Posting Number: H0222   Posting Date: February 7,2012  Closing Date: March 9, 2012

Application Procedure

Apply Online

What to include with your application: In addition to a Harvey Mudd College employment application available at www.hmc.edu/employment, please submit a resume and a cover letter describing your qualifications. All required documents must be submitted with your application in order to be considered for this position.

Information about the position:  Salary is dependent upon qualifications. Usual working hours are Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., requires some evening and weekend work and travel. This is a full-time, 12-month, benefits-eligible, exempt position reporting to the Vice President for College Advancement.

What the successful candidate will do: The Assistant Vice President (AVP) of Advancement for Central Programs and Strategic Planning must be an effective and proven fundraiser, planner, leader, manager, and team-builder who is responsible for successfully leading a team of professionals committed to increasing broad-based advocacy for support of and engagement with Harvey Mudd College (the College). 

The AVP reports directly to the Vice President for Advancement (VP) and serves as one of three members of the VP's Senior Leadership Team, along with the Assistant Vice President of Advancement for Fundraising and Constituent Programs and the Senior Director of Advancement for Communications.

The AVP has direct oversight of advancement services, advancement research, database management, and stewardship. In addition, the AVP helps guide several strategic areas, such as institutional events, campaign planning, volunteer management, and principal gifts.  The AVP's leadership is focused on building and maintaining a highly effective, strategically focused, and fully integrated team of professionals who work collaboratively throughout the division and across the College.  The AVP leads the team with the full understanding of the critical nature of their work to the division's ability to successfully execute a range of programs and activities designed to ultimately increase private gifts, volunteer involvement, and constituency engagement. 

The AVP is a strategic and analytical leader who establishes clear measures for success, with input from and ownership among his/her team. The AVP is a strong individual fundraiser and ambassador who must lead by example to establish an environment focused on building and maintaining strong, productive, and long-lasting relationships among the College's many constituents.

The AVP and his/her team work on several projects and initiatives that transcend advancement subunit lines, requiring strong collaboration and communication skills.  In addition, the AVP plays a leadership role in building central and strategic programs that partner closely with College departments and faculty.

As a member of the VP's Senior Leadership Team, the AVP contributes to the overall direction of the Advancement Office in areas specific to his/her area of responsibility as well as division-wide areas, such as strategic planning, goal setting, reporting, messaging, budgeting, volunteer/board management, community engagement, and human resources. The AVP also collaborates with the Senior Leadership Team to help create, implement, integrate, assess, and improve-on an ongoing basis-the College's infrastructure and strategies required to conduct successful overall advancement efforts.

Paramount to the work of the AVP-as a leader, manager, colleague, and representative of HMC-is the appreciation for and commitment to a clearly articulated set of core departmental values that have recently been established by all members of the Advancement Office, and which align closely with the HMC Student Honor Code.  Specifically, the Advancement Office core values include a commitment to act-personally and professionally-in a manner that demonstrates Integrity, Compassion, Accountability, Respect, and Excellence. 

Essential Functions:

Central Programs

• Oversee all Advancement Services activities (research, donor records, gift processing, reporting, compliance, and database management).
• Ensure high-quality, accurate, and time-sensitive recording, receipting, and reporting of all kinds of philanthropic gifts to the College.
• Ensure that all database systems are maintained in a way that ensures accurate and confidential recording of sensitive donor/constituent information; effective use by advancement staff for management of activity; effective reporting and planning tools; and proper interface with other databases across the College.
• Ensure all Advancement and Campaign policies and procedures are developed and updated, with input and collaboration from any appropriate staff member or College administrative office, including seeking approval, when necessary, from the Board of Trustees.
• Build a fully-operational, integrated stewardship program to guide all efforts at the College for acknowledging, publicizing, and recognizing gifts from donors, as well as developing a process for timely and accurate reporting of gift use and benefit back to donors in a broad based and/or individualized manner.
• Oversee Campaign reporting, compliance and documentation.
• Develop and monitor budgets associated with all areas of oversight.

Strategic, Project, and Campaign Planning

• Oversee several institutional events targeted to increase recognition of HMC and engagement of external professionals, coordinating with communications, alumni and major gifts personnel, and other college constituents.
• Develop and implement ongoing training modules in campaign best practices for the board and other volunteers, college leaders, faculty, staff, and selected students.
• As a member of the Senior Leadership Team, work collaboratively to assist the VP in formulating concrete goals and objectives the College's primary central advancement services functions of research, reporting, systems, donor records and gift processing.
• Under the leadership of the VP and as a member of the Senior Leadership Team, help manage the successful planning, launch, execution, and completion of all phases of a comprehensive campaign and any work related to current or future fundraising projects and initiatives (focused and/or comprehensive).
• Where strategic and appropriate, identify, assemble and oversee inter-unit task forces to achieve specific project/campaign goals. This work may include-upon recommendation of the VP-interaction with members of the College Board of Trustees and the Advancement Committee of the Board.

Management

• Supervise and mentor a team of professionals, support staff, temporary personnel, student workers, and volunteers; provide structured professional development opportunities and targeted training, evaluate personnel, and make recommendations regarding hiring, promotions, disciplinary actions, and terminations.
• Make unit budget recommendations and oversee the effective management of multiple departmental and project budgets.
• Identify, develop, recommend, and assess partnerships with other HMC internal organizations and various external institutions related to college advancement.
• Administer department and College policies and procedures.
  Senior Leadership Team
  As a member of the Senior Leadership Team:
• Work collaboratively to assist the VP in developing, assessing, and implementing new policies and procedures.
• Work collaboratively to identify and propose potential new administrative organization of personnel, space, and tasks in order to improve the effectiveness of the Advancement Office.
• Report to the President's Cabinet and other constituencies on specified plans, activities and progress toward goals, as requested by the VP.
• Develop and manage permanent and project-specific volunteer groups (committees and councils) in order to increase constituent/donor awareness of, engagement with, and philanthropy toward the College.

Donor and Constituent Relations

• In close collaboration with the VP and AVP for Fundraising and Constituent Relations, develop and guide the research, strategy, and execution of a college-wide principal gift process.
• Develop and maintain superior working relationships with current and prospective donors, members of the Board of Trustees, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, and other parties interested in the College and with the potential to make a major gift.
• Personally manage engagement activity (visits, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship) of a personal major gift prospect portfolio.
• Develop and maintain trusting and professional working relationships with current and prospective donors, members of the Board of Trustees, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, and other parties interested in the College.

Professional Development

• Participate in related professional meetings and conferences to maintain/grow skills. Effectively represent and promote the College to diverse constituencies.

What the ideal candidate will bring to this position and HMC:
Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Minimum of ten years of progressively responsible experience in advancement (development) and advancement management, with demonstrated success in: personal solicitation of major and planned gifts; major gift stewardship; principal gift and prospect management; volunteer management; and event planning. Knowledge and understanding of all areas of advancement services (research, donor records, gift processing, reporting, compliance, and database management). Majority of experience must be in a higher education environment. Minimum of five years of leadership and management experience at a director level or higher. At least two years of advancement leadership and campaign experience, specifically with campaign strategy, management, and compliance matters.
• Possess and maintain a valid driver's license and driving record acceptable to the College's automobile insurance carrier.
• Ability to work collaboratively and creatively as a member of a Senior Leadership Team, representing his/her specific area of management while also contributing to the overall success of the division.
• Ability to manage and develop a team of staff members engaged in the completion of multiple large and small fast-moving projects.
• Demonstrated success as a front-line, major gift fundraiser.
• Experience with university or college based comprehensive fundraising campaign planning and execution.
• Experience working effectively with faculty, staff and administration advancement-related activities.
• Experience working with (developing/training/managing) volunteers, including members of governing boards and alumni boards.
• Familiarity with basic tax law as it relates to charitable gifts and planned gifts.
• Ability to think strategically, meet deadlines, and possess computational skills necessary to assess progress toward goals and manage/forecast budgets.
• Superior and effective interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills.
• Personal integrity and ability to interact successfully with various constituencies (donors, volunteers, faculty, administration, members of the public, and staff) as well as individuals with varying abilities, backgrounds, interests, and beliefs.
• Ability to work both independently and as a member of the College Advancement team.
• Positive attitude, strong work ethic, and commitment to values.
• Experienced and effective public speaker.
• Competence in a variety of software programs used for general productivity and to track a campaign and its results.
• Ability and willingness to work some evenings and weekends.
• Ability and willingness to travel, extensively at times, on behalf of the College.