Careers at
UW Medicine Advancement
A Collaborative and Inspiring Workplace
At UW Medicine, we work to improve health for all people through excellence in clinical, research, and education and training programs. As the only comprehensive clinical, research and learning health system in the five-state WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Idaho) region, UW Medicine provides the most up-to-date care for each individual patient, leads one of the world’s largest and most comprehensive medical research programs, and provides innovative learning programs for students, trainees and practitioners in the health professions.
The passionate, 86-person team at UW Medicine Advancement works collaboratively to connect donors with meaningful opportunities to enhance patient care, expand educational opportunities and advance research at UW Medicine. This inspiring, challenging and rewarding work provides team members an opportunity to grow their careers, while making a difference in people’s lives, in our community and around the world. In the 2025 fiscal year, UW Medicine Advancement raised $382 million in gifts and private grants (44 percent of the University of Washington’s total) from over 30,000 donors to support the mission of UW Medicine.
Join Our Team at
UW Medicine Advancement
About UW Medicine Advancement
To promote inclusivity and foster a welcoming work environment, UW Medicine Advancement maintains an active EDI Committee. This committee works to identify opportunities for learning and actionable steps to incorporate equity, diversity and inclusion values into our fundraising efforts and improve our office culture.
Successful job candidates align with UW Medicine’s Executive Order 31 Nondiscrimination and Affirmative Action by valuing diversity and inclusion. They are committed to building and sustaining a community in which all employees achieve the knowledge, skills and attitudes that value and embrace inclusiveness, equity and awareness to unleash creativity and innovation.
UW Medicine presents a unique opportunity to work with world-class physicians, researchers and educators who are leading the way by inspiring the next generation of medical professionals, caring for the health of our community, and discovering new treatments and cures for some of humanity’s deadliest diseases. The work environment is collaborative yet competitive, inspiring yet challenging, rewarding yet daunting. Individuals who want to test themselves to work with the very best will have the opportunity to grow their careers, while making a difference in people’s lives, in our community and around the world.
UW Medicine Advancement leadership understands the difficulties of working in a fast-paced, high-profile institution and is committed to creating a balanced, supportive culture. We strive to provide the resources and environment needed for you to succeed. And we are committed to helping you develop your career and grow your professional skills with in-house trainings, mentoring programs and networking opportunities. In turn, UW Medicine expects the highest standards of performance excellence and professionalism from all employees.
UW Medicine employees are expected conduct themselves in a professional manner in accordance with UW Medicine Policy on Professional Conduct. An assessment of professionalism is a factor considered in performance reviews, salary adjustments and promotion.
Learn more about the culture and philosophy at UW Medicine Advancement >>
The University of Washington (UW) offers a wide range of benefits as part of your total compensation package. Choose from top medical and dental insurance programs; plan for your future with tax-deferred investing through the UW retirement options; enjoy generous vacation and sick leave policies; and protect yourself and your family with life insurance and long-term disability insurance.
UW Medicine Advancement is a hybrid work environment, in which employees split their time between telework and onsite work.
Our office is located in South Lake Union at 850 Republican Street, Seattle, WA 98195-8045.
UW Medicine Advancement is comprised of more than 70 staff members, who work across the following teams:
Frontline Fundraisers (FLFs): These are major gift officers who collaborate closely with UW Medicine faculty and their donors to support clinical care and research at UW Medicine, as well as education at the UW School of Medicine. FLFs are organized into different teams, generally based on disease areas. Most of our FLFs are focused on individual gifts and we also have a Corporate and Foundation Relations team focused on institution giving from corporations and foundations.
Donor Relations: This team focuses on gift processes and stewardship to express appreciation to our donors and share the impact of their contributions.
Pipeline: This team concentrates on attracting new donors to UW Medicine and renewing existing donors. The team also leads Engage, our grateful patient faculty and clinician training program that partners faculty with FLFs to learn fundraising strategies together.
Communications: This team manages UW Medicine Advancement and UW School of Medicine Alumni Associate website properties and email programs, shares stories of the difference philanthropy makes to the health of the community, and supports the fundraising and stewardship efforts across Advancement.
Special Events: This team develops engaging experiences to connect donors with faculty and departments that benefit from their generosity.
Administrative and Finance Professionals: Our central team provides advancement coordination and financial expertise in support of all of the teams at UW Medicine.
You can meet our whole team here.
UW Medicine Advancement provides each new staff member with a personalized onboarding program that typically spans three months. This program includes scheduled appointments with our team and project leaders, senior leadership, faculty members from UW Medicine and key campus partners. The primary objective of these meetings is to enable new staff to establish meaningful relationships with their colleagues and obtain a foundational understanding of the intricate UW Medicine system. Additionally, every new staff member is assigned a buddy from another team to serve as a valuable resource for questions and to further enhance their understanding of UW Medicine.
Career Opportunities
The Assistant Director for Philanthropy (Assistant Director) generates philanthropic support for UW Medicine with a focus on education programs within the School of Medicine. This role has a primary focus in discovery of new prospective donors who have both the capacity and inclination to give, but have not yet been deeply involved with UW Medicine. The Assistant Director also maintains their own portfolio of major gift donors. This role will have a secondary focus on planned giving, which includes responding to donor inquiries, facilitating meaningful stewardship, and helping to support related outreach strategies on behalf of UW Medicine Advancement in partnership with the Office of Planned Giving.
The Director for Philanthropy (Director) focuses on securing major gifts ($100,000+) for UW Medicine and cultivating donors who have the capacity to give at that level. The Director will be the lead staff member generating philanthropic support for UW Medicine with a focus on the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine as well as the Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine (ISCRM). The Director will work with the Senior Director for Philanthropy, the Assistant Vice President for Development and Major Gifts, the Chief Advancement Officer, academic leaders, volunteers, and other Advancement staff to identify, cultivate, and solicit major gift prospective donors for gifts in support of UW Medicine.