Associate Vice President, Alumni and Community Experiences

University of Chicago•Chicago, IL

10d•$275,000 - $325,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The University of Chicago Advancement team cultivates lifelong connections with more than 220,000 alumni, current students, parents, and friends worldwide, building community through intellectual, professional, and other meaningful experiences on campus, around the world and online. Advancement empowers every division, school, department, and institute to thrive, generating support for esteemed faculty, pioneering researchers, visionary practitioners, and ambitious students. During the Chicago Minds campaign, Advancement seeks to raise over $1 billion annually. This unprecedented philanthropic effort is designed to stretch the boundaries of what is possible, fueling bold discovery and amplifying the University’s global impact. Our work is rooted in the belief that meaningful connection and lasting experiences inspire ambassadorship and enduring commitment. We champion a culture of innovation and excellence, inviting every member of our community to participate in a future defined by creativity, intellectual rigor, and shared purpose. Through collaborative partnerships, strategic stewardship, and investment in talent, Advancement is reimagining alumni and donor engagement while ensuring UChicago remains a catalyst of impact for generations to come. Job Summary: Reporting directly to Vice President Armin Afsahi, this leader will join the Advancement executive leadership team and provide strategic direction and oversight for key teams that drive community building and engagement. This role demands a collaborative, change-oriented leader who will strengthen the University’s capacity to deliver meaningful experiences, develop talent across the organization, and ensure its global community remains deeply connected to the institution’s mission and future. As a critical partner to senior academic and administrative leaders, volunteer boards, and University stakeholders, the AVP will craft and execute strategies that inspire alumni, donors, and friends to deepen their commitment to UChicago. The role is also central to executing the University’s ambitious Chicago Minds campaign launching in 2026, positioning this leader as a key architect in achieving historic fundraising and engagement goals. The successful candidate will bring a passion for creating meaningful, human-centered experiences that deepen constituent connection, a talent for inspiring and developing high-performing teams, and a proven ability to innovate and execute programs that resonate with today’s alumni and donors. The AVP will champion a culture of excellence and impact by fostering an environment where staff are empowered to deliver transformative programs and build enduring connections across the University’s vibrant global network. The Associate Vice President, Alumni and Community Experiences will join University of Chicago Advancement at a moment of dynamic evolution and opportunity, as the institution emphasizes deepening the human and experiential dimensions of engagement for its 220,000 alumni, parents, and friends worldwide. Under this vision, Advancement has grown from a $600 million annual fundraising organization to one that aspires to raise in excess of $1 billion each year, fueled by the conviction that investing in meaningful connection, indelible experiences, and a universal sense of community will strengthen ambassadorship and philanthropic commitment at every level of giving. The AVP must bring both the intellectual rigor to think critically about organizational readiness and the practical leadership to evolve current systems thoughtfully and ambitiously. This is not a role for incremental maintenance; it calls for a leader willing to assess what exists, envision what is possible, and build toward it with intention across volunteerism, stewardship, events, annual giving, and communications.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required.
Minimum ten years of professional work experience in nonprofit management, development, alumni relations, marketing, or similar field.
A record of success working with faculty, senior administrators, trustees, and other key internal and external stakeholders.
Minimum five years of successfully managing, coaching, and motivating staff required.
Minimum three years of experience developing, and monitoring budgets required.
Superior analytical and prioritization skills; embrace challenges and thrive in a demanding, fast-paced environment.
Strong leadership qualities, including the ability both to delegate and execute, thereby leading by word and example required.
Flexibility to adapt in an emerging and changing environment required.
Demonstrated skill and knowledge of, or ability to learn quickly, the internal workings of the University as well as the technology tools available to Advancement, including Phoenix, the University's Donor Relationship Management System.
Proficient in a Microsoft Windows computer environment, especially Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree preferred.

Responsibilities

Serve as the institution’s chief architect of constituent experiences, designing a cohesive and intentional experience pathway that deepens connection, inspires belonging, and reflects the University’s values at every engagement touchpoint.
Identify and strengthen the signature experiences that define the UChicago community and give alumni, parents, and friends compelling reasons to remain engaged across a lifetime.
Develop and implement a comprehensive vision for alumni and community engagement that aligns University priorities and the goals of the upcoming campaign, setting measurable objectives that drive participation, donor retention, and volunteer leadership.
Lead thoughtfully and ambitiously through a period of meaningful organizational change. Assess current capabilities and performance with honesty and rigor, establish a clear direction for growth, and bring staff and partners forward with confidence. Balance the need to preserve what is working with the imperative to strengthen and evolve what is not.
Provide oversight and strategic direction for critical Advancement functions, including alumni relations, stewardship, annual giving, communications, and event programming while ensuring cohesive, innovative, and mission-driven initiatives.
Lead the campaign execution in partnership with the Advancement leadership, ensuring volunteer leaders are activated and prepared to serve as effective ambassadors of the University, and create intentional experiences that drive constituent engagement and philanthropic support.
Drive the development of a comprehensive donor relations operating strategy that strengthens stewardship and impact communication.
Design an innovative, centralized direct marketing / annual giving program to strengthen and expand the institutional pipeline, increasing donor acquisition and retention rates and generating critical unrestricted resources on a yearly basis. The AVP will bring a contemporary and integrated philosophy to this work, demonstrating command of evolving industry trends and ensuring annual giving is connected strategically to the broader goals of engagement and the campaign.
Invest actively in identifying, nurturing, and developing talent across the organization. Understand what individual team members need in order to grow and create conditions where they are empowered to take ownership, assume accountability, and build meaningful careers. Model the caliber of leadership expected throughout the organization. Seeks opportunities for professional development that will enhance job performance, including building networks within the University and with colleagues at peer institutions and with an eye towards broadly diversifying the advancement profession.
Performs other related work as needed.