at Huron Consulting Group in Chicago, Illinois, United States
Job Description
The Opportunity
Huron helps its clients drive growth, enhance performance and sustain leadership in the markets they serve. We collaborate with education organizations to develop strategies and implement solutions that enable the transformative change our clients need to own their future. Together, we empower clients to drive innovation, create sustainable funding streams and deliver better student outcomes.
Today, leaders of higher education institutions and academic medical centers are spending too much time reacting to market forces, rather than focusing on the essential priorities that help students, faculty and staff thrive. The most productive path forward requires an intentional approach and innovative thinking, whereby stakeholders across the entire institution rally around a shared vision and embrace the hard work of effecting change.
You’ll help our clients to achieve organizational effectiveness, improve student outcomes, implement new technologies and align resources and investments to ensure long-term sustainability.
Join our team as the expert you are now and create your future.
Position Summary
Huron|GG+A seeks an entrepreneurial and energetic advancement professional to fill the full-time position of a consultant in the Independent Schools practice area. This person will have experience with and exposure to annual, major, and campaign fundraising as well as familiarity with constituent engagement and advancement services programs in an independent school. The optimal candidate will also be an independent school alumna/us, parent, or long-time employee and intimately familiar with the culture of independent schools.
All Huron|GG+A consultants deploy evidenced-based consulting methodologies and develop sophisticated analytics tools in close collaboration with the firm’s integrated, large-scale client engagement teams. A Consultant may function as a member of various project teams and/or be assigned as a Project Lead, leading data collection, performing rigorous analysis, and producing clear, compelling, insightful, and accurate reports for the firm’s clients. This individual will also collaborate with colleagues and contribute to innovative product/service development to drive sustained growth and profitability, while ensuring that client deliverables meet the highest standards of quality.
Successful Huron|GG+A consultants take initiative, are self-disciplined, and are eager to learn. They possess business and entrepreneurial acumen with demonstrated ability to initiate and sustain professional relationships. It is essential that our consultants exhibit a high level of flexibility, perseverance, and a tenacious work ethic.
Huron|GG+A is a full-service philanthropic management consulting firm with 60 years of industry-defining leadership in helping our clients realize the full potential of their missions through the growth of philanthropic support. Our primary mission is to assist our clients in the substantial improvement and acceleration of their fundraising programs. We seek to align those programs with the institution’s core mission and ensure their sustainability.
Huron|GG+A is an international resource for data-driven best practices in all areas of advancement, including fundraising, engagement, communications, and advancement services. We provide counsel to a global constituency of nonprofits, specifically in the areas of higher education, academic medicine/healthcare, independent schools, arts and culture, select humanitarian institutions, and a range of charities and nonprofit organizations.
Qualifications
Education, Experience and Attributes
+ US Work Authorization
+ Bachelor’s degree required
+ Minimum of ten (10) years of frontline development experience with exposure to major campaign planning
+ Prefer direct experience from independent schools; experience at a liberal arts college a plus
+ Demonstrates strategic thinking and a rigorous, analytic approach to client situations, tailoring delivery to a client’s specific culture or need
+ Demonstrates understanding of fundraising best practices and the independent schools sector
+ Demonstrates broad insight of philanthropic management
+ Ability to take a hands-on approach to consulting with the ultimate goal of providing an individualized, long-term, sustainable solution for each client
+ Client-focused with an intense intellectual curiosity about individual institutions and what make them unique
+ Demonstrates a high level of flexibility, stamina and perseverance with an unbridled passion and commitment to the field of philanthropy, as well as a strong and tenacious work ethic
+ Demonstrate proficiency with Microsoft Office tools, specifically with Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Excel
+ Ability to travel 3-4 days per week, as needed
Key Responsibilities for the role
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Other duties may be assigned.
Core Mission
Contribute to the GG+A Independent Schools practice area by developing strategies, products and capabilities, marketing and sales plans, and delivery methodologies that enhance the ability to initiate, sustain and steward the philanthropic missions of our clients.
Leadership
+ Leverage a wide range of skills and experience to collaborate effectively with a group of talented, creative consulting resources professionals, who will build upon existing programs and create new programs and client offerings
+ Ensure a focus on strategic and operational leadership and management, ensuring quality of deliverables against exacting deadlines
+ Motivate others in the firm to identify and implement specific integrated projects intended to enhance the visibility of the group in their competitive arena and develop a dominant position in marketplace
+ Optimize value and service delivery to clients, increase and secure profitable business, and motivate and develop a high-performing team
Consulting
+ Provide client institutions consulting services, which might include fundraising program assessments, feasibility studies, campaign planning, annual and major gift program planning and execution, and staff and volunteer training
+ Liaise with client staff and leaders with respect and confidence, including senior leadership across and beyond advancement functions
+ Demonstrate strong commitment to working as part of a team on client engagements across a spectrum of independent schools that vary by size, mission, and type
+ Compile and present clear, compelling, cohesive, accurate, and persuasive presentations and reports, independently or with the support of others. Such compilation and review usually includes reconciliation of anecdotal findings with philanthropic analytics and client-submitted data to ensure alignment throughout the report/presentation
Operations
+ Ensure that practice area products and services support Huron|GG+A’s overall strategy and revenue goals
+ Grow and guide support of the widening range of products, services, and client deliverables
+ Collaborate with Huron|GG+A Consulting Resources team in process improvement and management methodologies to increase efficiencies, cost effectiveness, and workflow optimization
+ Contribute to continuous improvement in all areas including systems, policies and procedures, client service and technical support, quality control and management reporting in order to improve the overall effectiveness of the practice area
Business and Product Development
+ Create, design, and implement strategies to drive revenue growth and profitability
+ Share stra
