Director of Advancement

The University of Lagos (or UNILAG), a Federal government university in Lagos, Lagos State, southern Nigeria has remained one of the best and renowned in the country. With an enrollment of over 50,000 students, UNILAG is one of the largest universities in Nigeria. The University has built a legacy of academic excellence and is acknowledged as "the University of First Choice and the Nation's Pride". The main campus is located at Akoka, Yaba area of Lagos: while the campus of its College of Medicine with its adjunct Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) is located at Idi-Araba, Surulere, on the Logos mainland.

Over the past few years, the University has strived to increase its financial self-sufficiency, recognizing that it cannot depend on government funding alone to achieve and sustain the distinction to which it aspires. The University is therefore taking steps to seek greater financial autonomy by implementing measures and programmes and developing the capabilities to solicit, promote and earn the generosity of its alumni body as well as the broad community of interests the University serves.

The Advancement Office of the University will provide the impetus for a strong, cohesive, and well-orchestrated effort to generate public and private support through the initiation, coordination and management of all advancement, fund-raising, endorsement and alumni engagement programmes for UNILAG. To provide leadership for the transformation of a semiautonomous Advancement Office, UNILAG is now seeking to recruit a qualified and experienced executive as Director of Advancement.

Director of Advancement (DOA)

Reporting to the Vice Chancellor through an independent Advancement Board, the DOA will work closely with the University's senior leadership, its constituencies, alumni and volunteer leaders to coordinate alumni relations, fund-raising, endorsements and stewardship efforts across the University. The Director will provide leadership and support in coordinating, facilitating and advancing the University's mission in the areas of alumni affairs management, advancement services, development, donor stewardship, stakeholder relations, research and other related assignments as deemed appropriate by the Advancement Board. This will include the identification of individual donors and potential foundation and corporate gifts to the University. The Director will also serve as the Secretary of the Board of Advancement and will oversee the day-to-day operations of the Advancement Office, develop and manage its staff.

Qualification and Experience

Education:

. Bachelor's degree required, advanced degree preferred

. 10 years' fund management experience (in public or private enterprise) or experience in a university advancement/development, alumni affairs management and fund-raising environment.

Specific roles

. Provide the strategic vision and collaborative leadership to plan and execute on effective and comprehensive advancement and development programme.

. Provide leadership for the planning and implementation of programmes and projects that strategically engage alumni in support of programmes that produce tangible benefits to alumni and current students

.  Serve as ambassador and liaison with alumni association leadership to secure commitments from alumni to provide professional expertise and volunteer service; collaborating with colleagues in university academic and administrative leadership to create and maintain pathways for alumni participation that advance the goals of the university as well as collaborate with leadership colleagues to identify, cultivate, solicit and steward alumni giving.

. Work with the Board of Advancement to develop and strategically distribute communications materials to alumni, active/potential donors updating them on the university's research activities, progress and potential campaigns.

. Manage primary liaison between alumni and the University.

 . Create and design a plan to increase alumni giving participation rates.

. Identify and implement best practices for donor stewardship to ensure donor retention and growth in giving.

.  Actively engage current and possible givers and deepen existing donor relationships through regular, relevant communications and stewardship. Provide comprehensive, timely and innovative gratitude, which includes providing financial stewardship reports, showing the impact of the gift, and designing creative, . . meaningful ways to say Thank You.

. Generate and recommend new pokies while reviewing and evaluating existing policies and procedures.

. Ensure consistency with University strategic plan and promote institutional effectiveness.

. The compensation attaching to this position will be commensurate with the high calibre of the person we are seeking and is independent of the university pay structure. 

. Candidates for the DOA position should submit no later than 17th January 2014 an application with comprehensive resume providing clear information of qualification and suitability for the position to:

The Chairman

 University of Lagos Advancement Board 

C/o P.O. Box 54973

Ikoyi, Lagos

Nigeria

Or preferably electronically to [email protected]