IBRI is poised to transform life sciences—and for millions of people, even life itself.

The Opportunity:

We need a strategic leader to expand the IBRI’s philanthropic efforts as our Director of Philanthropy. This role partners closely with the Chief Philanthropy Officer to oversee philanthropic operations, including prospect and data management, donor experience, and gift administration. The Senior Director ensures efficient, effective fundraising processes and fosters strong relationships to support the Institute’s mission and long-term growth.

Responsibilities:

Prospect Research & Development

• Research higher net worth individuals, donor prospects, board candidates, corporations, and philanthropic foundations to assess their philanthropic interests, giving capacity, and propensity and readiness to give.
• Provide Chief Philanthropic Officer with donor-centric, data-driven strategy for identification, engagement, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of key donors and prospects capable of significant philanthropy.

Portfolio Management

• Maximize effectiveness of fundraising portfolios by tracking moves management activities and building out principal and major gift pipelines.
• Make strategic recommendations for assignment of new prospects, reassignment of existing prospects, and closure of prospects who do not demonstrate philanthropic inclination for the IBRI.

CRM Management

• Oversee tracking and management of donor/gift records, contact reports, and data processes/workflow in the IBRI’s Oracle NetSuite-based CRM system to ensure the highest level of data integrity, efficiency, and functionality.

Data Analysis & Reporting

• Analyze key advancement metrics such as progress to goal, donor/prospect pipeline, patterns of giving and characteristics of current donor pool.
• Provide timely and relevant reports to the Chief Philanthropy Officer and IBRI leadership.

Donor Experience

• Collaborate with the philanthropy and communications team and institutional leadership to plan and deliver timely, high-quality stewardship for IBRI donors.
• Ensure timely follow-up actions, impact reporting, and donor special events.
• Work directly with donors and the IBRI’s finance team to manage pledge payments, handle inquiries and clarify issues of concern.

Gift Processing & Financial Administration

• Serve as the primary contact for the Chief Philanthropy Officer, CFO, and IBRI finance team for gift agreement management, gift reconciliation, troubleshooting gift entry adjustments, and acknowledgement of gifts.

Philanthropy Communications Collaboration

• Partner with the IBRI communications team to develop fundraising-oriented materials such as principal gift propositions and proposals, stewardship touch points, donor press releases, and annual grant and impact reports.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Seven or more years of progressively responsible experience in philanthropic services/operations or stewardship/donor relations.
• Experience with constituent database (CRM) management preferred, particularly Oracle NetSuite.
• Strong commitment to the mission of IBRI.
• Proven operational, project management, and organizational skills.
• Ability to collaborate in highly team-based environment; build working relationships across the IBRI and its many partner institutions and stakeholders; and utilize interpersonal skills that establish, foster, and maintain positive professional relationships with internal and external constituencies.
• Excellent writing, communication, proofreading, and editing skills.
• Demonstrated capacity to effectively manage multiple priorities and dynamic workloads, according to volume, urgency, and impact.
• At least 2-3 years of management experience preferred.
• Exposure to working with biosciences, academic medicine, or translational research initiatives is a plus.
• Knowledge of data analytics and demonstrated experience preparing, analyzing, and interpreting data, highly preferred.

Compensation:

Competitive salary and comprehensive benefits offered commensurate with experience.

Equal Employment Opportunity:

The IBRI provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants and does not discriminate based on age, race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status.

About Us:

The Indiana Biosciences Research Institute (IBRI) is a first-in-class translational medicine institute dedicated to advancing life sciences in the race to eliminate disease and improve human health and life.

By connecting early-stage biotech companies with cutting-edge life science discoveries —and backed by the mission and resources of industry leaders, investors, and philanthropic partners—IBRI is successfully evolving a new, independent model to conquer disease, uniting previously fragmented forces in the quest for cures.

Carefully curating and supporting early-stage companies with investment, talent, and space, IBRI strategically accelerates drug discovery. Our work benefits from the relatively low cost of living and doing business here, allowing more resources to be directed toward science.

Fueled by the same entrepreneurial creativity as the groundbreaking scientific work we support, IBRI’s labs advance research across the frontiers of diabetes, metabolic disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and rare pediatric diseases. Our ambitious public–private vision cultivates talent while efficiently bridging the gap between research-driven inquiry and profit-driven drug development.

At IBRI, cures are launched on a clear pathway to clinical trials, enabled by the combined resources and experience of our academic and industry partners, without the typical pressure to deliver rapid results for commercialization. IBRI labs pursue breakthroughs that might never happen elsewhere. Breakthroughs are happening here. Our novel financing model ensures that when discoveries are ready for clinical trials, the intellectual property is sold back to industry or spun off, creating a direct stream of revenue.

By every measure, the IBRI model demonstrates a novel approach that delivers rewards. Scientific bench work is nurtured, drug discovery is advanced, workforce development is continuous, investors see returns, and donors see impact. Most importantly, IBRI’s structure and portfolio of accomplishments matter to the patients whose lives are improved—or even saved—by this forward-looking approach to life sciences.

IBRI is driven to bring next-generation therapies to market with an understanding of the complex pressures that often bind innovation to economics. After more than a decade, the evidence is clear: IBRI is poised to transform life sciences—and for millions of people, even life itself.