Summary:
Shedd Aquarium is seeking an Assistant Director of Development Communications within the Development department.  If you can articulate the goals and vision of complex initiatives… clearly explain how something works and why it matters to diverse audiences, including individual philanthropists and sophisticated foundations…. weave in strategic messages that make a compelling case for support… lead a project from inception to completion… then you could be the ideal candidate for this position in our highly successful fundraising department. 
 
Working closely with the Development leadership team, the Assistant Director will collaborate within and across departments to advance the mission of Shedd Aquarium: sparking compassion, curiosity, and conservation for the aquatic animal world.  

This position will be responsible for curating narratives about the impact of philanthropic initiatives, drafting proposals, and creating assets for gift officers to present to our donors and prospective donors. Projects will include creation of fundraising proposals seeking support for Shedd programs; presentation decks; donor correspondence; stewardship reports; whitepapers; program briefs; event collateral; videos depicting the impact of giving; and more. The position requires the ability to manage multiple projects, serving as the point person for colleagues in various departments including animal care, marketing, communications, design, video production, and digital services. Many projects will require input from Aquarium and Board leadership.  

The ideal candidate is an organized self-starter; a curious person interested in learning about a diverse set of subjects; and superb writer with excellent interpersonal, project- and people-management skills. Experience partnering with gift officers and writing for a nonprofit, or in the fields of conservation or museum management, are greatly valued. 
 
Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following. Other duties may be assigned. 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. 
 

• Demonstrate commitment to Shedd’s vision, mission and values. 
• Understand Shedd Aquarium’s fundraising goals; articulate how these goals advance the mission of the organization and convey the impact of philanthropy to a variety of audiences in a variety of ways. 
• Collaborate with many teams within the organization to develop targeted products that inspire giving and donor engagement including the annual report, presentation decks, videos, fundraising collateral, and more. 
• In partnership with gift officers, program staff, and finance team, create more than 40 fundraising proposals annually and approximately 20 stewardship reports annually.   
• Research, write, and edit content, including gift narratives, whitepapers, brochures, program summaries, bios and other marketing and event collateral. 
• Tailor written materials to inspire different audiences through a variety of channels. Coordinate review by internal and external partners and incorporate feedback.  
• Manage production of communications projects and publications; set and adhere to assertive timelines. Hold others accountable for clearly articulated deliverables.  
• Create and manage centralized resource library through consistent and meaningful connection to program area staff. 
• Act as a content development resource to the direct response team.  
• Write donor correspondence and Development event-related talking points for the President/CEO and Chief Development Officer.  
• Work closely with in-house brand, communications, design, online, social media, and video teams. 
• Have a passion for and commitment to advancing diversity, equity, access and inclusion initiatives within the Development department and throughout the organization.  
• Other duties as assigned.  

 
Qualifications:
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.  
 

• Bachelor's degree or a combination of a minimum of 4-5 years of related experience and education/training. 
• Professional writing experience, including both long- and short-form content. 
• Experience working on a Development team at a non-profit organization is strongly preferred.  
• The ability to understand complex materials and synthesize across multiple sources to produce materials for diverse audiences. 
• Ability to synthesize ideas and information into clear, accurate, and persuasive prose; change voice and writing styles for various authors and audiences; and adapt content for different purposes and communications channels. 
• Attention to detail as well as flawless copyediting and proofreading skills. 
• Client service orientation, with proven ability to interact with a wide range of people at different levels of an organization. 
• Prior experience with complex marketing/communications programs, coordinating the roles of multiple project contributors, setting priorities and schedules, and meeting deadlines with minimum supervision. 
• Demonstrated sound judgment in situations that require independent decision making, problem solving, and handling confidential and sensitive materials. 
• Demonstrated ability to apply ingenuity and creativity in solving complex problems. 
• Strong Microsoft Office Suite skills. 

We strongly encourage people of color, LGBTQ+ community, veterans and active duty military, parents, individuals with disabilities, and individuals from all cultural backgrounds to apply. Shedd Aquarium is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes everyone to our team.

If you need a reasonable accommodation at any point in the application or interview process, please let us know. In your application, please feel free to select which pronouns you use (For example – she/her/hers, he/him/his, they/them/theirs).