Senior Manager Communications and Donor Experience

Department: Engagement Services
This position is represented by the agreement between the Professional Staff Association and the University of Guelph

If you are a current employee of the University of Guelph you must apply on the internal Career Page in order to be considered as an internal applicant. 
Career Opportunities (sapsf.com) 

General Purpose

In our work, we advance the mission of the University of Guelph by building lifelong relationships with our community: alumni, donors, and friends. Our vision is for the University of Guelph to be personally relevant in the lives of our community members. Through these relationships, we amplify the impact of philanthropy to create unique solutions for the challenges facing our world. As a member of this campus-wide team, the Senior Manager, Communications and Donor Experience epitomizes the department’s shared values of respect, empowerment, integrity, appreciation, and forward focus.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Senior Manager, Communications and Donor Experience reports into the Engagement Services (ES) directorate. The ES business unit supports communications, events, donor relations and digital strategy development that drives engagement and fundraising amongst alumni and other constituencies. The Senior Manager oversees a team that provides regular, accurate and inspiring messaging to donors, provides support to other AA&D units in the creation of marketing and outreach materials, and serves as the organizational lead for brand adherence.

The Senior Manager will collaborate with colleagues and senior AA&D leadership to develop and oversee a constituent-centric marketing and communications program that engages constituents with the University, stewards donors and demonstrates impact, advances fundraising goals, and creates a consistent experience for constituents.

The Senior Manager will lead Communications, Marketing and Donor Experience staff members, create an environment of excellence and professionalism in customer service and teamwork; implement best practices; and identify operational, technological, and administrative improvements that will enhance efficiencies and promote departmental success. A critical deliverable of this role will be ensuring that foundational processes are in place to support successful partnerships in the department.

Requirements

This role requires a skilled people leader who has deep experience in the philanthropic sector and a passion for effective and strategic constituent engagement. The Senior Manager will be comfortable managing change in a complex environment and approaches opportunities with a forward focus.

The university recognizes that no one individual will have the following skills/experience in equal measure but the qualifications below will be used to assess the suitability of candidates throughout the process:

• University degree and 3-6 years’ related experience in communications and donor relations
• Excellent leadership and team-building abilities, with experience managing others
• Expertise in creating and supporting strategic marketing and outreach materials that advance fundraising goals.
• Highly skilled writer, editor, and proofreader who can adapt to various audiences
• Proven relationship management and donor stewardship experience
• Strong project management skills with the ability to make quick, effective decisions under pressure
• Experience with process improvement and best practice implementation
• Adept at collaboration with experience problem-solving and driving solutions in a dynamic team environment
• Exceptional interpersonal skills, diplomacy and tact
• Detail-oriented with superior multi-tasking abilities
• Proficiency and experience in customer relationship management systems, design tools, and web technologies, with preference to experience with Blackbaud Constituent Relationship Management (CRM), Luminate Online (LO), Stripo, Adobe Suite, Drupal, and Microsoft Office Suite

Please include a cover letter along with your resume in your application. 

Why choose the University of Guelph

• Comprehensive Extended Health Care Benefits: Immediate enrollment in extended health to cover yourself and your family
• Time off: Strong vacation allocation, floater days, and paid time off during the December closure to ensure that you are at your best
• Wellness: In addition to extensive wellness programming, the University offers a yearly flexible spending credit that can be allocated to any of the following: Health Spending, Wellness or Professional Development
• Learning & Development: Learning and development curriculum and other professional growth opportunities
• On-campus Activities: Discounts on food and apparel, fitness programming, access to networking events and team building opportunities
• Improve Life: Work that directly impacts a brighter future by turning knowledge into action

The University provides a flexible work arrangement. This position is required to be fulfilled both remotely and on-campus (Guelph Campus).

Employee Type: Regular 
Position Number: 10920909 
Classification: P&M FT- Band 06    
Professional/Managerial Salary Bands 

*Tentative evaluation; subject to committee review.

At the University of Guelph, fostering a culture of inclusion is an institutional imperative. The University invites and encourages applications from all qualified individuals, including from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in employment, who may contribute to further diversification of our Institution.

Posting Date:  03/21/2025  
Closing Date:  04/13/2025