The Senior Director, Executive and Leadership Engagement provides administrative leadership and operational oversight for benefactor engagement strategies involving Mayo Clinic’s executives and leaders. Partners with the Executive Director, Campaign Administration in setting the Executive and Leadership Engagement team’s strategic objectives. Independently responsible for the daily operational management for the enterprise-wide program. Stewards the interest of Mayo Clinic by ensuring engagement strategies are viable and initiatives align with institution and department mission, vision and objectives and strategies optimize leader engagement to maximize fundraising outcomes. The Senior Director maintains a portfolio of complex, high-level engagement activities including engagements involving nine-figure gift opportunities or benefactors with capacity to make nine-figure gifts. 

Guides engagement strategy based on expert knowledge of philanthropic strategy, functions, and processes across the entire fundraising cycle. Directly delivers, as well as oversees staff in providing, strategic engagement recommendations based on strong understanding of priority areas, benefactor strategy, fundraising objectives, program best practices, and department processes and policies. Leads development of comprehensive fiscal year engagement plans for key institutional partners. Collaboratively identifies established and new institutional leaders who effectively convey Mayo Clinic’s fundraising priorities, represent cutting edge research, and align with benefactor interests. Develops and maintains strong relationships to enable optimal partnership between Development and institutional leaders in support of benefactor engagements. Serves as a thought partner and point of contact, helping to proactively identify and communicate business issues, streamline strategy approaches/methodologies, and share best practices related to leader/benefactor engagements.  

Conducts operational planning that reflects forward thinking and a keen understanding of Development’s business objectives. Develops effective, integrated systems to manage complex, detailed processes with consistency and scalability. Proactively leads continuous improvement and manages change cross-functionally. Provides servant leadership, mentorship, and professional development to staff, and exhibits Mayo Clinic’s leadership model capabilities. Provides leadership of the assembly, collaboration, and integration of multidisciplinary teams and resources. Provides meaningful feedback and guidance, as well as establishes a collaborative work environment that enables an efficient and positive approach to high-volume workload and execution of best practices.  

Bachelor's degree required. Seven years of experience in fundraising, donor engagement, health care administration, communications, marketing or related field required, including at least three years of fundraising experience. Demonstrated knowledge of fundraising is required. 

Master’s degree preferred. Experience managing teams is preferred. Experience working with executive or senior level leaders preferred. Exceptional interpersonal, written (including writing, proofreading, and editing), and verbal communication skills. Ability to translate high-level direction into operational execution. Strong judgment and critical thinking with ability to make decisions, justify recommendations, and be responsive and clear with colleagues and partners. Proven project management skills with ability to meet multiple deadlines and manage multiple priorities while achieving exceptional attention to detail. Ability to inspire confidence and engage effectively with Mayo Clinic leaders. Ability to lead activities of multi-disciplinary teams to achieve specific objectives and maintain strategic alignment. Experience anticipating needs and proactively offering creative solutions and alternatives with a results-oriented approach. Ability to effectively gather, analyze, synthesize, evaluate, and communicate complex information. Demonstrated change agility, ability to thrive in ambiguity, and ability to lead without having authority. Ability to work with sensitive and/or confidential information with discretion. Proven customer-service orientation and unbending standards for quality, accuracy, and integrity. Position requires occasional travel and the flexibly to work weekends and evenings as necessary.