Job Title: Development Services and Communications Assistant
Classification: C4
Department: University Development
Updated: January 2019

Job Summary

This position is directly responsible for encouraging donor retention and giving through the leadership of communications projects that reach internal and external constituents of the university, and the use of technical tools to develop customized solutions and databases to fine tune mailing lists and reports.

Essential Functions

• Acts with a high degree of independence while leading and facilitating communications and development services projects including print, electronic, multi-media solicitations, and stewardship pieces.
• Manages projects in alignment with the specifications and deadlines of internal and external customers and maintains good internal customer relationships.
• Initiates, communicates, and maintains relationships with vendors overseeing quality and adherence to timing and budgets.
• Collects project status update information from project managers and prepares summary.
• Prepares project financial status reports tracking budget expenditures as requested by project managers and alerts Senior Director of Communications to concerns.
• Maintains and monitors/analyzes complex budgetary campaign records and reports by performing duties such as reconciling, monitoring, verifying expenditures, reviewing budget statements regarding status of accounts and making recommendations as to projected budget.
• Creates purchase orders in Internet Native Banner for communication projects as needed.
• Extracts, directs, pulls, cleans, and project manages mailing lists consisting of complex data criteria.
• Compiles and logically formats statistical data and reports. Maintains, processes and manipulates data on a personal computer using word processing, database, and spreadsheet applications.
• Acts with a high degree of independence to monitor and analyze workflow for Systems & Reporting and Communications.
• Documents and maintains department processes, including, but not limited to, daily tasks, data collection, reporting, and policies and procedures.
• Receives information and requests from diverse publics, both internal and external to the University, and determines the appropriate way to handle.
• Processes and maintains all information in a confidential and professional manner.
• Creates, maintains, and updates files and record keeping systems; paper and/or computerized.
• Manages Millennium Media library consisting of publications, event speakers, publication articles, videos, impact stories, appeals.
• Utilizes Millennium Internet Reporting and other tools to analyze, manage data, troubleshoot, and prepare reports in support of decision making throughout the Development Division and other university departments.
  • Schedules and produces regular and ad-hoc reports.
  • Serves as the initial communications contact for reporting needs.
• Mentors, trains, and helps oversee student employees.
• Provides clerical support for the Senior Director of Communications. This includes calendar maintenance, meeting set up and preparation, travel arrangements, purchasing, mail processing, file maintenance, other clerical tasks for the department as assigned.
• Schedules travel arrangements, facilitates meetings, assists with events, and other administrative duties as required for the communications team.
• Shares in clerical/administrative support for the development department as required.
• Other duties as assigned.

Non-Essential Functions

Not Applicable

Required Qualifications

• High school graduate or equivalent.
• Minimum of four years of relevant work experience.
• Demonstrated administrative and organizational skills.
• Experience with various computer software applications such as Microsoft Office and/or equivalent.
• Data entry experience.
• Typing and spelling competency with grammar and proofreading skills.
• Possess strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Demonstrated experience to successfully provide quality customer service.
• Demonstrated experience to successfully work independently, organize own work and coordinate work activities of others.
• Demonstrated experience to successfully coordinate large projects.
• Demonstrated experience to successfully handle multiple demands efficiently.
• Demonstrated experience to successfully organize and prioritize workload.
• Demonstrated experience to successfully navigate challenging situations in the workplace, while using good judgement.
• Demonstrated experience to successfully work under pressure and meet deadlines.
• Demonstrated experience to successfully maintain satisfactory work performance and attendance records.
• Ability to successfully maintain positive intercultural and interpersonal relationships.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in communications or related field.
• Experience in a fast-paced marketing/business communications environment.
• Experience in development for a non-profit organization.
• Minimum of 2 years communications project management experience.
• Demonstrated experience to successfully use Access, Excel, Millennium, Internet Native Banner, CMS, and email distribution systems. Including importing and exporting data, developing custom queries, data analysis, and list management.
• Demonstrated ability to use MS Access or like tools, to update and manipulate large data sets.
• Demonstrated ability for positive interaction with tact and diplomacy regarding donor and department concerns.

Supervision Received

Receives minimal supervision from a designated supervisor. Much of the work is self-initiated. Person is expected to function with considerable independence and apply appropriate policies and procedures within the assigned area of responsibility.

Supervision Exercised

Hire, train, schedule and coordinate the work of student employees and may act as lead worker to PSS staff members within the department/unit/division. 

Physical Demands

• To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential function satisfactorily. Must have the physical stamina to work long hours and/or more than 5 days per week. The requirements listed are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• The information contained in this job description is for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (A.D.A) and is not an exhaustive list of the duties performed for this position. Additional duties are performed by the individuals currently holding this position and additional duties may be assigned.

Back to C4 Position Descriptions