Associate Director CFR, Engineering
Opening Information
Post Date:10-28-2025
Department:University Advancement
Deadline:11-20-2025
Salary Range:Negotiable
Description
Your work at MSU Engineering fuels breakthrough innovations and empowers future problem-solvers to shape a better world. The Associate Director will be an integral member of a team helping to cultivate corporate and foundation support that will drive research and enhance the student experience. The College of Engineering at Michigan State University is seeking an enthusiastic and energetic, results-oriented individual to join its highly successful fundraising team as the Associate Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations.
The Associate Director will assist faculty and College administration in identifying, cultivating, and engaging potential corporate and foundation sources of support, with the overarching goal of soliciting major gifts in support of significant College initiatives – including research, student experiences and scholarships, community programs, and more.
About the College of Engineering
For more than 130 years, the MSU College of Engineering has advanced knowledge and innovation to address society’s most pressing challenges. Guided by MSU’s land-grant mission, we prepare exceptional graduates, drive breakthrough research, and deliver solutions that improve lives locally and globally. With $71 million in annual research expenditures, world-class facilities, and eight dynamic departments, the college fosters collaboration across disciplines and with global partners. We value creativity, mentorship, and impact—creating an environment where faculty, staff, and students thrive and shape the future.
Job Duties:
Fundraising:
- Maintain a portfolio of corporate and foundation prospects for the College of Engineering in coordination with University Advancement Corporate Relations and Foundation Relations teams.
- Meet with corporation and foundation prospects to understand their priorities and strategies to identify and build/strengthen significant relationships that lead to financial support for the College of Engineering.
- Coordinate with the College of Engineering’s grant funding recipients to provide stewardship, monitor outcomes, and prepare regular progress reports.
- Engage with corporate partners and prospective partners through significant personal contacts each month, which results in strategic movement toward investment in the College of Engineering.
Strategy, Coordination, and Communication:
- Maintain an aggressive meeting and communications schedule with new and existing corporate and foundation partners to build and enrich the College of Engineering’s relationships with them.
- Identify and build relationships with key alumni/friends within target corporations and foundations to seek advice and assistance in relationship building, charitable gifts, and research funding.
- Establish close and effective working relationships and participate in regular meetings with the University Advancement Corporate Relations and Foundation Relations teams.
- Collaborate positively with other corporate-facing units on campus, such as MSU Business Connect and MSU Career Services, to ensure strategic coordination with corporate partners. This requires an aptitude for and comfort in working across administrative boundaries in an open and collegial environment.
- Become conversant with the College of Engineering’s strengths and strategic priorities.
- In collaboration with the University Advancement Corporate Relations and Foundation Relations teams, participate in the development of a coordinated strategy to engage target corporations and foundations with Engineering’s programs, researchers, and educational mission.
- Establish effective working relationships with academic department heads, center and institute directors, faculty, and administrators throughout the College of Engineering to understand their programs and priorities thoroughly and to assist them in creating opportunities for regular and substantive contact with high-level corporate and foundation executives.
- Be a participatory and positive member of the College of Engineering’s Advancement team in support of the goals and initiatives of the unit. This could include events and meetings outside of typical business hours.
Reporting:
- Dual reporting relationship to the College of Engineering’s Senior Director of Development and
- The University Advancement Senior Director of Corporate Relations
Qualifications
Minimum Requirements
Knowledge equivalent to that which normally would be acquired by completing a four-year college degree program in Communications, Public Relations, Marketing and/or Business; three to five years of related and progressively more responsible or expansive work experience in public relations, volunteer administration, professional and higher education fund raising, marketing or related field; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Desired Qualifications
- Five years of demonstrated and progressively more responsible experience working within private sector corporations in higher education development, research and development, communications, public relations, or related field.
- Demonstrated experience in managing business relationships in a role such as account manager is desirable.
- Experience and level of sophistication needed to deal with high-level management/executive leadership in the corporate and/or education sector.
- Must be goal-oriented and an accomplished problem solver.
- Must be team-oriented/collaborative.
If you have experience with the responsibilities outlined in this job description or possess transferable skills, we encourage you to apply! We seek driven, successful fundraisers to join our team and contribute to our ambitious campaign.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, age, disability or protected veteran status.
Required Application Materials
Resume and cover letter
How to apply
If you have experience with the responsibilities outlined in this job description or possess transferable skills, we encourage you to apply! We seek driven, successful fundraisers to join our team and contribute to our ambitious campaign.
If you have any questions regarding this position, please contact Patricia Karam, Director of Talent Acquisition, at karampat@msu.edu.
All candidates must submit an application, resume, and cover letter through the Michigan State University Human Resources web-based system; the URL for this website is careers.msu.edu. Please indicate the position number 1090256 when submitting your application.
Screening of applicants will continue until the position is filled.