Senior Director, Corporate and Foundation Relations

Apply Now

How to Apply

To be considered, a cover letter is required for this position and must be on the same document as your resume.

To be considered, you must be eligible to work in the United States without requiring university sponsorship for continued employment.

Job Summary

The Senior Director of Corporate is the primary interface between a set of assigned business entities and the University. Your core responsibility is to generate U-M philanthropic support from the business community. You will provide strategic management of corporate and corporate foundation relationships, including identification, cultivation, and outreach support, and is the key point of contact for inquiries from these donors and prospects. You will facilitate connections to faculty expertise for philanthropic grants, tracks corporate foundation competitions and requests for proposals and pursues funding opportunities that support the university's initiatives and priorities. You will also act as the primary point of contact for corporate procurement implementation across campus.

You will focus on securing major philanthropic gifts from companies and corporate foundations, directly impacting the university's funding for key priorities. You will help provide a coordinated and collaborative approach to corporate engagement across campus. This approach will achieve success through close cooperation and alignment with multiple university departments, including Advancement, Procurement, Career Services, Research, and Academic Units, thus ensuring that we manage corporate partners in a coordinated manner.

You will report to: Senior Executive Director, Corporate and Foundation Relations

Exciting News: We Moved! Join our team at our brand-new location, Michigan House! You'll find us at 2301 Commonwealth Blvd, Ann Arbor, MI 48105. You will be hybrid with two days onsite required.

For The Full Job Description, Click Here.

Responsibilities*

Corporate Relations Outreach (90%)

• Serve as a University point of contact for corporate inquiries and requests from both external and internal constituents
• Manage a portfolio of corporate relationships, including their foundations and related giving entities
• Act as a (senior) business development professional to establish mutually beneficial strategic partnerships between U-M and industry
• Generate philanthropic support from a portfolio of companies
• Schedule and host visits to campus as needed, and undertake visits to corporate sites as needed
• Prepare grant applications, proposals, and status reports as necessary
• Assist in gift and grant agreement review and processing
• Develop marketing initiatives and stewardship programs in support of U-M priorities including campaign priorities
• Work closely with the OUD foundations team and major gift officers to identify key alumni in senior positions in businesses and foundations to generate philanthropic opportunities
• Stay abreast of changing corporate philanthropy and research fields
• Maintain knowledge of university faculty and research interests
  
  

Administrative and Other Duties as Assigned (10%)

• Prepare presentations as needed
• Report monthly on activities
• With administrative support, track interactions and log into donor database (DART)
• With administrative support, submit travel and expense reports
• Perform other duties as assigned
  
  

Required Qualifications*

• Bachelor's degree required.
• 5 years of cumulative experience working in business development, corporate relations, and fundraising
• Experience acting both independently and as a member of a team
• Experience developing corporate engagement strategies
• Strong organizational, verbal, and written skills
• Ability to work with stakeholders across a broad spectrum of seniority
• Flexibility to meet changing priorities to maximize philanthropic revenue.
• Strong technical skills, including familiarity with cloud-based tools, spreadsheet, database, data visualization tools, and other applications
  
  

Why Work at Michigan?

Benefits

In addition to a career filled with purpose and opportunity, The University of Michigan offers a comprehensive benefits package to help you stay well, protect yourself and your family and plan for a secure future. Benefits include:

• Generous time off
• A retirement plan that provides two-for-one matching contributions with immediate vesting
• Many choices for comprehensive health insurance
• Life insurance
• Long-term disability coverage
• Flexible spending accounts for healthcare and dependent care expenses
  
  

Modes of Work

Positions that are eligible for hybrid or mobile/remote work mode are at the discretion of the hiring department. Work agreements are reviewed annually at a minimum and are subject to change at any time, and for any reason, throughout the course of employment. Learn more about the work modes.

U-M EEO Statement

The University of Michigan is an equal employment opportunity employer.

Job Opening ID

275740

Working Title

Senior Director, Corporate and Foundation Relations

Job Title

Corporate Relations Director

Work Location

Ann Arbor Campus

Ann Arbor, MI

Modes of Work

Hybrid

Full/Part Time

Full-Time

Regular/Temporary

Regular

FLSA Status

Exempt

Organizational Group

Vp For Development

Department

Foundation Relations

Posting Begin/End Date

4/06/2026 - 4/27/2026

Salary

$135,000.00 - $145,000.00

Career Interest

Development/Institutional Advancement