Philanthropy Specialist
Key information
- Publication date:01 May 2025
- Workload:100%
- Contract type:Permanent position
- Place of work:Route de Berne 301, 1000 Lausanne 25
Join us and shape the future of hospitality today!
EHL's dynamic campuses form a unique network where passionate students, academics and industry experts from over 120 countries come together with a common goal: to develop and disseminate hospitality knowledge, while supporting the sector's continued growth.
We are constantly striving to improve the working environment and personal development opportunities for our more than 800 staff and teachers, who are among the most recognized experts in their respective fields. Since its foundation in 1893, EHL has been widely recognized by the industry and consistently ranked among the world's top hospitality management schools. Everything we do is based on our values of excellence, family and learning, and we are committed to bringing them to life in tangible ways for our employees.
The Strategic Partnerships department at EHL is responsible for developing and managing collaborations with key industry, academic, and institutional partners. It identifies opportunities that align with EHL’s strategic goals and enhances its global influence and impact. The department fosters long-term relationships that support innovation, research, student opportunities, and brand visibility. Through strong partnerships, it contributes to the growth and excellence of EHL’s educational ecosystem.
To join our amazing team, we are looking for a candidate who is not only skilled and passionate about hospitality but also aligns with our leadership principles: transparency, accountability, collaboration, care, and experimentation.
The mission of the Philanthropy Specialist is to drive strategic fundraising initiatives with a strong focus on securing major gifts to support scholarships, research, and innovation at EHL. You will play a key role in cultivating and managing meaningful relationships with high-net-worth individuals, corporate partners, and foundations who share our vision for the future of hospitality education. Your responsibilities will include leading major gift strategies, coordinating campaigns and high-impact events, crafting compelling grant proposals, and ensuring accurate donor data management. You will also analyze fundraising performance to refine approaches and maximize results to always be aligned with EHL’s long-term philanthropic ambitions. This is a pivotal role in our evolving Philanthropy team, where your expertise in major gift development will help fuel transformational change and expand our global impact.
What will you do?
- Identify, cultivate, and maintain relationships with individual donors, corporate partners, foundations, and alumni together with the director of philanthropy.
- Maintain and update donor databases (CRM) to track engagement and contributions.
- Analyze fundraising data and generate reports to assess campaign effectiveness and ROI.
- Collaborate with internal teams (communications, alumni relations, finance, etc.) to ensure consistent messaging and alignment with EHL’s philanthropic goals.
- Ensure compliance with ethical standards, donor agreements, and data privacy regulations.
- Stay informed about fundraising trends, tools, and best practices to innovate and optimize fundraising efforts.
- Manage and secure major gifts exceeding CHF 50k.
- Manage existing portfolio of donors.
Who you are?
- You have a bachelor degree in hospitality management or relevant field.
- You have 10 years of professional experience with 5 years in a similar position.
- You have an understanding of charitable giving, tax benefits, and how to structure donations for maximum impact.
- You have knowledge of charitable regulations to ensure donations are compliant and maximize donor benefits.
- You have proven track record in major gifts.
- You have experience in education/philanthropy.
- You have experience with CRM.
- You are comfortable engaging with C-suite or high-level donors.
- You have strong writing skills (for proposals, reports).
- You are fluent in French and in English (C2).
What we offer?
We offer you a permanent contract within a business area of an educational institution, with exceptional employee benefits including free meals, an attractive number of days off, a parking space or public transport contribution, as well as access to various services and facilities.
We offer you responsibility, challenge, development opportunities and encouragement to help you achieve your professional and personal goals.
We offer you the opportunity to make a tangible impact on our students’, staff and partners’ experience as well as contribute to the growth of our institution.
You will enjoy being part of a passionate, multidisciplinary and talented team.
