---
title: 'Senior Manager of Engagement and Philanthropy at UATX'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-manager-of-engagement-and-philanthropy-uatx-austin-byqhy4wgvwcp'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-13'
---

# Senior Manager of Engagement and Philanthropy at UATX

- **Company:** UATX
- **Location:** Austin, TX
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-07-27
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-13
- **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/uaustin/bab68906-747b-4dfb-8426-c7af9e143fd9

## Job description

Job Summary

UATX seeks an entrepreneurial and relationship-driven Senior Manager of Engagement and Philanthropy to serve as the lead strategist for broad-base fundraising, donor engagement, and stewardship. This role is responsible for building and growing a sustainable community of supporters through thoughtful acquisition, retention, stewardship, and donor upgrade strategies.

The Senior Manager serves as a key ambassador for UATX, representing the university with professionalism and enthusiasm through donor interactions, events, campus visits, and community engagement opportunities. In partnership with colleagues, this individual will create meaningful donor experiences that deepen affinity for UATX, strengthen long-term engagement, and cultivate future major gift prospects.

This position is ideal for an entrepreneurial fundraiser in pursuit of excellence who enjoys building systems, creating donor-centered experiences, and developing innovative approaches to philanthropy. The successful candidate will play a critical role in building a best-in-class fundraising program at the nation's newest university.

## Responsibilities

- Own acquisition, retention, and donor upgrade strategies for supporters giving up to $25,000 annually

- Develop, manage, and execute annual giving campaigns across direct mail, digital fundraising, and other broad-base channels

- Oversee donor stewardship initiatives, including acknowledgments, impact reporting, and donor recognition

- Refine and manage the annual donor communications and stewardship calendar

- Lead strategy for donor engagement opportunities, including campus tours, regional gatherings, and other cultivation experiences

- Design segmented donor journeys that deepen engagement, increase retention, and strengthen philanthropic support

- Identify emerging major gift prospects for referral to frontline fundraisers

- Leverage HubSpot to track donor engagement, campaign performance, stewardship activity, and fundraising outcomes

- Serve as the primary owner of broad-base fundraising performance and donor engagement outcomes

- KPIs: 100% of gift acknowledgments deployed within 48 hours, impact reports and annual report delivered on schedule, donor retention, upgrade, and acquisition goals achieved, four broad-base fundraising campaigns deployed annually, year-over-year growth in broad-base donor participation and revenue

## Qualifications

- Strong understanding of annual giving, donor engagement, stewardship, and fundraising communications

- Demonstrated ability to build and execute successful donor acquisition and retention strategies

- Excellent project management and organizational skills

- Strong written and verbal communication abilities

- Entrepreneurial mindset with a willingness to build new programs and test innovative approaches

- Collaborative team player who thrives in a fast-paced and mission-driven environment

- Demonstrates discretion, sound judgment, and professionalism in handling sensitive donor and institutional information

- Passion for higher education and the mission of UATX

## About UATX

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: The University of Austin (UATX) is a private, donor-funded, tuition-free four-year college that combines a Great Books core curriculum with rigorous training in mathematics, sciences, and artificial intelligence.
- **Entity Type**: Private (non-profit, donor-funded)
- **Headquarters**: Austin, Texas, United States
- **Founded**: 2022
- **Founders**: Not publicly listed (leadership includes President Carlos Carvalho, Provost David Ruth, and Interim Dean of STEM Clinton Staley)

## Core Business
- Primary industry: Higher Education
- Target customers: Undergraduate students (B2C) selected on merit alone, as well as high school and college students via summer programs
- Mission or purpose: "Forming the leaders and builders a free country depends on" by reviving fearless inquiry and open discourse

## Products & Services
- **[Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies]**: Four-year undergraduate degree with a core curriculum centered on the Western tradition, small seminars (~15 students), and quantitative training including mathematics, data science, and AI. Tuition-free for all admitted students.
- **[Polaris Projects]**: Capstone experiences where students launch a company, intern for a public official, pursue original research, or build alongside industry leaders.
- **[Summer Fellowship]**: A one-week, credit-bearing residential program for rising high school juniors and seniors; includes building an LLM from scratch, studying Lincoln and Douglass, and debating founding principles. Cost: $2,500 (full scholarships available).
- **[Weekend Programs]**: Free, short-term on-campus events offering small seminars, talks with faculty/guests, and a taste of UATX life.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not applicable (non-profit)
- **Key Metric**: Tuition-free model; entirely donor-funded; no government funding. First freshman class entered Fall 2024.
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Not publicly disclosed. Supported by donors (names not listed).
- **Growth Signals**: Rapidly expanding faculty (nearly 30 full-time professors as of late 2024). Hiring for multiple professor positions and administrative roles. New campus operations in Austin and Bastrop, Texas.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Tuition-free**: All students pay no tuition, funded entirely by donors, eliminating student debt.
- **Merit-based admissions**: No essays, no legacy preferences – only SAT, ACT, or CLT scores.
- **Small class sizes**: Seminars of ~15 students with heavy reading and high standards.
- **Unique curriculum**: Great Books core combined with quantitative training in AI and data science.
- **Intellectual independence**: Strong commitment to open inquiry, civil discourse, and academic freedom; no government funding.

## Strategic Focus
- **Faculty expansion**: Hiring professors across STEM, history, and other liberal arts disciplines to support growing student body.
- **Program development**: Building the Center for Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (CSTEM) and expanding the undergraduate concentration in quantitative fields.
- **Campus growth**: Establishing a permanent campus in Austin (current operations at temporary locations).
- **Brand building**: Attracting high-achieving students through the free-tuition model and distinctive intellectual mission.

## Why Work Here
- **Mission-driven environment**: Opportunity to help shape a new university dedicated to open inquiry and rigorous education.
- **On-site roles**: Positions are based in Austin, TX (and Bastrop, TX for some roles). Remote/hybrid policy not specified; likely on-site.
- **Small, collaborative community**: Close interaction with faculty and leadership; ability to influence curriculum and culture.
- **Faculty benefits**: Long-term stability (though no tenure), full-time teaching load of six quarter-length courses per year, and support for research.
- **Diverse openings**: Roles range from professors and academic leadership to accounting and innovation partnerships.

## Sources
1. [uaustin.org](https://uaustin.org/)
2. [jobs.lever.co/uaustin](https://jobs.lever.co/uaustin)
3. [uaustin.org/our-people](https://uaustin.org/our-people/)
4. [jobs.lever.co/uaustin (Professor of CS)](https://jobs.lever.co/uaustin/2c923907-2611-47da-bef1-5bcf30d8963f)
5. [indeed.com](https://www.indeed.com/cmp/The-University-of-Austin-(uatx))

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