Advancement Assistant

Role: Advancement Assistant (Corporates Trusts and Foundations)

Grade & Salary: Grade 5 26707 - 31236 per annum

FTE and working pattern:1FTE 35hrs per week Monday - Friday

Holiday Entitlement: 28 days annual leaveplus 9 buildings closed days (and Christmas Eve when it falls on a weekday). Use our total rewards calculator: see the value of benefits provided by Heriot-Watt University.

The Role

The Advancement Assistant will provide essential support to fundraising activities led by the Advancement team with a focus on Corporates Trusts and Foundations. The role combines administrative responsibilities with creative opportunities to help ensure that we are maximising our philanthropic income potential from corporate and grant-giving bodies. This is an excellent opportunity for early-career fundraisers keen to consolidate and develop their skills or for more experienced fundraisers looking to transition into a higher education environment.

The Team

This new role is part of the Major Gifts team within our Development and Alumni Office and will be led by the Head of Major Gifts as well as two Development Executives (Major Gifts) and one Development Executive (Trusts Foundations and Corporates).

Key Responsibilities

Stakeholder Management

• Ensure all relevant activity and information relating to Trusts Foundations and Corporates is appropriately logged and monitored on our CRM (Raisers Edge);
• Work with the Stewardship team to ensure relationship touchpoints are set and recorded; monitor these regularly for relevant actions by the most appropriate person supporting as necessary (e.g. end of grant reporting).

Fundraising Intelligence

• Monitor the funding landscape for new opportunities and ensure these are appropriately recorded and shared.
• Undertake and maintain up-to-date and in-depth intelligence on potential funders priorities and preferences through desk research and telephone/face to face meetings.
• Work with the Advancement Operations team to identify potential connections to prospective funders.

Fundraising Applications

• Maintain good relationships with existing funders and work to help secure their repeated support through timely and effective communications;
• Support the development and creation of attractive funding proposals for different audiences.
• Ensure that funding applications of the highest quality priority and relevance are developed agreed and submitted in a timely fashion and that all relevant parties have been consulted.

Essential Criteria

• Degree-level education or equivalent experience in donor/customer relations.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills with a professional donor-focused approach.
• Excellent organisational skills and ability to manage multiple priorities.
• High attention to detail and quality in written and verbal communication.
• Experience with administrative and financial processes in a large organisation.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and database systems; working knowledge of Raisers Edge preferred.
• Ability to work collaboratively and proactively in a fast-paced environment.

Desirable Criteria

• Understanding of fundraising principles data protection regulations and tax-efficient giving.
• Experience of researching organisations/funding trends and condensing that information down to easily digestible and actionable briefs.
• Ability to translate technical/academic language for a broader audience.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Attention to detail and accuracy in data handling.

How to Apply

Please submit your CV & covering letter via the Heriot-Watt on-line recruitment.

Applications can be submitted up to midnight (UK time) on Monday 4th May.

Interviews are expected to take place during the week of Mon 11th May.

For any enquiries about this position please contact Professor Andrew Mackinnon Head of Major Gifts.

About Heriot-Watt University

At Heriot-Watt we are passionate about our values and look to them to connect our people globally and to help us collaborate and celebrate our success through working together. Our research programmes can deliver real world impact which is achieved through the diversity of our international community and the recognition of creative talent that connects our global team.

Our flourishing community will give you the freedom to challenge and to bring your enterprising mind and to help our partners with solutions that can be applied now and in the future. Join us and Heriot Watt will provide you with a platform to thrive and work in a way that also helps you live your life in balance with well-being and inclusiveness at the heart of our global community.

Heriot-WattUniversity is committed to securing equality of opportunity in employment and to the creation of an environment in which individuals are selected trained promotedappraisedand otherwise treated on the sole basis of their relevant merits and abilities.Equality and diversity are all about maximising potential and creating a culture of inclusion for all.

Heriot-WattUniversity values diversity across ourUniversitycommunity and welcomes applications from all sectors of society particularly from underrepresented groups. For more information please see our website alsoour award-winning work in Disability Inclusive Science Careers Experience:

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