Executive Director of Development, Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering

Executive Director of Development, Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering

Position Summary

The Executive Director of Development (EDoD) for the Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering (WSJCOE) is responsible for leading a comprehensive, team-oriented, college development and alumni relations program designed to increase financial support from alumni, friends, parents, foundations, and corporations for the College of Engineering.

This position is a key advancement leadership role, working in close strategic partnership with the dean of the College of Engineering, serving on the College leadership team, and engaging college faculty and staff in the process. WSJCOE fundraising initiatives range from capping off a highly successful new building campaign ($75 million in philanthropy raised to date) to a major focus on student success initiatives to advancing a CSU-wide major research initiative in laser technology and fusion energy.

Position Information

Position Title: Executive Director of Development, Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering

Organization Name: Colorado State University Foundation

Reports To: Associate Vice President of College Philanthropy

Employment Type: Full-time

FLSA Status: Exempt

Location: Fort Collins

Salary Range: $135,000 - $195,000 annually

Priority Consideration Date: May 6, 2026

Organizational Overview

Located in the beautiful town of Fort Collins, Colorado State University is a premier land-grant university with world-class programs in education, outreach, and research. CSU has a student body of over 34,000 students, 7,400 employees, 258,000 living alumni, and annual research expenditures exceeding $498 million.

One of eight academic colleges at CSU, the Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering houses seven academic departments and schools, along with NOAA Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA). The College enrolls approximately 4,000 students and conducts

more than $100 million in research annually. Our graduates are employed by, or are leading, national engineering and technology companies across the US and around the world.

Researchers in the College have made important contributions to global challenges in energy, health, water, climate, infrastructure and advanced technology.

The Colorado State University Foundation is in the midst of exciting growth as the University Advancement division of CSU transitions to the Foundation. This merger will allow us to more effectively serve our donors, alumni, and stakeholders with a unified structure, strengthen accountability, and build the capacity to scale our fundraising enterprise. With one of the leading development teams in the country, we most recently achieved our highest fundraising year to date in 2025.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Lead major-gift fundraising and overall development efforts throughout the College of Engineering to achieve annual goals set by CSU Foundation.
• Carry a portfolio of 75-100 prospects capable of $50,000 and above gifts utilizing the tenets of moves management
• Hire, train, set goals, evaluate progress, and manage performance of the WSJCOE development team. Monitor the quality of work, motivate, support, and ensure accuracy of project responsibilities.
• Responsible for the strategic visioning and ongoing development, management, coordination and administration of an effective college-wide fundraising program
• Allocate, track, manage and deploy an operating budget
• Disseminate accurate donor information by identifying university-wide areas for donor engagement that align with the University fundraising priorities and goals
• Solve donor related issues quickly and effectively, understanding when to bring any given situation to leadership
• Develop data-driven fundraising strategy specific to the College of Engineering.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in engineering science, liberal arts,
• business, communications, marketing or related field
• Minimum of 8 years development leadership or relationship-based sales experience
• Minimum of 5 years of experience supervising and mentoring full-time, professional staff
• Demonstrated experience and measurable success in conceptualizing, designing and implementing a dynamic fundraising program with emphasis on major gifts
• Demonstrated success in acquiring major gifts at the $500,000 level or above
• Must have a valid driver’s license or the ability to obtain a driver’s license by the
• employment start date
• Ability to work non-standard hours, including nights and/or weekends, as needed, and travel in and out of the state

Preferred Qualifications

• Advancement leadership experience and verifiable, demonstrated success in fundraising in an academic, health care, scientific, or related organization
• Experience working in and/or fundraising for institutions of higher education
• Ability to set priorities, work independently and build cross collaborative teams
• Experience in managing complex, multi-disciplinary fundraising projects
• Demonstrated track record of being donor centric, building donor relationships, working collaboratively, strategically, and with integrity
• Possesses a strong knowledge of principles, ethics and practices of successful fundraising
• Verified exceptional communication skills – both written and verbal
• Demonstrated success as a senior leader in a collaborative work environment including; team building and motivating others through effective communication, modeling appropriate behavior, and optimism
• Encompasses traits of good judgment and confidentiality in communication
• Effectively work with dynamic, diverse groups to include families, students, faculty, alumni, professionals, university leadership and others
• A strong fiscal acumen with experience working with budgets and financial processes
• Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) or other relevant professional certification
• Experience with CRM and donor management systems

To apply, please submit a resume and cover letter indicating your qualifications for this role to: CSUF_hiring@mail.colostate.edu

We are committed to supporting the holistic health and well-being of our employees. Our comprehensive benefits package includes medical, dental, vision and retirement plans; generous paid time off; and a robust Employee Assistance Program.

CSU Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) it is our policy to provide reasonable accommodation when requested by a qualified applicant or employee with a disability unless such accommodation would cause undue hardship.