Vice President for College Advancement | Pitzer College - Military Veterans

Location:

Claremont, CA

Job Posting Title:

Vice President for College Advancement

Job Details and Requirement:

Department : Presidents Office Supervisor : President

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

Pitzer College, a top-ranked liberal arts and sciences college, seeks an experienced, strategic and collaborative leader to serve as its next Vice President for College Advancement.

The Vice President for College Advancement will report to President Strom Thacker and serve as a member of the senior leadership team. The Vice President is the chief advancement officer responsible for leadership and management of the institutions strategic and integrated vision and plan for college fundraising, and constituent engagement. This includes planning, supervision and evaluation of services and programs in the areas of engagement - alumni, family, and friends; foundation relations; advancement services; annual, major, and planned giving, and special, capital, and comprehensive fundraising campaigns.

The Vice President will serve as the chief advancement officer for the college and advise the President and other senior leaders on all advancement matters. As a key member of the president's senior leadership team, the VP will participate in institutional planning, and work collaboratively with others across the institution, including faculty and trustees, to identify and support college priorities, initiatives and opportunities. Superior ability to think strategically at the institutional, departmental and individual prospect levels is of the utmost importance. The college seeks a collaborative, forward-thinking and goal-oriented advancement professional with a robust track record as a major/principal gift fundraiser and manager of a sophisticated advancement operation.

Substantial leadership and management acumen is required, and thus the ideal candidate will have successfully led or had a significant leadership role in development or advancement programs for at least 10 years. Demonstrated experience in developing and executing successful communications and fundraising campaigns is highly desirable. As would be expected, superior communication and relationship-building skills are necessary. A facility with data and an approach that uses data to drive strategy is essential. The Vice President will be an inspirational team builder with the capacity for employing industry best practices in alignment with institutional values and aspirations. The successful candidate will serve as an encouraging manager and mentor, capable of developing and supporting a department of hard-working, committed and engaged advancement professionals. A bachelor's degree is required, and an advanced degree is preferred.

Pitzer College emphasizes environmental and interdisciplinary studies, the arts, humanities and social, behavioral and natural sciences. With over 1,100 students, Pitzer College is part of The Claremont Colleges a unique consortium of five undergraduate colleges and two graduate institutions. The contiguous campuses share numerous programs and facilities. At Pitzer, students have access to all the resources of a major university while enjoying all the benefits of a liberal arts college experience and its personalized approach to education. Pitzer College celebrates cultural diversity and intercultural understanding. Students from different socioeconomic, ethnic and geographic backgrounds come to Pitzer from across the globe. In addition to learning from one another, students are encouraged to participate in one of the 46 international exchanges available through Pitzers study abroad programs, helping them learn a foreign language and deepening their appreciation of global diversity.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Opportunities and Expectations for Leadership

The Vice President for College Advancement will report directly to the President and will be an integral and vital part of Pitzer College's leadership team. The Vice President will be responsible for developing, leading and executing a comprehensive and innovative plan focused on identification, solicitation and cultivation of philanthropic support and engagement integrated with institutional branding, marketing and fostering of external public relations.

In addition, the Vice President will be expected to:

Advance the College's Fundraising Efforts

The Vice President for College Advancement will lead collaborative efforts with the Presidents senior leadership team, trustees, and senior members of the administration and faculty to identify and track long- and short-term institutional targets that are supported by engagement, fundraising, and external relations. They will oversee the development of a comprehensive brand and messaging platform that includes compelling information and stories to be utilized for marketing and advancement purposes across college departments. They will create, vet, and lead the execution of innovative and ambitious initiatives and campaigns for fundraising. The Vice President will serve as the college's chief fundraising officer and will lead and execute fundraising strategies based on a compelling philanthropic vision that aligns with the college's mission and strategic priorities. The next Vice President will bring a professional and seasoned approach to the advancement operation and efforts.

Optimize Presidential Reach and Influence

The Vice President will meet with the President regularly as a trusted advisor to provide guidance and counsel on issues and opportunities related to developing, implementing and advancing a comprehensive advancement strategy. The Vice President will engage the President in high level, principal gift fundraising strategies and activities, provide exceptional staffing support on presidential fundraising initiatives and ensure the presidents time is appropriately leveraged and maximized for high value meetings aimed at securing impactful gifts. The Vice President should be comfortable serving as a key consultant and advisor to the President on matters of donor and board relations as it pertains to philanthropic initiatives and will apply professional expertise as the chief fundraiser and fundraising strategist to the broader Pitzer community and its leadership.

Provide Vision and Leadership

The Vice President will be able to lead the advancement organization with vision and creativity. There is an opportunity for the new Vice President to assess the current organizational structure, areas of strength and opportunities for transformation. They will have a strategic outlook and be open to new possibilities and effectively respond to emerging challenges. As a supervisor of approximately 25 people, they will demonstrate an ability to build and motivate a team, and to inspire joy in ones work. The Vice President will need to leverage the operational capacity of everyone in the organization to ensure its productivity. The Vice President will assess and provide for additional training or other support needed across the organization to increase its efficacy and productivity. They will articulate clear and compelling expectations for every aspect of the advancement organization and will hold all staff accountable for meeting or exceeding those expectations.

They will provide ethical and mindful management of the departments financial, personnel, and capital resources in the execution of strategic plans, and individual duties and responsibilities. The Vice President will lead and manage the advancement/development, engagement staff of the college. They will set and clearly communicate specific and measurable goals and expectations for department staff to meet college needs, commitments, and strategic targets on a regular and ongoing basis. They will promote and ensure accountability at all levels, while leading by example.

Foster a Culture of Philanthropy

The Vice President will lead collaborative efforts with the Presidents senior leadership team, trustee leadership, and senior members of the administration and faculty to identify and track long- and short-term institutional targets that are supported by fundraising, and external relations. The successful candidate will encourage a campus-wide culture of philanthropy that fosters appreciation for and engagement in advancement efforts. They will proactively facilitate and support networking opportunities and connections for individuals across the college community with external contacts for fundraising, funding, publicity, and community and business partnerships to advance the colleges current and future strategic goals. They will serve as a liaison for relationship building between internal and external stakeholders, facilitating and shepherding communications and engagement. It will be important that they actively communicate and engage with the Presidents cabinet, trustees, faculty, staff, students, parents, and alumni to remain knowledgeable about current and upcoming projects, programs and initiatives.

Broaden the Pool of Prospective Donors

The Vice President will take a critical look at the overall philanthropic environment to create a strategy to broaden the pool of prospective donors while also tapping the scope of sustained, meaningful engagement with alumni and current donors, in ways that engender affinity and lifelong connections. The Vice President will develop methods of securing support across all areas in a competitive fundraising environment. They will personally identify, solicit, cultivate and secure major gifts, media connections and beneficial external relations for the college to meet expectations and goals set by the President, Board of Trustees, and other key stakeholders.

Supervisory Responsibility : Yes, supervising Office of Advancement direct reports.

Time Type: Full-time, 40 hours per week.

Annual Pay Schedule: 12 months of the year.

Work Schedule: The regular hours for this position will be scheduled between 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Frida y. These hours may vary due to needs of the College or department.

Work Model: Hybrid, On-Campus

Compensation: Budgeted Salary Range: $240,000-$260,000 per year

Benefits: Pitzer Collegeis committed to providing comprehensive benefits to eligible employees and their eligible dependents. Our benefits package includes competitive compensation, health, dental, and vision insurance, retirement savings plans, generous paid time off (vacation, holidays, sick time, parental leave, bereavement, etc.), tuition reimbursement, tuition exchange program participation and more.

Physical Requirements: General physical requirements for an in-person office position.

ProcedureforCandidacy

To assure full consideration, application materials should be received by November 22nd, 2024 . Review of candidate materials will begin mid-November and continue its work until an appointment is made.

Candidates should provide:

A letter of interest stating how the candidates experiences and qualifications connect with the required/preferred characteristics and priorities expressed in the position profile;

Curriculum vitae/resume;

Statement of contribution to diversity, equity, and inclusion;

Five professional references with emails, telephone numbers, and a description of the candidates professional relationship with each reference listed (references will not be contacted without prior written authorization from the applicant).

Nominations should be submitted electronically to: mariepinedo@pitzer.edu

The search is being managed by:

Pitzer College:

Marie Piedo, Executive Director of Human Resources

Email: mariepinedo@pitzer.edu