Senior Alumni & Development Specialist

Employment type: full time Status: Full Time Hours: Monday – Friday, 35 hours/week Home Campus: Fennell (hybrid work arrangements available) Rate of Pay: Payband 10 ($88,983 - $111,230 per year) Vacancy Status: 1 vacancy available Posting Date: October 23rd, 2026 Closing Date: November 9th, 2026 at 7:00 pm EST We believe the rich diversity among our students and the communities we serve should be reflected within our workforce. As educators, we believe it is important to act and show leadership in advancing the principles of reconciliation, equity, diversity, and inclusion in our community. Job summary: The Senior Alumni & Development Specialist plays a key role in advancing Mohawk College’s philanthropic priorities by strengthening the alumni giving pipeline and deepening donor relationships. Reporting to the Director, Engagement & Stewardship, the incumbent works closely with the Director, Development, College leadership, faculty, and Advancement colleagues to develop and implement engagement and fundraising strategies that inspire ongoing investment in the College’s priorities and campaigns. The Advancement team at Mohawk College is committed to fostering a strong, organization-wide culture of philanthropy built on authentic, transformative relationships with donors, alumni, volunteers, and community partners. In this context, the Senior Alumni & Development Specialist is instrumental in planning and executing engagement and fundraising programs that support the College’s strategic, academic, and fundraising priorities. As a senior member of the Advancement team, the incumbent operates in a dynamic, fast-paced, and highly collaborative environment, managing multiple priorities and deadlines. This role requires a motivated, innovative, and results-oriented professional with a strong donor focus and exceptional relationship-building skills. The Specialist ensures an outstanding donor experience through meaningful engagement and effective stewardship that demonstrates the impact of philanthropic support. What you’ll be doing: Fundraising Lead and execute the College’s annual giving strategy, with a focus on alumni engagement and participation. Manage and grow a portfolio of mid-level, leadership-level ($1,000+), and planned giving prospects. Develop and implement strategies to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward donors to meet or exceed revenue targets. Upgrade existing donors through personalized engagement and strategic asks. Support major gift development by identifying and qualifying high-potential alumni and community prospects. Participate in prospect review and strategy meetings to promote a team approach to fundraising. Develop and implement plans and strategies to acquire new donors. Achieve successful engagement by building, stewarding and maintaining high level relationships with donors, prospective donors and senior volunteer leaders. Develop fundraising plans designed to advance donor support, interest and engagement. Oversee the execution of targeted donor engagement activities for high-value constituent groups. Lead face-to-face donor meetings, develops strategy for priority areas, and stays abreast of industry trends. Planning and Strategy Develop and implement integrated engagement and fundraising strategies aligned with the College’s strategic and campaign priorities. Build and sustain a strong alumni giving pipeline through data-informed planning and segmentation. Analyze donor trends, pipeline performance, and engagement metrics to inform decision-making and strategy refinement. Contribute to campaign planning, including identifying opportunities for growth in leadership, planned, and alumni giving. ​Identify and advance opportunities to engage alumni business owners and community partners. Manage projects in collaboration with cross-functional teams, ensuring initiatives are completed efficiently and effectively. Work with the Director, Engagement & Stewardship to develop revenue and expense budgets. Relationship Management/College Relations Build and maintain meaningful, long-term relationships with alumni, donors, volunteers, and community partners. ​Engage and collaborate with College leadership, faculty, and internal partners to support donor cultivation and solicitation. Act as a key liaison between Advancement and the broader College community to strengthen a culture of philanthropy. Represent the College at events, meetings, and external engagements to enhance relationships and visibility. Foster strategic partnerships that support donor engagement, retention, and philanthropic investment. Ensure assigned volunteers are appropriately engaged in their roles by effectively mobilizing them with information and other tools to optimize their contributions of time, support and connections. Develops and executes cultivation and stewardship Annual Giving activities like annual mid-level events. Communications/Stewardship Develop and deliver personalized solicitation, cultivation, and stewardship strategies that enhance donor experience and retention. Ensure timely, impactful communication with donors, demonstrating the value and outcomes of their contributions. Collaborate on the development of compelling cases for support, donor proposals, and impact reporting. Create meaningful engagement opportunities that connect donors to the College’s mission and priorities. Champion a donor-centric approach across all interactions, ensuring consistency and excellence in stewardship. Develop and write fundraising communications materials such as proposals, presentations, cases for support, briefing notes, progress reports, gift agreements, letters, impact reports, and other documents/materials. Work with Director, Engagement & Stewardship and Director, Development Initiatives to create inspiring Campaign Cases for Support. Demonstrate ability to inspire and raise donor sights, articulate aspirational goals and institutional priorities, and effectively presents philanthropic and partnership opportuni