Career Center

The Director of Board Relations is a new role that will serve as part of the Advancement team to support the Office of Advancement and the Office of the President with respect to execution of all Board of Trustees-related initiatives, strategy, operations, meetings, matters, and events, including board committee work. The Director of Board Relations will, in partnership with the Vice President of Advancement and Associate Vice President of Principal Gifts and Campaign Director, staff the Chair of the Board of Trustees, the Governance Committee and the Advancement & Campaign Committee, and will collaborate with all other Standing Committees of the Board. The Director of Board Relations will lead a Trustee Engagement program to strengthen and maximize complex, lifelong relationships between trustees and with Illinois Tech. By doing so, the Director of Board Relations will help Illinois Tech's leaders and stakeholders achieve a shared vision, and enable the university to actualize our priorities.

The Director of Board Relations will report to the Associate Vice President, Principal Gifts & Campaign Director, and will work closely with the Principal Gifts and Campaign Initiatives team. Together with the Associate Director of Board Relations, the Director of Board Relations will oversee the administration of volunteer leader-based relationships and committee relations. The Director will serve as a key strategist, developer, analyzer, manager, and conduit with trustees and trustee leaders—including the Chair of the Board and Chair of the Governance Committee—in order to ensure our trustees are engaged in their roles and satisfied with the value they're getting from their positions, and the value and impact that they're adding to Illinois Tech's strategic plan.

Project Management, Logistics, and Organizational Skills

The Director will have exceptional attention to detail and follow through, with the ability to manage multiple, competing projects and timelines without dropping a ball. They will be able to oversee logistics for complex multi-stakeholder Board of Trustee meetings, committee meetings, and other events, ensuring that no detail is missed, and Trustees and other stakeholders are informed and well prepared.

The Director will have the ability to take an idea from conception to execution, drawing support and input from a wide range of stakeholders to achieve desired outcomes. They will approach every interaction and task with a strategic mindset, thinking about how to most efficiently maximize impact and pull in the right partners.

The Director must be a person of unquestioned integrity, ethics and values; someone who can be trusted without reservation and able to maintain confidentiality and discretion. The ability to succeed in a complex, fast-paced environment and make continual judgment calls is crucial.

The Director must be a collegial team player who is also able to work independently, thrives in a fast-paced environment, and is eager to help advance the organization's mission.

- Bachelor's Degree and at least five years board relations and committee/volunteer management experience, especially as it relates to advancement/development work; advancement/development experience working in an academic or similarly sophisticated setting desired.
- Experience working in a scientific or technological field and/or a strong working knowledge of science, technology, and related issues a plus.

- Demonstrated and proven experience in board relations and committee/volunteer leadership engagement and management, campaign, fundraising, writing and communications, and project management.
- Demonstrated ability to think and work strategically; with a solutions focused mindset.
- Committed to seeking continuous improvement and innovative solutions, along with the proven ability to develop, implement, and enhance programs and/or systems.
- Creativity is desired.

- Demonstrated high regard for teamwork, and collaboration.

- Must be able to prioritize independently and possess strong planning and project management skills.
- Experience and strong skills with calendaring for complex meetings involving individuals or groups of people.

- Demonstrated ability to set and achieve or exceed goals and the ability to consistently meet deadlines.

- Excellent judgment and creative problem-solving skills, including negotiation and conflict resolution skills.

- Demonstrated experience and confidence to gain the credibility and respect of a diverse and high-performing set of internal and external stakeholders, including present or prospective board members, university and other leaders, representatives from partner institutions, etc.

- Ability to deliver the highest standards of professionalism, integrity and confidentiality. – Ability to perform work outside of regular work hours, and to attend evening and weekend board and committee meetings, and related meetings when needed; ability to travel when needed.

- Experience with relationship management and relationship management systems.
- Ability to communicate persuasively, orally and in writing, the importance of volunteering, philanthropy, and the mission of Illinois Tech. Committed to seeking communications vehicles that are technology centric and/or innovative.
- Ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
- High level of initiative and energy.
- Ability to think critically and articulate opinions.

- Attention to detail and consistency is required.
- Strong working knowledge of Excel, Power Point and relational databases is desired. Experience working with The Raiser's Edge NXT is a plus.