Associate Vice President of Advancement Operations

Associate Vice President of Advancement Operations Please see Special Instructions for more details. Fordham University's Office of Development and University Relations has recently partnered with Boyden Executive Search. To nominate a candidate or to apply to this posting, please contact Holly Wolk, Senior Associate, at

Position Information

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 nine 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.

The University offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, and vision insurance; flexible spending accounts; retirement plans; life insurance; short and long-term disability; employee assistance program ( EAP ); tuition remission; and generous time off.

Successful candidates should have a knowledge of and commitment to the goals of Jesuit Education.

Title of Position

Title of Position Associate Vice President of Advancement Operations

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

Manages strategic leadership and supervises others who supervise. Responsible for hiring, training, developing, managing performance, administering corrective action, making compensation decisions and 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.).

Preferred Qualifications

Master's degree.

Relevant experience in higher education advancement.

Minimum Starting Salary

Minimum Starting Salary $230,000

Maximum Starting Salary

Maximum Starting Salary $250,000

Note

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

No this is a Union position? No

Posting Number A986P

Number of Vacancies 1

Start Date ASAP

Posting Date 11/25/2025

Special Instructions

Fordham University's Office of Development and University Relations has recently partnered with Boyden Executive Search. To nominate a candidate or to apply to this posting, please contact Holly Wolk, Senior Associate, at

EEO Statement

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

Fordham University is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Physical Activity and Work Environment Physical Activity

Sitting Often

Repetitive Hand Motion (such as typing)

Repetitive Hand Motion (such as typing) Nearly Continuously

Hearing, Listening, Talking Nearly Continuously

Standing

Standing Seldom

Walking

Walking Seldom

Running

Running Not Required

Bending, Stooping, Kneeling, squatting, Crouching, Crawling

Bending, Stooping, Kneeling, squatting, Crouching, Crawling Not Required

Climbing stairs Seldom

Climbing ladders

Climbing ladders Not Required

Reaching overhead

Reaching overhead Seldom

Pulling, pushing

Pulling, pushing Seldom

Shoveling

Shoveling Not Required

Lifting - up to 20 pounds

Lifting - up to 20 pounds Not Required

Lifting - up to 50 pounds

Lifting - up to 50 pounds Not Required

Lifting - over 50 pounds Not Required
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