Career Center

The University of Southern California (USC) is one of the world’s leading private research universities. An anchor institution in Los Angeles and a global center for arts, technology, and international business, USC is also one of the largest private employers in the City of Los Angeles.  We are searching for exceptional individuals to help us fulfill our mission: Developing individuals and society as a whole through the cultivation and enrichment of the human mind and spirit. As an employee of USC, you will be part of a world-class research university and a member of the “Trojan Family,” which is comprised of the faculty, students, and staff that make the university what it is.

World-renowned for its unparalleled combination of academic and athletic prowess, USC has a storied history of collegiate and Olympic success. USC teams have won 133 national championships, establishing the standard of excellence upon which the athletics program is built. The Women of Troy have claimed 90 individual NCAA crowns while USC’s 327 men’s individual NCAA titles are more than any other university. The USC football program, which competes in the historic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, has won 11 national championships, competed in 34 Rose Bowls with 25 wins, and produced 516 NFL Draft Picks, including five first overall selections. USC is the leader among U.S. universities for most all-time Olympians, medalists, and gold medalists. USC’s 326 all-time Summer Olympics medals would tie for 12th most among all countries, while its 153 gold medals would be 11th most. 

The vision of the USC Department of Athletics is to be the most student-athlete centered athletics program in the country. USC Athletics is committed to serving and empowering its student-athletes by providing the support, resources, and environment for student-athletes to pursue a world-class education; engage in a meaningful and fulfilling college experience; transform into the best versions of themselves; compete for championships; and prepare to thrive after USC. A member of the Pac-12 Conference and Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, USC is proud to support nine men's (baseball, basketball, football, golf, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, volleyball, water polo,) and 12 women's (basketball, beach volleyball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, rowing, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, volleyball, water polo) teams across 12 athletics venues.

USC Athletics is looking to hire an Assistant Athletic Director, Annual Giving to join our staff and student community of 600+ individuals.  This role is responsible for lead in planning, organizing, facilitating, and conducting fundraising activities for the annual fund.  This position will provide strategic direction by developing and implementing a long-range plan that will emphasize on building a strong annual giving program that is focused on aggressive metrics related to increased dollars raised, and donor growth in the giving pipeline. 

Additional requirements include being a results-oriented individual with superb organizational and analytical skills, deft interpersonal skills and collaborative instincts, high adaptability and creativity, strong communicative abilities, and intellectual curiosity.  Must be able to evaluate problems accurately and display good, sound judgment, and demonstrate a personal commitment to excellence.  Must maintain a professional and caring demeanor.  Must be able to listen carefully as well as to influence and persuade others.  The Assistant Athletic Director serves as a strategic partner, focusing primarily on growing participation, increased dollars raised, and pipeline development.  

Reporting directly to the Associate Athletic Director, the Assistant Athletic Director, Annual Giving will work in collaboration with development office, marketing, and the ticket sales team.. The ideal candidate will be self-motivated, organized, possess excellent communication skills, and have a strong attention to detail.. Knowledge of and experience working in higher education preferred. Understanding of the unique culture and needs of college athletes preferred.

This position serves a diverse student and staff population, must demonstrate a commitment to improving outcomes for historically under-served populations, and is expected to contribute to the program’s diversity, inclusion, and equity efforts. USC Athletics is committed to increasing diversity in its staff and welcomes applications from persons of all backgrounds, ethnicities, races, genders, and sexual orientations.

This is an Exempt position with work expected at nights and on weekends throughout the year.

Roles and responsibilities to include:

• Develop and implement a comprehensive multi-year annual giving fundraising plan to strengthen the school’s fundraising program.  Provide innovative and creative strategies with a focus on data analytics to acquire and retain new donors, increase alumni participation rates, and increase total dollars.   
• Conduct a high volume of outreach through hard mail, electronic mail, phone and visits to qualify, cultivate, solicit and steward donors for annual gifts to the Trojan Athletic Fund ranging from $200-$50,000.
• Manage and execute various campaigns and solicitation activities utilizing direct mail, digital channels (online, email and social media), tele-fundraising, crowdfunding and mobile text giving campaigns.  Analyze and report on data analytics of campaign performance, giving patterns for renewals, retentions, upgrades and acquisition of new donors. 
• Write and develop solicitation materials, electronic assets and collateral related to the Trojan Athletic Fund. 
• Lead all communication efforts by the Development office.
• Identify and explore upgrade pathways to further engage donors and expand donor participation.
• Partner with the major gifts team to share data and key insights that will support donor growth. 
• Monitor industry best practices, trends and new technologies to propose innovative fundraising strategies and tactics. 
• Performs other related duties as assigned or requested. The University reserves the right to add or change duties at any time.
• Promotes an environment that fosters inclusive relationships and creates unbiased opportunities for contributions through ideas, words, and actions that uphold principles of the USC Code of Ethics.
• Performs other related duties as assigned or requested. The University reserves the right to add or change duties at any time.

Qualifications:

• The ideal candidate will possess the following qualification:
• Required: Direct experience working on the annual fund in an athletic department’s development office
• Minimum Education: Bachelor's degree
• Minimum Experience: 3 years
• Preferred Education: Master's degree
• Preferred Experience: 4 years

• Experience working in higher education and/or a sports related field ideal.

To Apply

All candidates must submit a (1) resume or curriculum vitae, (2) and cover letter explaining the candidate’s interest in working at USC, qualifications for the position, impact the candidate would make on the department of athletics and how the candidate would contribute to the departments goal of promoting diversity, inclusion, and equity in higher education and sport. Additional materials may be requested at a later date. All USC employees will undergo reference checking and background screening prior to hire.

USC is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law or USC policy.

We provide reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. Applicants with questions about access or requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process should contact USC Human Resources by phone at (213) 821-8100, or by email at [email protected] Inquiries will be treated as confidential to the extent permitted by law.

USC will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring ordinance. 

Minimum Education:Bachelor's degreeCombined experience/education as substitute for minimum educationMinimum Experience:5 yearsCombined education/experience as substitute for minimum experiencePreferred Education:Bachelor's degreePreferred Experience:5 yearsMinimum Field of Expertise:Experience in development, maintaining meaningful relationships with a wide variety ofinternal/external stakeholders. Ability to self-manage, prioritize work assignments andmanage multiple deadlines. Experience maintaining and interpreting large datasets anddatabase systems. Excellent planning, organizational and interpersonal skills. Detailoriented with excellent written and oral communication skills. Proficient in Microsoft Office.Preferred Field of Expertise:Bachelor's degree in business administration or a related field. Development experience inhigher education. Experience in management/leadership roles. Volunteer experience infundraising, campaign or non-profit environments. Experience with email marketing,website development/coding and Adobe Creative Suite. Extensive customer serviceexperience. Fluent in one or more language in addition to English (e.g., Spanish).