Development Officer - Corporate Relations

The hiring rate for this position is $70,000.

The CIA offers a substantial benefits package that includes medical coverage available at no cost to qualifying employees, dental insurance, vision insurance, life insurance, short and long term disability insurance, retirement savings plan with high employer contributions, a generous paid time off program, and more!

As the benefits package at the CIA results in a significant value above the base hiring salary for this position, we encourage you to apply so that our recruiters can share more information with you about the benefits of working for the CIA.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Development Officer - Corporate Relations drives comprehensive fundraising, partnership development, sponsorship acquisition, and strategic corporate engagement. This role supports conferences, collaboratives, and research initiatives across the Center for Food and Beverage Leadership (CFBL) and support Development-led philanthropic programs as needed.

As a key member of the Development team, the Development Officer cultivates and stewards corporate, foundation, government agency, and trade association relationships to advance the mission and the broader strategic and financial goals of The Culinary Institute of America (CIA). The Development Officer leads prospecting, solicitation strategy, donor engagement, and collaborating with the sponsorship fulfillment team in alignment with the Institute’s revenue goals and multiyear planning.

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• Sponsorship Development & Fundraising
  • Manage and build a portfolio of donors and prospects with the capacity to support cash or in-kind donations. Personally solicit and close gifts that contribute to annual revenue goals across CFBL conferences, collaboratives, research initiatives, and Advancement priorities.
  • Develop and execute individualized cultivation and solicitation strategies for each donor and prospect in portfolio.
  • Lead prospect outreach strategies that align with CFBL themes, CIA strategic priorities, and cross functional institutional needs.
  • Support the development and refinement of sponsorship packages and benefit structures for new and existing programs, ensuring competitiveness and clarity.
  • Manage budgets on select conferences/collaboratives to oversee pipeline development and collaborate with program directors to enhance industry connections.

• Prospect Strategy, Cultivation & Stewardship
  • Partner with CFBL leadership, Advancement Officers, and program managers to build targeted prospective pipelines for each conference, collaborative, or research initiative.
  • Attend industry trade shows, conferences, and events regularly to meet prospects and connect with industry partners that align with CIA thought leadership themes such as world cuisines/flavor trends, health and wellness, and sustainability/menu ethics.
  • Cultivate donors by hosting campus visits and tours, business meetings and other experiences that facilitate prospects towards giving.
  • Manage cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship touchpoints for prospects in coordination with Advancement and program teams.
  • Create customized donor presentations, engagement grids, and proposals; Draft, design and prepare foodservice case studies and various materials needed for the recognition and stewardship of donors.
  • Work collaboratively with the Managers of Sponsorship Planning to ensure fulfillment of sponsor commitments, benefits, stewardship requirements, and deliverables across all CFBL conferences and collaboratives.

• Cross Functional Collaboration
  • Collaborate closely with CFBL, Advancement, Consulting, Digital Media, and operational teams to ensure donor alignment.
  • Work with internal stakeholders to identify emerging institutional priorities and connect donor prospects to strategic opportunities.
  • Participate in cross departmental planning sessions to support CFBL’s evolving strategic direction.‑departmental planning sessions to support CFBL’s evolving strategic direction.

• Operational & Administrative Management
  • Maintain accurate tracking systems for sponsorship outreach, partner data, revenue forecasting, and stewardship actions.
  • Prepare reports and analysis on sponsor performance, revenue achievements, and multi‑year trends to inform leadership decisions.
  • Ensure all partnership agreements meet CIA guidelines and align with protocols related to sponsorship vs. philanthropic gifts.
  • Oversee invoice and sponsorship payments along with communicating agreement terms to the managers of sponsorship planning.

• Other Responsibilities
  • Represent the CIA and CFBL externally at industry conferences, corporate meetings, and partner engagements.
  • Support special projects, internal task forces, and CFBL strategic initiatives as assigned.
  • Provide exemplary customer service to internal and external stakeholders.
  • Any and all additional duties as assigned.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education:

• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university. Concentration in fund-raising, advancement, development, communications, business, finance or related field.

Experience:

• Three (3) or more years of progressive experience in fundraising with demonstrated success in personally securing gifts of $5,000+.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience in corporate relations, business development, or partnership management, preferably in higher education, nonprofit, or food & beverage industries.
• Experience with donor relationship management through the complete cycle from identification and qualification to cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship.
• Preference for work experience in the culinary, foodservice or hospitality fields, and/or professional background in culinary marketing agency, in food/culinary-related sales & marketing, or food/culinary communications.
• CRM database experience.

REQUIRED SKILLS

• Demonstrated ability to show a high level of service responsiveness, great people and networking skills.
• Experience developing strategic business proposals and demonstrated proficiency in interacting with mid to senior-level corporate decision-makers.
• Strong computer experience, which must include abilities to work effectively with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, fundraising or sales databases.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including editing skills.
• Strong teamwork and interpersonal skills; ability to be adaptable, dependable and handle multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Detail oriented and thorough.
• Exceptional organizational skills.
• Ability to influence innovative thinking.

WORKING CONDITIONS

• Able to travel frequently to other CIA locations and industry events due to business needs.
• Must be available to work nights and weekends as required due to business needs.
• Regular work requires sitting and standing for extended periods.
• Regular work requires the use of a computer, sometimes in excess of eight (8) hours per day.
• Prospect Strategy, Cultivation & Stewardship.
• Equal Opportunity Employer

This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.

The CIA offers a substantial benefits package that includes medical coverage available at no cost to qualifying employees, dental insurance, vision insurance, life insurance, short and long term disability insurance, retirement savings plan with high employer contributions, a generous paid time off program, and more!

As the benefits package at the CIA results in a significant value above the base hiring salary for this position, we encourage you to apply so that our recruiters can share more information with you about the benefits of working for the CIA.