Associate Vice President of Advancement Operations

Dev Investment Fund Initiative, Lincoln Center

Fordham University

Fordham University has an excellent reputation as a dynamic institution located in New York City.  Founded in 1841, Fordham enrolls more than 16,000 undergraduate and graduate students in its 9 Colleges and Schools. 

• Fordham University offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package to its employees, which includes medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance.
• We offer tuition remission for employees and their dependents 
• A generous employer match towards a 403(b) retirement plan.
• As a tax-exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC), Fordham is considered a qualifying employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, a federal program designed to forgive student loan debt for employees of certain public and certain nonprofit employers.
• As part of its work-life balance program, the University provides generous PTO including 15 vacation days, 12 sick days, 4 personal days, 6 summer Fridays, and holidays that include paid time off between Christmas and New year.  
• University employees have access to the Employee Assistance Program (EAP). EAP provides no-cost, professional, and confidential services, to help employees and family members address a variety of personal, family, life, and work-related issues.

Position Summary

Reporting to the Vice President of Development and University Relations, the Associate Vice President of Advancement Operations (AVP) is a member of the VP’s senior management team. This newly created position offers a visionary leader the unique opportunity to design, develop, and implement strategic foundational functions that underpin all departmental goals.

The AVP provides comprehensive operational and administrative oversight, supervising the work of Advancement Operations, which includes advancement services (gifts and records), advancement systems and analytics, prospect research, and prospect management. They are responsible for building and mentoring a cohesive advancement operations team that directly supports and strengthens the University’s fundraising program.

Additionally, the AVP serves as a strategic partner to the Vice President and DAUR senior management team, ensuring alignment of the advancement operations program with overall campaign, fundraising, and engagement objectives. This role is critical for developing and implementing division-wide policies and systems that facilitate efficient and effective performance across the entire division.

In the event of critical system disruptions or other business needs, the AVP may be required to work outside of standard hours, including evenings, weekends, and holidays.

Essential Functions        

• Provides strategic leadership to the Advancement Operations teams, including gifts and records, systems and analytics, prospect research, and prospect management. Mentors this team into a cohesive, forward-thinking, strategic unit that underpins and facilitates a successful fundraising program.
• Guides the operational and strategic direction of advancement services to ensure best practices in data management, gift processing, and reporting.
• Oversees the development and maintenance of advancement systems and data analytics to support fundraising strategies and decision-making.
• Directs prospect management efforts to ensure effective portfolio management and strategic prospect pipeline analysis. Assesses and refines prospect development and management processes to ensure a robust and active donor pipeline. Advocates for the adoption of and adherence to prospect management processes throughout DAUR.
• Works with the Development and University Relations (DAUR) Senior Management Team to establish short- and long-term priorities for all advancement operations, coordinate strategies, and support new data and technology initiatives.
• Partners with University leadership, including IT and Finance, to advocate for the needs of DAUR, inform strategic decisions, and ensure all processes and systems are compliant and functional. Represents and advocates for DAUR on cross-University initiatives.
• Develops and implements data quality standards and internal controls to maintain the integrity and security of all advancement data.
• Collaborates with Advancement Operations team leads to ensure critical functions are adequately covered, implement succession planning, and determine optimal team structures and workflows.
• Oversees and enhances a comprehensive prospect research strategy to identify and qualify new donor prospects.
• Utilizes data analytics and wealth screening, and other tools to inform prospect strategies and maximize fundraising potential.

Essential Functions Note

This list is not intended to be an exhaustive list.

The University may assign additional related duties as necessary.

Management Responsibilities  

Provides strategic leadership and supervises others who supervise. Responsible for hiring, training, developing, managing performance, administering corrective action, makes compensation decisions and for managing strategic views at a high level.

Additional Functions      

• Serves as a key partner to other departments to ensure a coordinated approach to advancement efforts.
• Serves as the DAUR lead on complex technology projects, University-wide technical initiatives, and system launches and transitions.

Required Qualifications: Education and Experience        

• Bachelor’s Degree.
• Minimum of ten years of experience in advancement operations (advancement services, systems and analytics, prospect research, and/or prospect management), and at least eight years of experience leading cross-functional teams.

Required Qualifications: Knowledge and Skills     

• Excellent communication, interpersonal, change management, and leadership skills.
• Strong knowledge of fundraising CRM systems (e.g., Ellucian CRM Advance), relational databases, data analytics, and reporting tools (e.g., PowerBI, WebFOCUS, SQL).
• Demonstrated ability to identify and assess business needs and coordinate effective operational and system solutions, including liaising with the university’s IT department, and serving on/leading system transitions.
• Comfortable with relaying technical information to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Strong strategic thinking and problem-solving skills, and a solution-oriented approach with the ability to foresee challenges and develop proactive solutions.
• Understanding of IRS regulations for gift recording, FASB and CASE standards, and generally accepted accounting principles.
• Proven ability to manage complex projects with multiple priorities and deliverables.
• Familiarity with industry-standard tools and best practices in prospect management.
• Significant experience overseeing prospect identification, qualification, and research activities, including an understanding of wealth screening tools and methodologies.
• Expertise in developing and managing a prospect pipeline and performing moves management, including portfolio assignment, policy development, metrics tracking, and compliance to support major gift officer performance.
• Ability to translate research data into actionable strategies and predictive modeling to inform frontline fundraising efforts.
• Familiarity with marketing systems (Marketing Cloud, Mailchimp, etc.) and fundraising platforms (Encompass, GiveCampus, Givezy, etc.).
• Successful candidates should have a knowledge of and commitment to the goals of Jesuit Education.

Preferred Qualifications 

• Master’s degree.
• Relevant experience in higher education advancement.

Minimum Starting Salary: $230,000

Maximum Starting Salary: $250,000

Note: Salary is commensurate with qualifications, experience, and skills.

START DATE: ASAP

APPLY HERE: https://careers.fordham.edu/postings/10290

ABOUT FORDHAM

Founded in 1841, Fordham is the Jesuit University of New York, offering an exceptional education distinguished by the Jesuit tradition to more than 16,000 students in its 9 colleges and schools.  It has residential campuses in the Bronx and Manhattan, a campus in West Harrison, N.Y., the Louis Calder Center Biological Field Station in Armonk, N.Y., and the London Centre in the United Kingdom. 

Fordham University is committed to excellence through diversity and welcomes candidates of all backgrounds.

Fordham is an Equal Opportunity Employer – Veterans/Disabled and other protected categories