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This job was posted by https://illinoisjoblink.illinois.gov : For more information, please see: https://illinoisjoblink.illinois.gov/jobs/12217211 Department

Lab School Laboratory Schools

About the Department

At the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, students in Nursery through Grade 12 experience a world-class educational journey. Founded in 1896 by John Dewey as a place for educators to develop and explore novel approaches to pedagogy and curriculum, Lab continues to provide excitement and imagination in learning to this day. Academic rigor, experiential learning, and intellectual discourse are hallmarks of a Lab education. Lab educators are recognized for excellence in teaching and pride themselves on innovation in the classroom. Students in every grade have access to unparalleled resources, and all members of the Lab community benefit by partnerships and connections with the University of Chicago. Families who choose Lab care deeply about curiosity, inquiry, and creativity.

No less than scholarship, Lab\'s mission prioritizes honoring diversity and exhibiting kindness. We are committed to building and supporting a teaching and learning community where young people see aspects of their backgrounds and identities reflected around them, where they feel a deep sense of belonging, and where they discover and use their voices to full effect. Today, 53-59 percent of Lab\'s student body are students of color. Families report speaking nearly 40 different languages in their homes. Approximately 60 percent of Lab families are also affiliated with the University of Chicago. Half of our families live in Hyde Park, and the rest come from across Chicago, the suburbs, and northwestern Indiana. Inclusion is a fundamental value at Lab, such that we celebrate every facet of community members\' identities, and even where we disagree, we emphasize respect, civility, and maintaining a spirit of community.

Lab seeks the finest employees to join our vibrant learning community. We employ people with a wide range of skills and training in many different disciplines, who have in common a love of learning and the wish to inspire that same love of learning in young people. We seek candidates for employment who thrive in an educational environment. We provide a great professional home for those committed to collaboration, ongoing personal and professional growth, and cultivating positive relationships. We strongly encourage applications from candidates of color, LGBTQ+ identified candidates, candidates from historically marginalized or underrepresented backgrounds, and candidates with a demonstrated commitment to a deepening diversity, equity, and inclusion practice. In turn, we strive to ensure that Lab is a joyful, welcoming, and inspiring place to work. Through our connection to the University, faculty, staff, and administrators enjoy benefits and opportunities that would be nearly impossible to match in any other environment.

Job Summary

The Director of Alumni Relations and Development serves as the chief development officer for the Laboratory Schools. Reporting to and working closely with the Director of Schools, the Director of Alumni Relations and Development is the senior administrator responsible for generating annual and endowed philanthropic revenue, building and maintaining alumni engagement, and building and maintaining relations among Lab parents and other community members.

The Director is responsible for designing and executing a comprehensive fundraising plan for the Schools that encompasses annual and capital campaign components. In addition to Lab\'s annual fund, known as the Fund for Lab, the Schools implement significant fundraising events, giving drives, and engagement with scholarship granting organizations. Early strategizing is underway for Lab\'s next capital campaign, and exciting opportunities have been identified for expansion of planned giving and alumni engagement; the Director will provide strategic vision and execution for these efforts. The Director also bears significant responsibility for the identification, cultivation, and solicitation of a portfolio of individual major gifts prospects, supports the management of the Director of Schools\' portfolio of prospects, and has a key role in Board development. In addition, the Director provides leadership, mentorship, and support for a staff of seven, with a planned expansion to ten. Together, Lab\'s Alumni Relations and Development (ARD) team is responsible for implementing fundraising strategies and initiatives, including the Fund for Lab, annual Giving Day and other drives, fundraising events, capital campaign fundraising, planned giving, and giving via scholarship granting organizations. The Director also oversees staff with responsibilities in managing alumni relations and generating alumni engagement, as well as staff with responsibilities in planning and implementing special community events involving parents, students, alumni, representatives of the University of Chicago, and other donors and friends of the Schools. The Director works closely with the University of Chicago\'s central Alumni Relations and Development Office to ensure a coordinated strategy for Lab Schools fundraising and engagement within the University context.

The ideal candidate will bring deep experience in development and co