Vice President for Advancement

The client seeks a Vice President for Advancement to serve as a principal advisor on development and alumni engagement, reporting directly to the President and participating in the President’s Executive Council. In this senior leadership role, the Vice President will work closely with the organization’s most senior stakeholders to establish priorities and devise college-wide objectives related to advancement activities. The position leads the Division of Advancement and is empowered to assess and optimize organizational structure and functional alignment to strengthen capacity over time for development and alumni engagement goals. The Vice President will oversee a Division of Advancement team of approximately 30 staff, including senior leaders responsible for development, operations and strategy, and alumni engagement. The role will help energize a large base of alumni and external stakeholders by communicating progress and priorities and by setting and implementing new strategies in partnership with the President. The Vice President will support the development of new models of financial sustainability and work to expand and diversify philanthropic revenue streams, including through the planning and execution of advancement initiatives aligned with the organization’s next major campaign aspirations. As the organization approaches the end of its current strategic plan, the Vice President is expected to contribute to a comprehensive strategic planning process during the 2026–2027 academic year and help shape the next plan. The Vice President will champion a deeper culture of philanthropy built on strategic, relationship-focused, impact-centered engagement, while continuing efforts to strengthen systems, infrastructure, and best-practice policies and processes. They will prioritize data-informed decision-making and metrics-based approaches, ensure integration across functional teams and initiatives, and balance strategic and operational leadership while also driving frontline fundraising through management of a portfolio of major giving prospects.