Chief Advancement Officer

Position Type:
Administration and Staff/Director, Development

Date Posted:
3/12/2026

Location:
Staff and Administration
Chief Advancement Officer

Job Summary:

The Chief Advancement Officer will lead and manage a best-in-class development program with a team of 7 employees, to strengthen relationships, inspire philanthropic investment and advance the School's strategic priorities for generations to come. The CAO serves as a key strategic partner to the Head of School, senior leadership team, and Board of Trustees and reports directly to the Head of School. This position is the result of growth on our Advancement team.

Pembroke Hill School seeks a visionary, strategic, and relationship-driven development leader to serve as Chief Advancement Officer. This individual will play a defining role in shaping the School's future by building a comprehensive and sustainable culture of philanthropy and engagement in support of Pembroke Hill's mission: Together cultivating the best in each, for the benefit of all.

Pembroke Hill is a vibrant, mission-driven independent school community distinguished by academic excellence, exceptional faculty, and deeply engaged families and alumni. Following the successful completion of a transformational $55M+ comprehensive campaign and with bold institutional priorities ahead, the School is exceptionally well positioned for its next era of philanthropic growth.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the School's comprehensive development strategy
• Serve as a trusted advisor to the Head of School and Board of Trustees
• Provide leadership and management for the development team
• Personally cultivate and solicit major and leadership donors
• Strengthen and sustain a culture of philanthropy and engagement across the School community
• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing development team of 7

Qualifications and Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree or equivalent work experience required
• Minimum of 8 years of progressive development experience
• Experience in independent schools, higher education, or similarly complex mission-driven institutions, strongly preferred
• Demonstrated success securing major gifts with the ability to inspire donors, volunteers, and colleagues
• Proven ability to develop and execute comprehensive development strategies
• Experience building, leading, and mentoring high-performing teams
• Demonstrated success working with senior leaders and volunteer leadership
• Exceptional interpersonal, communication, and leadership skills with exceptional relationship-building skills
• Proven strategic thinking and organizational leadership abilities with sound judgment, discretion, and integrity
• Strategic vision and institutional perspective; deep commitment to educational excellence and institutional mission Collaborative and mission-driven leadership

Schedule : This is a year round position with approximately 20 paid days off built into the schedule and an additional 20 PTO days.

Compensation : Compensation will be based on a competitive norm influenced by local non profit as well as peer independent schools in the nation, using experience and education. Transcripts and verification of employment will be required. Benefits include health, dental, retirement match (up to 8%), paid sick time, disability and life insurance, professional development opportunities, PHS tuition remission, free lunch, and more!


About Pembroke Hill School:

Pembroke Hill School is an independent school in Kansas City, Missouri serving Early Childhood through 12th grade. Pembroke Hill seeks to fulfill our mission by recognizing that diversity, belonging, equity, and inclusion are integral elements of school and community life. Our mission-inspired goal is together, cultivating the best in each, for the benefit of all. Cultivating each to be a global thinker and valuable member of the PHS community poised to acquire the academic and life skills that make a significant difference for all.

Physical Demands for Staff positions:

The physical demands described here represent those that must be met by an employee to perform the essential functions of this job successfully. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

• Ability to sit and stand for extended periods. For elementary and lower school, sit on the floor for extended periods of time.
• Ability to enter data into a computer, to see and read a computer screen and printed material with or without vision aids
• Ability to hear and understand speech at normal classroom levels, outdoors, and on the telephone
• Ability to speak in audible tones so that others may understand clearly in normal classrooms, outdoors, and on the telephone
• Physical ability to lift, carry and/or hold up to 25 pounds to shoulder height and 50 pounds to waist height
• Ability to occasionally balance, reach, bend, squat, stoop, or kneel
• Ability to climb stairs, walk, and occasionally run, if required

Pembroke Hill School participates in E- Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S. at the time of hire.