Assistant Director of Stewardship, Foundation Relations

Caltech is a world-renowned science and engineering institute that marshals some of the world's brightest minds and most innovative tools to address fundamental scientific questions. We thrive on finding and cultivating talented people who are passionate about what they do. Join us and be a part of the diverse Caltech community.

The purpose of Advancement and Alumni Relations (AAR) is to foster a thriving and engaged community of support for Caltech. By connecting the people who share and support Caltech's mission and values, we will ensure the Institute receives the necessary resources to achieve Caltech's aspirations and sustain its excellence in teaching, research, and scholarship in perpetuity.

Within AAR, the Office of Foundation Relations (OFR) facilitates engagement between private foundations and Caltech, fostering partnerships and securing resources to advance Caltech's research and educational mission.

Reporting to the Deputy Director of Foundation Relations, the Assistant Director of Stewardship will play a key role in managing the Office of Foundation Relations' stewardship pipeline. This includes overseeing the preparation of approximately 50 narrative reports annually, tracking key deadlines, and coordinating closely with internal stakeholders. The position is responsible for developing, writing, and editing compelling stewardship content related to endowed and current-use scholarships, fellowships, professorships, and campus-based programs and centers. Additionally, the role involves soliciting associated financial reports from campus partners, reviewing them for accuracy and clarity, and ensuring timely submission to funders.

To enable this work, the Assistant Director of Stewardship will cultivate relationships with internal stakeholders, including those within AAR, faculty, professional and support staff.

This position requires a strong working knowledge of AAR processes and Institute policies and procedures, along with the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, high-volume environment. The successful candidate will demonstrate the capacity to anticipate needs, take initiative, and manage projects and assignments independently, while also contributing effectively as a collaborative team member. Exceptional writing, editing, and workflow management skills are essential, as is the ability to communicate complex scientific concepts clearly and engagingly for nontechnical audiences. A proven track record of applying these skills in a professional setting is required.

• Collect information from appropriate internal stakeholders including faculty, deans, program leads, fund accounting, and, in collaboration with prospect managers within OFR, conceptualize, design, and prepare compelling stewardship materials, including digital content, to private foundations for endowed and current-use professorships, scholarships, fellowships, and campus programs and centers.
• Produce well-written, cogent, and persuasive letters, emails, narratives and other materials for both internal and external audiences; provide thoughtful and well-considered comments and edits to report narratives and communications drafted by others.
• Manage relevant narrative and financial reporting schedule, including development and tracking of annual endowment financial report requests.
• Ensure compliance with foundation agreements and requirements in both narrative and financial reporting, working with institute personnel on issues requiring further review or follow-up.
• Develop familiarity and understanding of key campus programs and priorities to respond both to donors' interests and campus needs.
• Collaborate with the AAR Stewardship and Advancement Communications teams to identify high-quality stewardship materials developed for individual donors and thoughtfully adapt them for foundation audiences.

General

• Develop and apply specialized knowledge and expertise to perform Advance (CRM database) data entry and maintain information in Advance as appropriate.
• Demonstrate excellent judgment and interpersonal skills in responding to inquiries and needs from within AAR and the Caltech community, including from faculty, grant managers, fund accounting, and, if needed, from donors and other external constituents.
• Exercise independent thinking and ownership of projects.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent.
• Two+ years of experience writing in a nonprofit or higher education setting.
• Ability to work independently while coordinating with Foundation Relations team members, campus partners, and leadership.
• Excellent communication skills-verbal, written, interpersonal-with strong demonstrated proofreading and editing capabilities.
• Demonstrated ability to exercise good judgment and discretion when working with sensitive or confidential information.
• Ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks under pressure and with frequent interruptions.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving abilities.
• High standards of integrity, accountability, and personal responsibility.
• Demonstrated commitment to organizational values and professionalism.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and Adobe Creative Cloud applications, including, in particular InDesign.

• Experience working in a higher education advancement/development setting.
• Familiarity with digital platforms for donor engagement and content development.

• Resume.
• Cover Letter.