Associate Vice President, Advancement Strategy

University of Central Florida•Orlando, FL

4d•$185,000 - $215,000•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 a member of the division’s Executive Team and helps convert executive vision into clear priorities, disciplined execution, and measurable progress. The Associate Vice President partners closely with the Senior Vice President to align the division, anticipate risks and opportunities, frame options, and focus executive attention on the highest-priority work. The position leads the foundation board relations and advancement communications and marketing teams, overseeing 10 to 15 staff through two direct reports. It also provides administrative oversight of all phases of the university’s comprehensive campaign, from planning through execution and results analysis. Responsibilities include supporting executive decision-making, coordinating division-wide operations, preparing executive communications, and overseeing budgets and related annual plans, hiring, training, and evaluations. The role is based on-site at UCF as its primary work location. The stated work schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The anticipated starting salary for a well-qualified candidate is $185,000 to $215,000; final salary depends on factors including education and relevant experience.

Requirements

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

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 preparing executive-level 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 move priorities forward 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 and connecting day-to-day decisions to long-term goals.
Align stakeholders with differing priorities, support disciplined decision-making, and track division-wide goals and performance metrics.
Serve as Campaign Co-Director – Administration and lead the administrative, marketing, and communications aspects of the university’s fundraising campaigns in partnership with campaign leadership.
Oversee campaign planning studies, timelines, committee coordination, goal setting, strategy, and progress tracking; create systems, communications, and accountability routines to advance campaign work across teams.
Provide confidential counsel to the Senior Vice President and Executive Team on fundraising, alumni engagement, volunteer management, organizational priorities, and sensitive leadership matters.
Identify emerging issues, determine which matters require executive attention or delegation, and help keep the division aligned and focused.
Lead foundation board relations and advancement communications and marketing, supervising 10 to 15 staff through two direct reports.
Delegate work, set expectations, develop talent, monitor performance and accountability, and model discretion, emotional intelligence, influence, 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 using clear, concise, audience-appropriate messages.
Partner with the executive assistant to support the Senior Vice President’s calendar and communications flow, ensuring 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.
Coordinate communication between departments, build organizational trust, surface issues, resolve conflicts diplomatically, keep the Senior Vice President informed, and respond on the Senior Vice President’s behalf when appropriate.
Develop and monitor the Senior Vice President’s budget and sponsorship opportunities.
Provide budget approval oversight for foundation board relations and communications/marketing teams, as well as oversight of related annual plans, hiring, training, and evaluations.