Job Summary

The purpose of the advancement and alumni relations division (AAR) is to foster a thriving and engaged community of support for Caltech. By connecting the people who share and support Caltech’s mission and values, the team ensures the Institute receives the necessary resources to achieve Caltech’s aspirations and sustain its excellence in teaching, research, and scholarship in perpetuity. AAR team members embrace and uphold the values of diversity, integrity, respect, focus, and pride.

Reporting to Vice President for Advancement and Alumni Relations Dexter Bailey, the associate vice president for development (AVP) will serve as a member of his senior leadership team. The AVP will direct and lead a comprehensive and well-integrated fundraising program that will drive a successful capital campaign, while also raising the sustainable level of giving beyond the campaign. While Caltech has a centralized fundraising model, the AVP will oversee initiatives and goals that are directly linked to the academic divisions and research institutes, as well as to broader campus goals.

The AVP designs, recommends, implements, and oversees strategies and models that reflect the Institute’s vision and fundraising priorities. The AVP is a strategic advisor to and supports the vice president, as well as senior campus leaders including the president, provost, division chairs and members of the Board of Trustees, and is a member of the vice president’s senior leadership team. The role has significant managerial responsibility, as well as personal responsibility for a select portfolio of elite donors and prospects. Managerial scope includes oversight for all levels of fundraising, including major and principal gifts, planned gifts, foundation grants and gifts, and principal gift strategy. The AVP will work effectively and collaboratively with AAR assistant vice presidents of advancement services, campaigns, alumni relations, engagement and annual programs, and other AAR team members, ensuring optimization and leveraging of integrated initiatives and goals.

Job Duties

Strategic Leadership

• Provide active leadership and strategic oversight of the Institute’s development program; advise and collaborate with the vice president in planning and achieving the Institute’s fundraising goals
• Serve as a trusted advisor to the vice president, the president, the provost, division chairs, faculty, and other senior staff
• Work collaboratively with AAR colleagues, as well as other key campus partners, to formulate creative cultivation plans, successful solicitation strategies, and effective stewardship efforts to maximize the lifetime engagement and support of the Institute’s supporters and ensure that they feel actively and meaningfully engaged in the life of the Institute
• Collaborate with senior campus leaders to understand, interpret, and fund the Institute’s academic priorities. Ensure alignment of academic initiatives and priorities with Institute’s fundraising strategies

Prospect Strategy and Fundraising

• Manage a select portfolio of major and principal gift prospects through identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship cycles; forge relationships with a diverse population that will lead to transformational gifts; set a personal example of frontline fundraising success for the development team; monitor and report on progress of donor-related activities and gift solicitations
• Oversee the preparation of funding proposals, talking points and strategies, assessments of potential support, briefings for senior officers and trustees, and stewardship reports for all assigned prospects; ensure that all interested parties are involved in key efforts focused on specific prospects; document all substantive prospect contacts
• Serve as a resource and role model to staff on matters of prospect strategy and offer new approaches and techniques; seek to provide creative solutions to complex solicitations; rely on past experience in the field and remain current with evolving trends in philanthropy

Program Elevation

• Provide leadership and strategic fundraising direction within AAR and with campus constituents to expand Caltech’s donor base, both geographically and beyond traditional pools of support, and increase financial commitments in all fundraising programs
• Develop strong data-informed methods for decision making and the timely evaluation of program performance and forecasting; maintain awareness of economic, social, and political trends that may affect the Institute; make recommendations to aid in the recalibration of strategies and plans accordingly
• Through strategic partnership with the Institute’s senior officers, division chairs, and fellow AAR and campus leaders, inspire full engagement and effective participation of volunteer councils, boards, alumni, and support groups
• Foster a culture of personal accountability, innovation, creativity, and growth in philanthropy in a highly engaged intellectual community, including the Caltech Board of Trustees
• Work in partnership with alumni relations to identify key prospects to participate in alumni events and serve in volunteer leadership roles.

Staff Management

• Lead a team that understands and respects Caltech’s unique culture and priorities; set clear direction for a staff of 38 fundraising professionals (five direct reports) and administrative support personnel
• Promote excellence and an environment of achievement by placing staff members’ work within the context of Caltech’s mission and strategic priorities. Work with each staff member to set mutually agreed upon, well-defined, and measurable goals. Ensure that individuals have a sense of responsibility and ownership for the successful outcome of the organization
• Maintain a leadership style that is open and fluid, and capable of inspiring, empowering, and motivating staff. Foster a work environment that recognizes and rewards performance, supports new ideas and risk-taking, builds confidence, encourages interaction and teamwork, and promotes diversity. Serve as an advocate for staff, representing their needs and concerns
• Oversee all personnel activities for the office, including the recruitment, hiring, training, and retention of staff; as well as defining the job responsibilities and performance review process for each staff member.
• Ensure that all systems and processes, from data capture in Advance to gift acceptances and processing, maximize available intelligence via reporting and also follow sound budgetary, legal, and accountability practices

Basic Qualifications

• Ambition and a true appreciation for science, research, and higher education. A demonstrated commitment and understanding of the history, mission, achievements, and aspirations of Caltech, and the ability to effectively articulate the Institute’s vision, uniqueness, and relevance
• A minimum of ten years of progressively responsible fundraising and managerial experience in advancement, preferably within higher education. Expert depth of knowledge of best practices in all key areas of advancement; significant experience leading a comprehensive and large-scale capital campaign in a higher education setting
• A proven track record of success in personally cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding gifts of seven and eight figures or more from individuals, foundations, and corporations. A high level of comfort and effectiveness working with high-net-worth individuals and corporate business leaders, domestically and internationally
• Proven management skills in building a high-performance fundraising team - and goal-oriented environment that empowers staff through active communication, personal accountability and delegation and that builds confidence, promotes diversity of thought, and celebrates achievements. Must have a history of recruiting and developing exceptional people
• Thorough knowledge of all phases of fundraising, including principal gifts, constituency-based fundraising, major gifts, planning giving, regional, and international fundraising programs. Success in increasing the effectiveness of an advancement program and its staff through established objectives and performance standards
• The political savvy to navigate a complex academic community; the desire and ability to build bridges and strong collaborative relationships with all members of an operation across the enterprise and a diverse body of alumni and constituents. An interest in serving as a resource to others and obtaining their input; persuasive, persistent, and determined
• The credibility, maturity, and sound judgement required to effectively engage and leverage Caltech’s leaders and volunteers in the cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of key prospects and donors
• Ability to combine strategic planning and project management skills in identifying, analyzing, developing, and implementing short- and long-term strategies, approaches, metrics, and incentives
• A high level of energy, self-confidence, optimism, personal resilience, and the ability to function at peak levels in a high expectation environment. While also having fun at work
• Ability to translate ideas into action; a calculated risk-taker. Comfortable working with ambiguity
• Exemplary interpersonal and listening skills; impeccable attention to detail; superb commitment and follow-through; strong personal integrity, charisma, and work ethic coupled with a humble approach, sense of humor, and perspective. A commitment to the highest standards of professionalism
• Superior written and oral communication skills; clarity, crispness, and elegance in writing and speaking. Ability to succinctly communicate a clear vision and process, utilizing data and metrics as appropriate
• A sharp eye for operational efficiency and the best use of resources, including a demonstrated understanding of budgets and the ability to manage them
• A desire and the intellectual curiosity to deeply engage in the life of Caltech and its extended community, and to share in its commitment to diversity, intercultural understanding, inclusive institutional excellence, and global engagement
• The personal flexibility to travel and to work evenings and weekends as required
• Bachelor’s degree required

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced Degree

Required Documents

• Resume
• Cover Letter