Associate Vice President, University Advancement Strategy and Campaigns

Job Summary

The Associate Vice President (AVP) for University Advancement Strategy and Campaigns is a senior-level position reporting to the Vice President for University Advancement and CEO of the Tower Foundation of San José State University. This role acts as a chief of staff and proxy for the Vice President in meetings, decision-making, and communication with internal and external stakeholders. This role provides strategic and operational leadership across a range of priorities, including campaign planning and execution, organizational goal setting, cross-divisional initiatives, and the advancement division’s internal systems and processes. The AVP supports the division’s organizational effectiveness by aligning key initiatives with institutional goals and fostering collaboration across University Advancement and throughout the university ecosystem.

The AVP serves as a trusted partner to the Vice President, helping to coordinate strategy and execution across advancement functions. This includes serving as the primary strategist and coordinator for the development portfolios of the university president and vice president, as well as overseeing campaign infrastructure, managing strategic projects, contributing to budget planning and management, and supervising key staff where appropriate. The position also serves as the division’s liaison to University Marketing and Communications, ensuring alignment of advancement marketing with broader institutional communications and brand strategy.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as a senior strategic partner to the Vice President in designing, managing, and evaluating campaign planning and execution
• Coordinate campaign milestones, timelines, deliverables, and internal communications across the division and campus partners
• Translate campaign goals into actionable plans, systems, and materials in collaboration with development, alumni, donor relations, deans, university leaders, and communications teams
• Manage campaign infrastructure, including working group agendas, campaign cabinet coordination, and briefings for campus leadership
• Serve as the principal strategist and coordinator for the Vice President’s and the University President’s development portfolios
• Oversee portfolio review cadence, contact strategy, and prospect pipeline movement for top-tier donors (principal and major gift levels)
• Coordinate briefing materials, including talking points and strategy memos, for high-level donor meetings and events
• Work closely with prospect research, development officers, and advancement services to ensure timely and strategic donor engagement
• Lead or co-lead strategic initiatives across the division in alignment with institutional priorities and the Vice President’s strategic goals
• Support the division’s long-term planning processes, including setting goals, tracking progress, and adjusting to emerging opportunities
• Act as a project manager for special cross-functional efforts involving University Advancement and academic leadership
• Lead planning for division-wide meetings, retreats, and information flow
• Support state and foundation budget development and monitoring in coordination with the Tower Foundation
• Supervise the Advancement Research and Prospects team and the Donor Relations and Stewardship team
• Oversee task delegation in areas such as campaign operations, fundraising and alumni engagement strategy, and business operations to support the campaign, fundraising metrics and goals, and advancement’s role to achieve the university’s strategic plan
• Act as the advancement division’s point of contact for coordinating with UMC on campaign messaging, visual identity, and content strategy
• Ensure alignment between advancement communications and university branding
• Collaborate on high-level messaging frameworks for campaign themes, donor communications, and digital storytelling

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Demonstrated and well-honed leadership abilities, willingness to take risks, and the capacity to solve problems creatively while navigating ambiguity
• A record of accomplishment that reflects initiative, creativity, and accountability in a rapidly changing and intellectually stimulating environment. This includes a thorough understanding of development operations in complex settings, using data analysis and interpretation to drive and assess campaign strategies
• Functional knowledge in marketing, internal communications, principal gift fundraising, and/or advancement campaign leadership
• Excellent written and oral communication skills with attention to detail and the ability to articulate a compelling case for philanthropic