routine follow-up for all project tracking in the Microsoft Planner and other system tools. Acts as a power user to support the maintenance of a CRM and grants management tracking; Work requires comprehensive knowledge of the organization or program where assigned, skill in working with issues related to policy, procedures, and confidential matters, and involves considerable participation in the work of the supervisor. Incumbents exercise discretion and judgment with considerable consequence of error.

Responsibilities

• Identify and select sources of funding that align with UMGC and USM projects and opportunities. will contribute to the strategy and drive implementation to renew and steward our current foundation funders and build our foundation prospect pipeline to identify and secure new sources of revenue in support of our mission and strategic priorities.

• Continuously and proactively articulate findings from research, staying abreast of major international and business news, utilizing social media and other resources to enhance prospect strategies and stewardship.

• Collaborate with University leadership and grants consultants to refine project scopes. Contribute to proposal narratives in the form of best practices research, literature reviews, and needs assessments.

• Assisting the IA Development team in efforts to provide biographical, financial, and informational research on individual, corporate and foundation prospects.

• Initiates and facilitates the Advancement Services intake meeting process utilizing project management systems and tools to organize tasks, tracks progress as well as schedule follow up meetings when needed. Ensures communication is maintained throughout projects.

• Initiates and facilitates onboarding and trainings for all tools and systems for new IA staff and periodic refresher trainings for current IA staff. Works with tool and systems owners within IA and stakeholders across the university, as well as the IA IT liaison to ensure staff are trained in a timely and effective fashion. Design a tracking system for trainings, training documentation, and participants. 

Essential Skills Required:

• Candidates must provide leadership and have effective critical thinking skills. It is essential that the individual in this role have strong skills in initiative, collaboration, decision making, communication, and project management.

• Experience writing and researching for an academic leadership audience

• Ability both to accept and to provide constructive feedback

• Strong communication, fact-checking, writing, and editing skills in the English language

• Strong interest in prospect research, fundraising strategy, grant writing, and the organizations we serve

• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail

• Ability to work quickly and independently with minimal guidance or oversight

• Ability to work under pressure in a fast-paced environment

• Demonstrable problem-solving skills and work ethic

• Proven academic achievement

REQUIRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor's degree from an institution of higher learning plus a minimum of two (2) years of progressively responsible experience in a higher education, fundraising or grant relations environment. 

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, time management skills, attention to detail, and the ability to work in a fast-paced environment.

PREFERRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

• Grants and non-profit management experience is highly preferred.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, Project Management systems.

• Salesforce and Tableau also highly preferred.

All submissions should include a cover letter and resume. UMGC offers competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits for qualifying positions, such as tuition remission, generous leave and healthcare. For detailed benefits information, please visit: https://careers.umgc.edu/benefits.html.

The University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination. UMGC 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, ancestry, political affiliation or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) is committed to helping safeguard the health of its faculty, staff, students, contractors, and guests. Because vaccinations reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2-the virus that causes COVID-19-all prospective UMGC faculty (full-time and adjunct) and staff are strongly encouraged to be fully vaccinated and current with the recommended boosters. As always, operations at our military locations in Europe, Asia, and stateside will follow the guidance of the U.S. Department of Defense and local commands, and may require proof of full vaccination, unless an exception is approved as a reasonable accommodation based on disability or religion. If so, a copy of their Approved Exception Letter must be provided before the start of their employment. Failure to provide proof of vaccination or show proof of exception may result in the offer of employment being rescinded.

Workplace Accommodations:

The University of Maryland Global Campus Global Campus (UMGC) is committed to creating and maintaining a welcoming and inclusive working environment for people of all abilities. UMGC is dedicated to the principle that no qualified individual with a disability shall, based on disability, be excluded from participation in or be denied the benefits of the services, programs, or activities of the University, or be subjected to discrimination. For information about UMGC's Reasonable Workplace Accommodation Policy or to request an accommodation, applicants/candidates can contact Employee Accommodations via email at employee-accommodations@umgc.edu.