Advancement
Located in Ōtautahi | Christchurch, Aotearoa | New Zealand
- Full-time 37.5 hours per week (1.0 FTE)
- Continuing (permanent) position
- Generous annual leave provisions and professional development opportunities
Kia hiwa rā, kia hiwa rā!
He hiahia, he pūkenga nōu ki te mahi a te Donor Relations Officer? Nāia te pōwhiri nā Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha kia tono mai i te tūranga nei.
What is the role all about?
This dynamic role brings together marketing, communications, events, and customer service to showcase and celebrate the generosity of UC's donors.
We are looking for someone with excellent customer service skills who is highly organised, responsive, and detail focused. In this role, you will work closely with teams across campus and engage with a wide range of people, from students and senior leaders to donors. You will create compelling communications that demonstrate the impact of giving, plan and deliver events throughout the year to thank and connect with donors and provide high-quality service and personalised reports to supporters in Canterbury and around the world.
Āu Mahi | What You Will Do
This position has a critical role in the growth of the fundraising program at the University of Canterbury through relationship building and strategic management of all stewardship activities associated with raising funds from a variety of internal and external stakeholders. This role will identify new individual donors and help develop a strategy to retain existing supporters, actively working to diversify the UC's donor pipeline and create new opportunities for participation and connection for alumni and donors at all levels. The individual in this role will create and execute an annual bespoke stewardship plan for all our internal and external stakeholders.
Mōu | Who You Are
A successful candidate will have a Bachelor's Degree (NZQA Level 7) and the following:
- 5-7 years of project management experience, including but not limited to logistics, relationship and stakeholder engagement.
- Able to use strong relationship management skills to work effectively with a wide variety of individuals and organisations both within and beyond the University.
- Ability to plan, prioritise and work within set time frames, and to handle multiple tasks accurately with minimal supervision
- Performance-driven with the ability to recognise key success factors and skills required to achieve goals.
- Demonstrated ability to take responsibility for own work, and to operate effectively in a team environment where workloads vary according to deadline.
- Demonstrated creative flair, while maintaining attention to detail and follow-through.
- Excellent communication skills, both written and oral.
- Ability to demonstrate an international outlook and a sensitivity to cultural differences
- Availability to travel occasionally within New Zealand.
- Ability to handle confidential information with discretion.
- Warm, friendly and courteous personality who enjoys contact with people.
- A high level of proficiency in Microsoft Office and use of technology; and experience with donor relationship management tools such as Raiser's Edge.
- Active commitment to upholding the values, tikanga (protocols and processes), kawa (rules) of cultural practice and traditions as guided by mana whenua, Ngāi Tūāhuriri, and valuing te reo Māori.
Mahi Ngātahi | Who You Will Work With
You will work within the Advancement team, collaborating closely with the Associate Director of Advancement, Development Manager - Annual Giving, alumni relations officers, major gift officers, and colleagues across faculties and service units. This role is central to building strong relationships and aligning messaging to enhance UC's fundraising efforts.
Ngā Painga o UC | Why UC
Ngā Uara | Our Values of manaakitanga, whanaungatanga and tiakitanga guide our decisions and behaviour and provide a roadmap for how we do things at UC, affirming our commitment to pastoral care and support for our ākonga and staff. They challenge and inspire us to be the best we can, and make UC a great place to work and study. For more info on Ngā Uara | Our Values visit us here.
We are committed to accessible higher education, service to the community and the encouragement of talent without barriers of distance, wealth, class, gender or ethnicity. The University explicitly aims to produce graduates and support staff who are engaged with their communities, empowered to act for good and determined to make a difference in the world.
We offer a range of fantastic benefits including flexible work practices, study opportunities and generous superannuation and leave provisions. For more information, please visit us: https://www.canterbury.ac.nz/about-uc/work-at-uc/benefits-working-uc .
For more information about Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury, please visit https://www.canterbury.ac.nz/
The closing date for this position is: 5 September 2025 (midnight, NZ time)
Please note, applications will be reviewed as they are received, and interviews may be scheduled as needed. Submit your application early.
Pēhea te tono mai | How You Apply
Applications for this position must be submitted via our careers website and should include a cover letter and resume.
Please note, we do not accept applications by email; however, we are happy to answer your queries in relation to the application process. Please forward these to WorkatUC@canterbury.ac.nz
You must have Aotearoa New Zealand or Australian citizenship/permanent residency or hold a valid NZ work visa to be considered for this role.