Senior Director of Advancement Operations and Strategy

Mission Statement

Regis High School transforms Catholic young men into leaders devoted to Deo et Patriae and lifelong service as Men for Others. Merit based and committed to families with financial need, Regis provides an academically exceptional, tuition-free Jesuit education within a caring community.

Position

Senior Director of Advancement Operations and Strategy will have the extraordinary opportunity to work with approximately 530 exceptional, gifted young men, talented faculty, and committed staff. Located in New York City, Regis High School is a Catholic, Jesuit, college preparatory school and the only Jesuit, full-scholarship high school in the country. The school was founded in 1914 through the extraordinary generosity of an anonymous woman and her family. Regis now relies on philanthropy of alumni, parents, and friends as its most significant source of financial support. Regis is committed to both academic excellence and fostering a spirit of generosity and service to those in need. Regis seeks to inspire and educate the ethnically diverse young men in its care to become imaginative Catholic leaders committed to promoting justice and exerting leadership in the Church, in their civic community, and in their future chosen profession.

Position Summary

Regis High School is investing in the continued growth of its philanthropic program, and the Senior Director of Advancement Operations and Strategy is a newly created role at the center of that investment. Reporting to the Vice President for Advancement and serving as a key member of the Advancement team, the Senior Director acts as the Vice President's principal operating partner, responsible for the systems, processes, and cross-functional coordination that enable a growing fundraising program to run smoothly and scale effectively.

This is an opportunity for an experienced advancement operations professional to play a foundational, highly visible role in shaping how a respected and growing development program is run, partnering closely with colleagues across Advancement, Communications, and Finance, and helping to prepare the institution for its next growth chapter.

Direct reports include the Associate Director of Alumni Engagement, Director of Communications, Events Manager, Advancement Database & Gift Coordinator, and Administrative Assistant, along with the department's outsourced database services partner, Blackbaud Managed Services.

Job Responsibilities

Department Operations and Strategic Leadership

• Serve as a key member of the Advancement team and the Vice President's principal operating partner in setting departmental priorities and ensuring consistent execution across all functions.

• Provide day-to-day operational leadership across the Advancement department, partnering closely with colleagues in Development, Communications, and Finance to ensure smooth, coordinated execution of departmental goals.

• Directly supervise the Associate Director of Alumni Engagement, Director of Communications, Events Manager, Advancement Database & Gift Coordinator, and Administrative Assistant, and oversee the department's relationship with its database services partner.

• Develop and lead onboarding, training, and ongoing professional development programming for Advancement.

Data Management and Finance Partnership

• Serve as the primary owner of information within the department’s core fundraising database, Raiser’s Edge, ensuring the reliability, accuracy, and timeliness of all fundraising reporting. In this capacity, the Senior Director will work closely with the Advancement Database & Gift Coordinator.

• Serve as the department's primary liaison to the Finance Office, ensuring gifts are processed and recorded in accordance with established gift accounting standards and shared terminology between both teams.

• Lead the department's monthly reconciliation process with Finance to support accurate, timely reporting.

• Partner with the department's database services provider (Blackbaud Managed Services) on ongoing data integrity initiatives, including regular data review, enhancement, and maintenance in line with industry best practices.

And any other assigned tasks.

Events Strategy

• Develop and implement a strategic framework for donor-facing events, including fundraising goals, data-informed audience segmentation, and stewardship follow-up.

• Partner with Communications and Advancement colleagues to ensure each event supports the department's broader fundraising and engagement priorities.

Communications and Calendar Coordination

• Lead the development and execution of an integrated annual calendar that aligns messaging, donor outreach, and key events across Advancement, Alumni Engagement, and Communications.

• Serve as the connecting point between Advancement's fundraising priorities and the Alumni and the Communications team's planning and content calendar.

Systems and Team Effectiveness

• Develop and maintain documented policies, procedures, and training resources that support consistency and best practice across the department.

• Establish a department-wide donor acknowledgment protocol with clear timelines and quality standards.

• Evaluate team workflows on an ongoing basis and refine role responsibilities so that each team member's time is focused on their highest-value work.

• Establish a regular cadence of team meetings to support coordinated portfolio management and pipeline visibility among frontline fundraising staff.

Technology and Prospect Management

• Champion consistent use of prospect management tools within the department's CRM to support donor prioritization and pipeline management.

• Coordinate the department's prospect research and wealth screening initiatives.

• Support the planning and rollout of new advancement technology platforms, including clear training and adoption plans.

Growth Planning

• Help build the systems and reporting infrastructure necessary to support the department's continued growth.

Qualifications & Skills

Required

• Eagerness to support and advance the Catholic and Jesuit mission of the school.

• Proficiency with Raiser's Edge, including gift processing, reporting, and prospect management.

• Experience with prospect research and wealth screening practices.

• Experience supporting or leading a capital or comprehensive campaign, in addition to annual fundraising operations.

• Direct staff management experience.

• Strong relationship-building skills and the ability to work collaboratively across departments and with colleagues at every level of the institution.

• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills, with the ability to produce clear documentation and lead effective meetings.

• Strong organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities, set clear expectations, and meet deadlines.

• A collaborative, solutions-oriented approach to problem-solving.

• High degree of comfort learning and adopting new technology platforms.

• Sound judgment and discretion in handling confidential information.

Preferred

• Experience in an independent school, Catholic institution, or comparable mission-driven educational environment.

• Familiarity with Financial Edge or a comparable financial system, with respect to its interconnectedness with fundraising software such as Raiser’s Edge.

• Familiarity with GiveCampus or comparable peer-to-peer fundraising platforms.

Education

Bachelor's degree; Seven or more years of progressive experience in nonprofit or educational advancement, including experience in an operations or leadership capacity.

Compensation & Benefits

Salary range $160,000 to $180,000, commensurate with experience.

Most benefits go into effect immediately. Participation in the 403 (b) occurs after one year of employment.

Other expectations

Work hours may vary and will include some evenings and weekends for special school events. 

The school expects one to conduct oneself at all times in a manner which shall not bring reproach upon oneself or the school.

The job description is to be used merely as a guide of expectations rather than an exhaustive list of all duties and competencies. All requirements and skills are subject to change as the organization needs evolve.

To Apply

Interested applicants should submit a cover letter and resume. Qualified applicants will be contacted regarding next steps once all required documents have been submitted. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

The Regis community strives to foster a sense of belonging at all levels of the organization. The hiring managers and school leaders seek to recruit and retain highly talented faculty and staff who are committed to the Catholic Jesuit mission and values. Central to this mission is a commitment to diversity and care for the whole person (cura personalis).

Regis is an Equal Opportunity Employer.