Associate Senior Vice President for Development

University of Southern California; Glendale (CA); On-site; USD 250,000 - 450,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Southern California seeks an accomplished advancement executive to serve as Associate Senior Vice President for Development focused on principal and transformational giving. This role will lead enterprise-wide philanthropic strategies, advance USC's most significant opportunities, and align partners across the university around ambitious priorities.

The position requires mobilizing leaders and fundraising teams to personally advance relationships and gifts of extraordinary

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher required. At least 10 years of professional experience with 8+ in leadership roles.
• Deep knowledge of comprehensive fundraising, including major gifts and transformational giving.
• Ability to mobilize leaders and fundraising teams across a complex institution and move large-scale gifts.

Responsibilities

• Build and manage a portfolio with significant gift opportunities (e.g., $10M+) and drive $25M+ in gifts annually.
• Lead strategic planning for fundraising initiatives across academic, health sciences, athletics, and regional programs.
• Establish governance, priorities, and accountability frameworks for principal giving and international philanthropy.
• Advance USC's international fundraising strategy and grow annual international philanthropy beyond current levels.
• Staff donor meetings, travel, and trustee engagements to secure principal and transformational gifts.

Skills

Leadership

Prospect management

Strategic fundraising

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Associate Senior Vice President for Development

The University of Southern California seeks an accomplished advancement executive to serve as Associate Senior Vice President for Development focused on principal and transformational giving. This leader will shape and execute enterprise-wide philanthropic strategies, personally advance USC's most significant gift opportunities, and align partners across the university around ambitious institutional priorities.

The Associate Senior Vice President's leadership will encompass three principal areas:

• Lead a portfolio composed primarily of prospects with the capacity to make gifts of $10 million or more.
• Drive the closure of $25 million or more in gifts annually, including at least $10 million for health sciences and the establishment of at least one endowed chair.
• Provide strategic leadership for principal and transformational giving, international philanthropy, athletics principal gift fundraising, and the university's East Coast regional strategy.

The Opportunity

Reporting to the Senior Vice President for Advancement, the Associate Senior Vice President will serve as both an enterprise advancement leader and one of USC's most senior frontline fundraisers. The role requires the ability to mobilize leaders and fundraising teams across a complex institution while personally advancing relationships and gift opportunities of extraordinary scale.

Additional Key Responsibilities

• Build and advance a robust proposal pipeline, including five to seven proposals of $10 million or more, five to nine proposals in the $1 million to $9.99 million range, and at least one proposal at the $100 million level.
• Lead strategic planning and execution for comprehensive fundraising initiatives, aligning philanthropic opportunities across academic, research, health sciences, athletics, and broader institutional priorities.
• Establish fundraising priorities, governance processes, and accountability frameworks, and lead senior teams responsible for principal giving, international philanthropy, and regional fundraising.
• Bring renewed focus to USC's international fundraising strategy and build the organizational capacity to grow annual international philanthropy from its current level of more than $35 million toward a goal of more than $75 million.
• Drive the university's East Coast regional strategy and significant philanthropic opportunities supporting USC Athletics.
• Partner with executive and academic leaders, fundraisers, and other colleagues to advance complex gift opportunities requiring university-wide coordination and to foster a culture of collaboration and shared accountability.
• Support the university president, trustees, and volunteer leaders in advancing principal and transformational gift opportunities, including preparing for and staffing donor meetings and travel and participating in trustee meetings as requested.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or combined experience and education as a substitute for the minimum education requirement.
• At least 10 years of relevant professional experience, including at least eight years in a leadership role.
• Deep knowledge of comprehensive fundraising