Assistant Vice President for Engagement

University of Florida • Gainesville, FL

2d • Onsite

About The Position

The Assistant Vice President (AVP) for Engagement serves as the university's chief architect of constituent experience and the donor continuum. This executive leader designs and governs a comprehensive strategy guiding alumni, donors, parents, students, volunteers, and friends through a lifelong journey of connection, engagement, philanthropy, and advocacy. The AVP develops a modern, data-driven engagement ecosystem using constituent insights, analytics, technology, artificial intelligence, and personalized strategies to create meaningful experiences at scale.

The AVP oversees Alumni Relations, Annual Giving, and Donor Relations, integrating these functions into a coordinated engagement strategy that strengthens institutional affinity, increases philanthropic participation, and builds a sustainable pipeline of future major and principal gift donors. As a senior Advancement leader, the AVP ensures constituent engagement supports campaign success, donor pipeline development, revenue growth, and long-term philanthropy. The role partners with development, operations, communications, academic leadership, and other university teams to advance institutional priorities and deliver measurable engagement and fundraising outcomes.

This is an onsite position at the University of Florida's main campus in Gainesville, Florida. The expected annual salary is commensurate with education and experience. Applicants must submit a cover letter and resume with the completed application form by 11:55 p.m. ET on the posting end date. Work visa sponsorship is not available. A health assessment is not required.

Requirements

• A master's degree in an appropriate area of specialization and six years of appropriate experience, or a bachelor's degree in an appropriate area of specialization and eight years of appropriate experience.
• Ability to respond effectively to change in a creative, demanding, and fast-paced environment.
• Ability to work independently, self-manage, collaborate with senior leadership, and deliver the division and university vision.
• Excellent attention to detail and work quality, including the ability to deliver creative, high-quality work quickly under time pressure.
• Ability to listen carefully, consider stakeholder needs, and respond appropriately.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and prioritize work effectively.
• Effective time-management and organizational skills.
• Ability to work strategically, develop and implement programs and activities for stakeholders, and motivate staff, partners, and volunteers.
• Ability to meet deadlines and work independently.
• Problem-solving competency and exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
• Commitment to a respectful and collaborative work environment that values integrity, professionalism, and mutual respect.
• Applicants must submit a cover letter and resume with the completed application form.
• Work visa sponsorship is not available.

Nice To Haves

• Seven to ten years of progressively responsible leadership experience in advancement, alumni relations, fundraising, donor relations, constituent engagement, or related fields.
• Experience in higher education, nonprofit, or mission-driven organizations.
• Experience managing complex constituent engagement and fundraising programs.
• Demonstrated success in strategic planning, team leadership, and program management.
• Demonstrated experience leveraging technology to increase organizational efficiency or effectiveness.
• Strong understanding of annual giving, stewardship, donor engagement, and alumni relations best practices.
• Familiarity with advancement CRM systems, donor analytics, and constituent engagement platforms.
• Familiarity with Windows operating systems, Microsoft Word, Excel, and Access, internet browsers, and email platforms.

Responsibilities

• Provide vision, leadership, and strategic direction for the university's constituent experience strategy and engagement ecosystem.
• Oversee Alumni Relations, Annual Giving, and Donor Relations in alignment with the engagement ecosystem and the organization's mission, vision, and values.
• Design and optimize the constituent journey across the donor continuum, from awareness and affinity through engagement, philanthropy, volunteer leadership, advocacy, and transformational giving.
• Develop scalable engagement models that provide personalized experiences to large constituent populations.
• Ensure engagement investments produce measurable outcomes, including participation, donor retention, leadership annual giving growth, prospect identification, and major gift pipeline development.
• Champion artificial intelligence and other technology in team operations and constituent engagement.
• Foster a collaborative, constituent-centered culture that supports innovation, teamwork, service excellence, and alignment with university priorities.
• Lead organizational planning and talent development, including recruitment, performance management, succession planning, employee engagement, and leadership development.
• Oversee budgets, resource allocation, and operational effectiveness.
• Evaluate processes, implement best practices, leverage technology and constituent data, and improve operational efficiency.
• Establish governance for data integrity, engagement definitions, and KPI tracking consistent with CASE standards.
• Use constituent data, behavioral insights, analytics, automation, predictive modeling, and digital tools to create relevant engagement experiences and improve organizational effectiveness.
• Establish audience segmentation, engagement scoring, constituent personas, affinity modeling, and journey orchestration strategies.
• Coordinate engagement experiences across channels, programs, and constituent populations.
• Design and govern engagement pathways that cultivate future philanthropic support and move constituents toward increasing levels of philanthropic commitment.
• Develop strategies to identify, qualify, and progress future major gift prospects, and partner with development leaders to connect engagement activities to pipeline generation and fundraising performance.
• Measure the relationship between engagement behaviors and philanthropic outcomes.
• Align annual giving, leadership annual giving, major gifts, stewardship, and volunteer engagement strategies with campaign and long-term fundraising goals.
• Increase revenue through annual giving and alumni programs.
• Collaborate with academic and administrative leadership to strengthen constituent engagement across the university.
• Partner with advancement operations teams to ensure accurate reporting using industry standards.
• Collaborate with the Strategic, Communications, Marketing & Engagement (SCME) team on coordinated messaging across the engagement lifecycle.
• Partner with Development to align engagement strategies with campaign initiatives, the major gifts pipeline, and institutional priorities.

Benefits

• Affordable state medical, dental, and vision insurance plans.
• Life and disability insurance.
• Retirement plans.
• Paid time off, including 11 paid holidays and family, sick, and vacation leave.
• Professional and personal development opportunities through UF Training & Organization Development, leadership development, LinkedIn Learning, and more.
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness eligibility.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive