Assistant Director, Prospect Research and Management

Department: Alumni Relations & Development
Salary/Grade: EXS/6

Target hiring range for this position will be between $60,000-$64,000 per year. Offered salary will be determined by the applicant’s education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data.

 

Job Summary:

The Prospect Research and Management (PRM) team works with frontline fundraisers to build Northwestern University’s pool of potential donors. The Assistant Director manages relationships with a portfolio of fundraising and engagement teams in Alumni Relations and Development (ARD), and/or in Northwestern University’s professional schools. This position conducts wealth and biographical research, provides actionable data on prospects, acts as project manager on proactive prospecting efforts, and partners with gift officers to inform and support strategic outreach and portfolio management decisions.

While past experience in a fundraising environment is an asset, it is not essential. Rather, we are looking for candidates who are energized by working with large amounts of data, have a natural curiosity and a love of research, are excited by the idea of exposure to a varied array of assignments, and are enthusiastic about acquiring a skill set that will contribute to their professional growth within the organization. The PRM team will appeal to candidates who value higher education institutions and want to contribute to cause-based philanthropy.

Please note: This role is eligible for a hybrid work arrangement, up to two days remote and three onsite.

 

Specific Responsibilities:

Prospect Management

• Support assigned fundraising teams by partnering with gift officers to manage and optimize their portfolios—leading portfolio reviews and strategy meetings, advising on prospect lifecycle, portfolio strength, metrics, and identifying opportunities and gaps while ensuring consistent and ethical data handling.
• Contribute to data-quality and data-analysis projects that strengthen the overall integrity of prospect data and provide summaries and trends to support forecasting, pipeline assessment, and strategic decision-making.
• Maintain expertise on alumni and constituents of the schools and programs represented by client teams, keeping abreast of relevant NU activities and initiatives, as well as economic trends affecting these individuals.
• Develop working expertise on prospect data within the department’s customer relationship management database; serve as a knowledgeable partner to assign fundraising teams on data entry and reporting.

 

Prospect Research

• Conduct proactive and reactive prospect research by gathering, analyzing, and synthesizing financial, biographical, philanthropic, and relational information—using tools such as wealth screenings, research databases, data-mining platforms, news and financial feeds, and relationship-mapping resources—to assess capacity, affinity, engagement potential, compliance, and reputational risk.
• Produce clear, accurate research deliverables—including profiles, capacity estimates, and analytical summaries—to support prospect identification, qualification, and strategic fundraising decisions.

 

Policies and Prospect Development Framework

• Contribute to the discussions on refinement of prospect management policies, business processes, and overall approaches to prospect development at ARD.
• Collaborate with colleagues across ARD —including Reporting & Analytics, User Services, Gift and Record Services, and fundraising and engagement teams—to support shared goals and improve prospect development practices.
• Participate in testing and review of reports, system functionality, and tools used throughout ARD.

 

Guidance of Fundraising Staff

• Onboard and support new fundraising officers and support staff by providing training and guidance on PRM products, policies, processes, research tools, and relevant data-management systems.

 

Professional Development

• Maintain awareness of trends and technologies used in prospect development, fundraising, and the broader development profession and pursue ongoing professional development through conferences, trainings, and engagement with peer institutions and professional associations.

 

Miscellaneous 

• Performs other duties as assigned.

 

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS  (Education, experience, and any other certifications or clearances)

• Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's degree or higher; OR appropriate combination of education and experience.

• 2 years development, marketing, sales or the equivalent experience is required.

MINIMUM COMPETENCIES (Skills, knowledge, and abilities)

•  Ability to gather information from multiple sources including technical, financial, or research findings identifying relevant patterns, filtering extraneous details, and compiling findings into clear, actionable summaries.

• Effective written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to summarize and present information clearly for non-technical audiences

• Ability to interpret structured data (e.g., spreadsheets, financial records, CRM data), learn new data systems and tools, and apply structured logic to troubleshoot or analyze complex information.

• Ability to exercise sound judgment when evaluating data quality, relevance, and ethical considerations; strong acuity in handling sensitive and confidential information.

• Ability to work effectively with fundraising partners and cross-functional teams, ask clarifying questions, and provide guidance grounded in data and shared goals.

 

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS  (Education, experience, and any other certifications or clearances)

• Experience in prospect development, advancement operations, analytics, or a research-intensive environment

• Experience working with relational databases, CRM systems, or structured reporting environments

• Experience supporting fundraising or relationship-management functions

• Intermediate proficiency in Microsoft Excel, familiar with formatting, some formulas, pivot tables

 

Benefits:
At Northwestern, we are proud to provide meaningful, competitive, high-quality health care plans, retirement benefits, tuition discounts and more! Visit us at https://hr.northwestern.edu/benefits/ to learn more.

Work-Life and Wellness:
Northwestern offers comprehensive programs and services to help you and your family navigate life’s challenges and opportunities, and adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles. We support flexible work arrangements where possible and programs to help you locate and pay for quality, affordable childcare and senior/adult care. Visit us at https://hr.northwestern.edu/well-being/ to learn more.

Professional Growth & Development:
Northwestern supports employee career development in all circumstances whether your workspace is on campus or at home. If you’re interested in developing your professional potential or continuing your formal education, we offer a variety of tools and resources. Visit us at https://hr.northwestern.edu/talent-development/ to learn more.

Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected characteristics, including disability and veteran status. View Northwestern’s non-discrimination statement. Job applicants who wish to request an accommodation in the application or hiring process should contact the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance. View additional information on the accommodations process.

 

Questions?

Apply FOR THIS JOB