POSITION OPENING

Position: Director of Development & Communications

Institution: Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Academy

Location: Barry’s Bay, Ontario, Canada

Reports to: President

Supervises: Development Office employees and volunteers

Liaises with: All Academy departments, especially the President’s Cabinet, Admissions, and the Board’s Finance and Development Committees, as well as subcontractors and consultants.

Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Academy (OLSWA) is a private institution for post-secondary education in the Catholic liberal arts tradition. Founded in 2000, OLSWA currently offers one-, two-, and three-year certificates in Christian Humanities, and is pursuing four-year degree-granting status with the Province of Ontario. Two defining characteristics of OLSWA are its Catholic orthodoxy and its commitment to providing excellent, comprehensive liberal arts formation, with courses in Theology, Philosophy, Literature, History, Social Sciences, Languages, Fine Arts, Mathematics, and Natural Sciences.

The Academy is one of only twenty-one Catholic post-secondary institutions—and the only one in Canada—to be listed in the recently published Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College: What to Look for and Where to Find It. OLSWA has grown steadily from a handful of pioneering students and professors in 2000, to sixty full-time students at present (eighty including part-time). We envision doubling to about 120 full-time students (150 total) by Fall 2012. An outstanding faculty and staff, our first full-time President, and newly acquired facilities stand ready to support the leadership of our first full-time Director of Development.

The Academy is nestled in the scenic Ottawa Valley, surrounded by forests and lakes, in an environment that is invigorating, clean, and strikingly beautiful. The main campus is housed in and around the historic St. Hedwig Parish, in a lumber region settled largely by Polish and Irish Catholics. The internationally-known Madonna House apostolate founded by Catherine Doherty, and a house of formation for the Companions of the Cross are just 15 minutes away.

The Director of Development will be a proven fundraiser and dynamic leader who will guide the school's development programmes and personnel confidently and collaboratively. About $700,000 needs to be raised by June 30, 2009, and close to one million dollars annually thereafter for the next few years. The Director of Development is charged with the primary responsibility for advancement leadership. Under the direction of the President, this position's general duties include: 1) directing, overseeing, and evaluating all development strategies, personnel, programmes, and budgets; 2) publishing a quarterly newsletter, an annual report, and other print and web-based literature, 3) recommending all Development Office hires, contract terms, disciplines, and promotions to the President; 4) assisting the President in all other areas so delegated, including the President’s roles as chief spokesman and leader for institutional advancement and external relations, and 5) consulting and advising the Board of Directors and its committees.

Qualifications

Education: A bachelor's degree from an accredited university in one of the teaching areas of the Academy or in a relevant business field.

Professional Experience: Must demonstrate a pattern of increasing responsibility and successful experience in non-profit fundraising, preferably for a Catholic university.

Must be an informed and articulate spokesperson for authentic integral human formation within the Catholic liberal arts tradition. Requires a mature grasp of and adherence to the Catholic faith as summarized in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Candidates will demonstrate a record of superior collaborative leadership skills, creativity, flexibility, energy, and enthusiasm. Must have excellent habits in the areas of: interpersonal and public relations; oral and written communication in English; good humour; managing personnel, programmes, and budgets; efficient organization; and attending to both detail and the big picture.

Preferred candidates will also bring several of the following characteristics: an earned graduate degree in business or the one of the liberal arts, fluency in French, Canadian citizenship for self or spouse, proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, experience with development management software, and familiarity with the basic principles and emerging technologies of non-profit institutional advancement. Highest preference will be given to a proven development director who also has an integrated understanding of and commitment to the principles and norms of Ex Corde Ecclesiae, and prior experience as a student or employee of a university with a strong Catholic identity.

Review of initial nominations and applications is already underway. Position is open until filled. Start date: October 1, or as negotiated. A complete application package consists of: 1) an updated resume, 2) a letter of intent addressing the major points of the Director’s duties and qualifications listed herein, and including a salary history and expectation statement, 3) three letters of recommendation, 4) complete contact information for five referees total. To expedite communication and submission of materials, all materials should be submitted through the e-mail address below as file attachments (including scanned images) that are readable as pdf files or within the MS Word Office Suite. Send all materials to Dr. Christine Schintgen, who will coordinate their electronic distribution to all search committee members: cschintgen@seatofwisdom.org. Additional contact information: Dr. Christine Schintgen, Special Assistant to the President; Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Academy; 18 Karol Wojtyla Square; P. O. Box 249; Barry’s Bay, Ontario; K0J 1B0; Canada. Ph: 613.756.3082. Toll-Free: 877.369.6520. Fax: 613.756.4077.