Portfolio Specialist

Portfolio Specialist

The University of Southern California (USC), founded in 1880, is in the heart of downtown L.A. and is the largest private employer in the city of Los Angeles. As an employee of USC, you will be a part of a world-class research university and a member of the “Trojan Family,” which comprises the faculty, students, and staff that make the University a prime place to learn, grow, and succeed.

University Advancement seeks a Portfolio Specialist to join its Prospect Development team. Reporting to the Associate Director, Prospect Management, the incumbent will serve as a strategic partner to the University Advancement community and ensure that development officers are working with the right prospects at the right time and that prospect portfolios align with the University’s top fundraising priorities.

University Advancement is committed to non-discrimination and equal opportunity for all, where all advancement staff and our stakeholders have the opportunity to connect, belong, and grow while supporting the University of Southern California’s mission, values, and goals.

This is a hybrid position under our current work arrangement plan, with the expectation of on-site presence in our downtown Los Angeles office (USC Tower).

Responsibilities

• Partner with colleagues in Prospect Development to conceptualize and execute strategic, high-impact prospect identification projects that support a robust prospect pipeline for the University’s top fundraising priorities, and ensure all prospects move through the fundraising cycle efficiently.

• Lead proactive, in-depth meetings focused on individual portfolios with development officers to ensure that the best prospects are assigned based on their role and the parameters of their portfolio.

• Advise development officers on the viability of the prospects under review and track assignment decisions.

• Help enforce Advancement’s policies surrounding the assignment of high-capacity prospects by monitoring key development officer activity, including but not limited to contacts, strategies and ratings.

• Maintain the completeness and accuracy of advancement data through regular updates and audits.

• Provide project and resource management internally among the Prospect Development team and in partnership with and support of colleagues throughout the University Advancement community.

• Ensure adherence to ethical prospect development and data management practices and applicable data privacy laws and regulations, including but not limited to FERPA, GDPR, and HIPAA.

• Perform other duties, as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree.

• Combined experience/education as a substitute for minimum education.

• 2 years of development research, prospect management, or prospect development experience in a higher education, healthcare, or complex non-profit environment; or comparable experience in a relevant field associated with research, writing, and/or sales.

• A passion for excellent customer service, commitment to exceptional quality, and the ability to complete projects and achieve goals in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.

• An enterprising spirit with strong project management, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills, who embraces new ideas, provides and receives feedback well, and fosters professional growth among direct reports and colleagues.

• The ability to maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive information with discretion.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree

• 3 years of experience

• Experience with fundraising CRMs (preferably Salesforce) and data visualization tools (Tableau, Power BI, etc.).

• Strong understanding of Development Research principles, including how to conduct complex analyses and synthesize information to uncover philanthropic trends, patterns, and relationships among individuals, corporations, and foundations

• Proficiency with the Microsoft Office Suite, particularly Excel (VLOOKUPs, pivot tables, charts, formulas, etc.).

In addition, the successful candidate must also demonstrate, through ideas, words and actions, a strong commitment to USC’s Unifying Values of integrity, excellence, community, well-being, open communication, and accountability.

Required Documents and Additional Information

Resume and cover letter required (may be uploaded as one file). Please do not submit your application without these documents.

The annual base salary range for this position is $75,618.84 – $76,073. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state, and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

To support faculty and staff well-being, USC provides benefits-eligible employees with a broad range of benefits and perks to help protect their and their dependents’ health, wealth, and future. These benefits are available as part of the overall compensation and total rewards package. You can learn more about USC’s comprehensive benefits here.

USC is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law or USC policy. USC observes affirmative action obligations consistent with state and federal law. USC will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal records in a manner consistent with applicable laws and regulations, including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for employers and the Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, and with due consideration for patient and student safety. Please refer to the Background Screening Policy Appendix D for specific employment screen implications for the position for which you are applying. 

We provide reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. Applicants with questions about access or requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process should contact USC Human Resources by phone at (213) 821-8100, or by email at [email protected]. Inquiries will be treated as confidential to the extent permitted by law.

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