Assistant Vice President of Advancement Operations and Campaigns

The Assistant Vice President of Advancement Operations and Campaigns (AVP) is a senior executive leader responsible for the design, integration, and oversight of the systems, policies, analytics, and campaign infrastructure that enable Harvey Mudd College’s fundraising success. Reporting to the Vice President for Advancement, the AVP serves as the operational and strategic anchor for the advancement enterprise, ensuring that data integrity, financial stewardship, prospect strategy, donor relations, and campaign execution function as a cohesive, high‑performing whole. This newly structured role offers a unique opportunity to shape and lead the foundational architecture required for an ambitious comprehensive campaign and sustained annual fundraising exceeding $25 million.

The AVP embeds operational excellence, accountability, and strategic discipline across Advancement, while partnering closely with senior leadership to translate institutional priorities into executable fundraising strategy.

Key Responsibilities

• Executive Leadership and Organizational Strategy
  • Division Leadership: Provide strategic direction and day-to-day leadership for the Operations and Campaigns division, overseeing approximately 10 professional staff across Donor Relations, Prospect Development, and Advancement Services.
  • Enterprise Integration: Ensure that advancement operations function as an integrated system supporting frontline fundraising, volunteer leadership, and institutional priorities.
  • Talent and Resource Stewardship: Oversee divisional budget, staffing models, workflows, and technology investments to ensure readiness for a campaign environment and long‑term scalability.
  • High‑Performance Culture: Build and mentor a cohesive, forward‑looking team grounded in data‑informed decision making, professional development, and continuous improvement.
• Prospect Development, Portfolio Strategy, and Analytics
  • Strategic Prospecting: Lead prospect identification, research, qualification, and prioritization to sustain a strong pipeline of major and principal gift opportunities.
  • Portfolio Health and Performance: Establish and monitor clear metrics for portfolio balance, movement, and velocity; lead regular portfolio review processes in partnership with Development leadership.
  • Moves Management: Design, refine, and enforce a disciplined moves‑management framework within the CRM, ensuring transparency, accountability, and strategic progression from discovery through stewardship.
  • Advanced Analytics: Leverage data analytics, wealth screening, and predictive tools to inform prospect strategy and maximize fundraising effectiveness.
• Campaign Architecture, Governance, and Execution
  • Campaign Leadership: Lead the operational planning and execution of Harvey Mudd College’s comprehensive fundraising campaign, ensuring alignment with the strategic plan, institutional priorities, and leadership expectations.
  • Governance and Volunteer Support: Support campaign governance structures, including internal and external committees, volunteer leadership roles, timelines, and deliverables.
  • Reporting and Visibility: Develop and maintain sophisticated dashboards and reporting tools that provide the Vice President, President, and senior leadership with real‑time insight into campaign progress, pipeline health, and goal attainment.
  • Cross‑Functional Coordination: Partner closely with the AVP for Development, Advancement Communications, and campus leadership to ensure campaign goals, messaging, and execution are fully aligned.
• Advancement Services, Systems, and Financial Integrity
  • Advancement Services Oversight: Ensure best‑in‑class performance in gift processing, records management, database integrity, and donor data security.
  • Campaign and Endowment Tracking: Lead the implementation and use of advanced tools, including FundMiner, to support campaign counting, fund vitality analysis, and endowment performance monitoring.
  • Policy and Compliance Leadership: Develop and implement division‑wide policies and standards, including campaign counting, gift acceptance, naming conventions, and internal controls.
  • Audit and Risk Management: Partner with Business Affairs, Finance, and IT to ensure compliance with IRS regulations, audit requirements, and institutional financial controls.
  • Operating Budgets: Provide strategic oversight of departmental operating budgets and financial resources, including planning, monitoring expenditures, forecasting, and ensuring alignment with institutional priorities and fiscal policies.
• Institutional Partnership and Leadership Support
  • Senior Leadership Partnership: Serve as a strategic partner to the Vice President for Advancement and senior leadership, aligning advancement operations with campaign, fundraising, and engagement objectives.
  • Campus Collaboration: Represent Advancement Operations in cross‑campus initiatives, advocating for systems, data, and process needs that support institutional goals.
  • Operational Resilience: Ensure continuity of critical advancement systems and operations, including responsiveness during peak campaign periods or system disruptions.

Culture of Philanthropy

As a key campus leader and a member of the OCA, support OCA’s objective to cultivate and sustain a robust culture of philanthropy that reflects belief and confidence in HMC’s leadership and mission. Reinforce that every gift supports people and programs across campus, inspiring shared pride and a collective commitment to the College’s future. Promote a sense of hospitality, giving and generosity, ensuring that individuals understand the vital role of philanthropy in contributing to the College’s success.

Campus Collaboration

Develop and maintain collaborative relationships with key offices and partners across campus, including the President’s Office, the Dean of Faculty Office, Admission, Financial Aid, Student Affairs, Financial Affairs, Communications & Marketing, academic departments and centers, and Career Services, to coordinate and amplify engagement opportunities.

Education and Experience

Required Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.
• Experience: 7 to 10+ years of progressive advancement or operations experience, including 5+ years in a senior leadership role overseeing campaign infrastructure, operations, research, advancement services and donor relations.
• Technical Skills: Proficiency with fundraising CRMs (e.g., Salesforce, Blackbaud), campaign and donor reporting, and a track record of transitioning manual workflows into automated, system‑driven processes.
• Communication: Exceptional written and verbal skills, with a proven ability to translate complex data or institutional successes into compelling, donor‑centric narratives.
• Executive Presence and Discretion: Confidence interacting with high‑profile donors, board members, and executive leadership, while maintaining absolute confidentiality with sensitive financial data.
• Management: A proven track record of managing, mentoring professional staff across diverse operational functions (e.g., data, research, donor relations); ability to set high performance expectations and build a culture of continuous improvement grounded in trust.
• Comprehensive Campaigns: Experience building and managing the infrastructure procedures, and policies for comprehensive campaigns, with a proven ability to design executable workflows, align divisional budgets, and establish precise pipeline tracking and performance metrics.
• Flexibility: Ability to work independently and commit to occasional evening or weekend hours for major fundraising events.

Desired Qualifications

• Education: Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA), Finance, Non‑Profit Management, Higher Education Administration, Data Analytics, or a related field.
• Specialized Software: Hands‑on experience with specialized fund‑management and endowment tracking software.

Remote Work Eligibility

Category B: All staff positions, regardless of remote work eligibility, require an initial 30‑calendar‑day on‑campus work period. Based on an evaluation by the supervisor and area Vice President, this position is classified as Category B as defined in the College’s Remote Work Policy, with occasional ad‑hoc remote work flexibility (as needed). Your approved remote work arrangements under Category B allow for up to one remote work day per week during the academic year and up to one remote work day during the non‑academic year. Please note these days may vary depending on departmental and College needs.

Physical Requirements

While performing the duties of this job, the staff member is regularly required to sit; stand, use hands and fingers and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to reach with hands and arms. The individual must regularly lift and/or carry up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, and the ability to adjust focus. The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Hours

Regular office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. However, days and hours may vary due to the needs of the department or the College.

Classification

This is an exempt, full‑time, regular, benefits eligible, position.

Salary

$155,000 - $175,000 per year.

Reports To

This position reports to the Vice President for Advancement.

Additional Information

This job description defines the essential job duties of the position. Harvey Mudd College expects that employees hired for this position can perform the essential functions of the job without imposing risk of substantial harm to the health or safety of themselves or others. It may also include marginal functions, generally defined within Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Regular employment at the College is for no specified period; conditions and status of employment (hours, pay, title, duties, etc.) are subject to change at any time. Employment is at‑will and employees, and likewise the College, are free to end the employment relationship at any time, for any reason, with or without notice or cause, unless otherwise prohibited by law. Harvey Mudd College is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants will be given consideration for employment without regard to age, race, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, protected veteran’s status, disability, or any other characteristics protected by applicable law.