Job Details
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Job Description Summary
The Operations Manager, Philanthropic Engagement, provides high-level administrative, operational, and project management support to the Associate Vice President and plays a key integrative role within the Philanthropic Engagement (PE) team. Connects the work of the PE team with complementary workstreams across University Advancement to ensure alignment and progress toward goals. This position provides the smooth execution of fast-moving priorities, strengthens communication and workflow across teams, and enhances the effectiveness of the AVP by anticipating needs, managing systems, and supporting strategic initiatives.
This position is not eligible for sponsorship of non-immigrant or immigrant visa status through Wake Forest University. All eligible applicants are encouraged to apply.
Applications for this position will be accepted through 11:59 PM EST, September 10, 2026.
Job Description
Essential Functions:
- Facilitates alignment between Philanthropic Engagement (PE) priorities and related workstreams across University Advancement (UA) by partnering with colleagues to connect related efforts, reduce duplication, and maintain clarity of roles and responsibilities.
- Partners with the Associate Vice President for Philanthropic Engagement to prioritize commitments, manage scheduling, and prepare briefing materials in support of key meetings and decisions.
- Provides strategic operational support to PE team leaders, including maintaining shared work plans, developing and monitoring a team progress dashboard, tracking milestones, and proactively flagging risks, dependencies, or capacity constraints.
- Supports the Development and Alumni Engagement (DAE) leadership team by assisting with meeting preparation, documenting decisions, and managing follow-up actions through completion.
- Creates high-quality briefing materials, presentations, and decision documents for senior DAE leaders.
- Leads preparation for PE leadership, unit, and team meetings, including agenda development, material coordination, synthesis of updates, tracking follow-up actions, and ensuring decisions are clearly captured and communicated.
- Supports strategic initiatives and special projects by coordinating work across stakeholders, managing timelines, and ensuring progress against defined goals.
- Coordinates and tracks milestones for key projects, ensuring visibility, accountability, and timely escalation of issues as needed.
- Supervises, coaches, and develops a Coordinator, providing clear expectations, regular feedback, and professional growth opportunities while ensuring timely and high-quality execution of assigned work.
- Drafts, edits, and curates internal communications, presentations, and updates; maintain organized and accessible channels for information sharing and documentation.
- Supports onboarding, team development activities, and internal documentation that reinforce shared purpose, clarity of expectations, and alignment with organizational goals.
- Proactively anticipates organizational needs and design systems, tools, or processes that improve efficiency, reduce bottlenecks, and support effective decision-making.
Required Education, Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:
- Bachelor’s degree plus three to five years of relevant experience in project management, administrative or executive support, higher education, or a related field.
- Exceptional organizational, planning, and time-management skills, with a demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines in a dynamic environment.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, including experience drafting correspondence, preparing briefing materials, and creating clear, concise documentation.
- High level of professionalism, discretion, and sound judgment, particularly when handling sensitive or confidential information.
- Experience supervising or managing staff, with demonstrated ability to delegate effectively, hold others accountable, and support the professional development of direct reports.
- Ability to build strong, trust-based relationships and work effectively with colleagues at all levels of the organization.
- Proactive, anticipatory, and resourceful, with the ability to identify needs, anticipate next steps, and follow through with minimal direction.
- Detail-oriented while maintaining a strategic, big-picture perspective.
- Comfortable navigating ambiguity, evolving priorities, and complex environments.
- Calm under pressure; able to make thoughtful decisions in time-sensitive situations.
- Demonstrated ability to synthesize information and answer moderately complex questions, proactively seeking additional context or information as needed.
- Service-oriented and relationship-centered; takes pride in providing high-quality, responsive support to others.
- Warm, diplomatic, and collaborative, with the ability to work across differing perspectives and priorities.
- Enjoys creating systems, improving processes, and reducing friction in organizational workflows.
- Self-starter with the ability to think independently while remaining aligned with leadership direction and team goals.
- Thrives in a mission-driven, collaborative team environment.
- Demonstrates respect for the dignity, perspectives, and abilities of all individuals.
- Proficiency in Google Workspace and Microsoft Office Suite.
- Ability to learn and effectively use customer relationship management systems (Blackbaud CRM preferred), project management tools (ClickUp preferred), and event registration platforms; commitment to continuously developing technical skills as needed.
- Ability to work occasional evenings and weekends as required.
- Ability to maintain strict confidentiality of information contained in donor records, system data, and leadership communications.
Preferred Education, Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:
- Understanding of protocol, etiquette, and professional standards appropriate for executive- and donor-facing environments.
- Previous experience in project or logistics management.
- Familiarity with project management tools and shared digital workspaces used to coordinate complex, cross-functional work.
- Experience preparing clear, well-structured reports, presentations, and executive summaries for senior leadership audiences.
- Familiarity with advancement operations, campaign environments, or donor engagement strategies.
Accountabilities:
- Responsible for own work.
- May supervise a team Coordinator.
- May supervise a student employee.
Physical Requirements and Environmental Conditions:
Sedentary work primarily involving sitting/standing; communicating with others to exchange information; repeating motions that may include the wrists, hands, and/or fingers; and assessing the accuracy, neatness, and thoroughness of the work assigned. No adverse environmental conditions expected; however, may assist in executing events in outdoor elements such as precipitation and wind.
Note: This position profile identifies the key responsibilities and expectations for performance. It cannot encompass all specific job tasks that an employee may be required to perform. Employees are required to follow any other job-related instructions and perform job-related duties as may be reasonably assigned by the employee’s supervisor.
Additional Job Description
Time Type Requirement Full time
Note to Applicant:
This position profile identifies the key responsibilities and expectations for performance. It cannot encompass all specific job tasks that an employee may be required to perform. Employees are required to follow any other job-related instructions and perform job-related duties as may be reasonably assigned by his/her supervisor.
In order to provide a safe and productive learning and living community, Wake Forest University conducts background investigations and drug screens for all final staff candidates being considered for employment.
Equal Opportunity Statement
The University is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes all qualified candidates to apply without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, genetic information, disability and military or veteran status.
Accommodations for Applicants
If you are an individual with a disability and need an accommodation to participate in the application or interview process, please contact AskHR@wfu.edu or (336) 758-4700.
Organization
Wake Forest University, formed in 1834, has experienced decades of growth and innovation. WFU is a distinctive university that combines a liberal arts core with graduate and professional schools and innovative research programs. The University embraces the teacher-scholar ideal, which prizes the personal interaction between students and faculty. It is a place where exceptional teaching, fundamental research and discovery, and the engagement of faculty and students in the classroom and the laboratory are paramount.
Wake Forest University is a community that seeks the enlightenment and freedom which come through diligent study and learning. Its higher goal, however, is to give life to the University motto "Pro Humanitate," as members translate a passion for knowledge into compassionate service. The community shares a tradition that embraces freedom and integrity and acknowledges the worth of the individual. The heritage, established by the school's founders and nurtured by succeeding generations, promotes a democratic spirit arising from open-mindedness and discourse. Wake Forest fosters compassion and caring for others. Its collective strength and character are derived from the values and distinctive experiences of each individual; therefore, it affirms the richness of human intellect and culture and its contribution to knowledge, faith, reason, and dialogue. Furthermore, it strives toward a society in which good will, respect, and equality prevail. To that end, Wake Forest University rejects hatred and bigotry in any form and promotes justice, honor, and mutual trust.
The University is comprised of: the undergraduate college, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, School of Business, School of Divinity, School of Law, and School of Medicine (located on the Bowman Gray campus with Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center) and today enrolls about 4,846 undergraduates and 2,823 students in graduate programs at its principal location, the Reynolda campus. Students at Wake Forest University enjoy a great deal of access to and interaction with world-class faculty both in and out of the classroom setting with a student-faculty ratio of 11:1. Wake Forest employs approximately 2,772 full and part-time faculty and staff.
Wake Forest is a collegiate university offering a vibrant, intellectual community with a rich cultural life, an impressive array of facilities, and a strong athletics program competing in the fifteen-team Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Since its founding, the university has adopted the motto "pro humanitate," which is exemplified by a deep institutional commitment to public service and engagement with the world. Wake Forest has a strong commitment to holistic, eight-dimensional well-being for students, faculty and staff as evidenced in the Thrive initiative.
Winston-Salem, NC
Wake Forest is located in Winston-Salem, NC, a beautiful, mid-sized city centrally located in the Piedmont-Triad region of North Carolina. Winston-Salem is a family-friendly city with high quality schools, numerous outdoor recreational activities and events, and is known for its vibrant and thriving arts scene.
Winston-Salem residents enjoy close proximity to the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains (1.5 hours) and Atlantic beaches (4 hours), a moderate climate with four distinct seasons, a very reasonable cost of living, and an eclectic variety of restaurants, wine bars, and breweries for dining with friends and family. Winston-Salem offers many of the amenities of a large city but with the sense of community and quality of life of a smaller town (www.visitwinstonsalem.com).
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