Associate Vice President, Advancement Strategy

University of Central Florida•Orlando, FL

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Associate Vice President for Advancement Strategy is a senior leadership position reporting to the Senior Vice President for Advancement & Partnerships. Serving as a strategic advisor, Campaign Co-Director – Administration, and Chief of Staff, the role is part of the division’s Executive Team and helps turn executive vision into clear priorities, disciplined execution, and measurable progress. The Associate Vice President partners closely with the Senior Vice President to keep the division aligned, focused, and prepared to act on its highest priorities, creating clarity from ambiguity, anticipating risks and opportunities, and framing options with sound judgment. The role leads two functional teams: one focused on relationship management with the university’s foundation board, and another responsible for communications and marketing for advancement and partnership initiatives. It also has administrative oversight of all phases of the university’s comprehensive campaign, from planning through execution and results analysis. The Associate Vice President advises the Senior Vice President and Executive Team on fundraising, alumni engagement, volunteer management, organizational priorities, and sensitive leadership matters. The position supervises 10 to 15 staff through two direct reports and oversees budgets and annual plans for the Senior Vice President’s office and the foundation board relations and communications/marketing teams. The position is based on-site at UCF, with an on-site presence as an essential function.

Requirements

Bachelor’s or master’s degree and 12 or more years of relevant experience, including at least 5 years of leadership experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience pursuant to Fla. Stat. 112.219(6).
All applicants must be authorized to work for any U.S. employer; visa sponsorship and H-1B transfers or employment-based visa processing for individuals currently sponsored by another employer are not available.
Must work on-site at UCF as the primary work location; on-site presence is an essential function.

Nice To Haves

Experience in higher education advancement, fundraising, or a related nonprofit environment.
Direct experience supporting or advising a senior executive in a chief of staff or similar capacity.
Experience with capital campaign planning or management.
Demonstrated success leading and developing teams of 10 or more staff.
Experience with budget development and oversight.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including experience preparing executive-level materials such as briefings or presentations.
Demonstrated strategic thinking, sound judgment, and ability to make decisions with incomplete information while maintaining confidentiality and discretion.
Ability to influence without formal authority, align stakeholders across departments, create clarity from ambiguity, and advance priorities in a fast-paced executive environment.
High emotional intelligence, executive presence, adaptability, and relationship-building skills across senior leadership, staff, volunteers, donors, and campus partners.
Master’s degree in a related field.

Responsibilities

Advise the Senior Vice President and Executive Team, translating strategy into action, aligning stakeholders, supporting disciplined decision-making, and tracking division-wide goals and performance metrics.
Work with the Senior Vice President and Senior Associate Vice President for Advancement (Development) as Campaign Co-Director – Development, leading the administrative, marketing, and communications aspects of university fundraising campaigns.
Oversee campaign planning studies, timelines, committee coordination, goal setting, strategy, and progress tracking, and establish systems, communications, and accountability routines to advance campaign work across teams.
Provide confidential counsel on fundraising, alumni engagement, volunteer management, organizational priorities, and sensitive leadership matters; identify emerging issues and help determine which matters require executive attention or delegation.
Lead foundation board relations and advancement communications and marketing teams, overseeing 10 to 15 staff through two direct reports; delegate work, set expectations, develop talent, monitor performance and accountability, and model discretion and collaborative problem-solving.
Research and prepare reports, briefings, presentations, speeches, talking points, and decision materials for internal and external audiences.
Communicate with senior leaders, staff, donors, volunteers, board members, and university partners, tailoring messages to each audience.
Partner with the executive assistant to help manage the Senior Vice President’s calendar and communications flow and ensure meetings, follow-up, and information-sharing are purposeful and aligned with priorities.
Gather regular reports from teams across the division and help keep operations running smoothly and efficiently.
Serve as a communication link between departments, build organizational trust, surface issues early, resolve conflicts diplomatically, keep the Senior Vice President informed, and respond on the Senior Vice President’s behalf when needed.
Develop and monitor the Senior Vice President’s budget and sponsorship opportunities, and provide budget approval oversight for foundation board relations and communications/marketing teams.
Oversee related annual plans, hiring, training, and evaluations.