Job Description

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS FOUNDATION

has an immediate opening for an

Manager, Research and Portfolio Management (UIC)

The University of Illinois Foundation (Foundation) is the official fundraising and private gift-receiving organization of the University of Illinois (University). It works closely with alumni and friends, faculty and staff, corporations and foundations, as well as campus development professionals to create fundraising programs and opportunities that benefit the University.

The Manager, Research and Portfolio Management manages a team of Prospect Development Analysts (PDAs) to provide strategic prospect research, biographical report preparation, and data enhancement in support of University of Illinois Foundation and the University of Illinois development program. The Manager will also have PDA duties and liaison responsibilities for some university advancement units.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Manage a team of Prospect Development Analysts by supervising, directing, and prioritizing their work. Responsible for hiring, staff development, time-off approval, scheduling, and managing individual performance. Set annual goals and create staff development plans for direct reports, including identifying skills to be acquired or improved, and suggesting relevant professional development opportunities.

2. Receive, prioritize, and delegate requests for research needs related to UI development events at assigned universities. Guarantee that work is completed and deadlines are met.

3. Monitor research request queue, adjust entries to conform to RPM service catalog, and assign requests to team members. Review reports to confirm that requests are completed in a timely fashion.

4. Collaborate with other RPM managers to identify and recommend changes to procedures and policies that encourage the department to function more efficiently, robustly, or strategically.

5. Perform proactive and reactive research for contact information, employment and community involvement, wealth and giving capacity, philanthropic interests, education history, board service, and professional memberships.

6. Identify and refer prospects to advancement units for qualification of major giving potential. Use research resources and perform analysis to determine which prospects should be referred, and to which units. Deliver targeted prospecting lists on request by curating collections of the best referrals identified for a specific objective.

7. Build strong relationships with advancement clients by scheduling portfolio review sessions, attending team meetings, and providing prompt, thorough, and accurate service through the completion of research requests. Partner with advancement units to review and optimize portfolios by following guidelines to onboard, engage, and sunset prospects.

8. Maintain the accuracy and completeness of advancement data by auditing, updating, and cleaning prospect management data. Review contact reports entered by advancement staff and port data to structured fields.

9. Serve as subject matter expert for prospect management data and practices. Educate fundraising staff as appropriate and make them aware of available materials in iLearn or other resources. Adhere to standards for University of Illinois Foundation advancement work as detailed in policies, processes, and procedures manuals. Ensure that direct reports follow standards and meet expectations for accuracy, completeness, and promptness.

10. Use data retrieval tools for prospect identification and analysis, including specialized dashboards, CRM query tools, and SQL.

11. Participates in appropriate professional organizations and activities; reads professional literature to stay

current with trends in the field; identifies and circulates new information sources; understands general

fundraising principles; exhibits willingness to learn about Foundation and University programs.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

A bachelor's degree

5+ years of experience performing both prospect research and unit liaison/relationship-management duties, or similar work supporting business operations and frontline staff

Familiarity with general research techniques, methodology, and online and subscription resources.

Extensive experience navigating and utilizing the standard online and internal data resources and tools relied on by prospect development professionals such as Lexis Nexus, Office 360, Blackbaud CRMs, and wealth rating tools like Windfall.

Proven ability to recognize the relevance of information and to deal with materials of a sensitive nature professionally and confidentially.

Proven ability to communicate effectively, verbally and in writing, and to formulate productive partnerships with individuals and groups of all levels of university staff, particularly development officers, faculty, and administration.

Experience initiating and collaborating on projects, delivering expected results.

Basic office skills, and the ability to work independently and meet deadlines, work well under pressure, and prioritize tasks for self and others.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

Master's degree in Non-profit Management, Information Science, Business, Analytics, or related areas

Supervisory experience managing a team of employees

Prospect research experience and knowledge of academic fundraising operations

The starting salary range for this position is projected to be $64,000-$70,000 per year. While our job postings include salary ranges, your compensation will be based on your specific experience and qualifications-we're not limited by these posted ranges.

Your comprehensive benefits package includes medical, vision, and dental coverage, company paid life insurance, generous vacation time including 24 days annually, and more. Generous pension benefits are also included. We invest in your present and future wellbeing, providing the support you need to succeed.

Application Deadline: January 4th, 2026

Application Process: For full consideration for the role, all candidates must complete an online application and include a cover letter and resume. Candidates may create a profile through . For further information regarding application procedures, contact Foundation Human Resources at .

THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS FOUNDATION

IS AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

PI24ee77f2913d-2339

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