Associate Vice President, Alumni and Community Experiences

The University of Chicago; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 256,000 - 302,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Chicago Advancement seeks a senior leader to guide alumni relations, annual giving, and communications. Reporting to the Vice President, this AVP will craft strategies, inspire teams, and steward key donors to support Chicago Minds and other campaigns.

Hybrid work arrangement in Hyde Park, with extensive collaboration across schools and units, and a focus on building lifelong connections with the University’s global community.

Qualifications

• Ten years of nonprofit management, development, alumni relations, or related field.
• Experience leading donor relations, campaigns, and engagement programs.
• Proven ability to manage staff, budgets, and complex projects.
• Strong collaboration with senior leaders, volunteers, and faculty.
• Proficiency with donor management systems and MS Office suite.

Responsibilities

• Architect and execute a strategic engagement plan that deepens alumni and donor connection.
• Lead signature experiences and campaigns to drive participation and giving.
• Oversee alumni relations, stewardship, annual giving, communications, and events.
• Drive campaign strategy and donor relations with leadership and volunteers.
• Develop and mentor staff, ensuring accountability and career growth.

Skills

Nonprofit leadership

Strategic thinking

People management

Stakeholder management

Data-driven decision making

Education

Bachelor's degree

Advanced degree

Tools

Phoenix CRM

Outlook

Excel

PowerPoint

Word

Access

Job description

Department

ADV Advancement

About the Department

The University of Chicago has retained Lindauer (http://www.linduaerglobal.com/), a global search and talent firm, to support this recruitment. Faith Montgomery, Executive Vice President (https://www.lindauerglobal.com/about/our-team/?member=faith-montgomery) is leading this search. 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 Information

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.

Responsibilities

• Experience Architecture - 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.
• Strategic Leadership and Vision - 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.
• Change 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.
• Integrated Portfolio Oversight - 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.
• Campaign Strategy Execution - 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.
• Donor Relations Strategy - drive the development of a comprehensive donor relations operating strategy that strengthens stewardship and impact communication.
• Annual Giving - 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.
• Team Development - 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.

Competencies

• Vision and Enthusiasm for the Role - the successful candidate will be genuinely inspired by this opportunity and energized by the scope of change already underway at UChicago Advancement.
• Strategic Alignment - work across the enterprise to foster cohesion among systems, people, culture, strategies, and tactics. Ensure teams have clear, shared priorities and hold staff responsible for focusing on and implementing the strategy. Build talent and operational capacity to meet current and future enterprise needs.
• Continuous Improvement - drive a culture of data-informed decision-making, continuous evaluation, and innovation to adapt to evolving institutional needs and the dynamic landscape of higher education advancement.
• Team Development - provide guidance and support to help team members learn and grow. Create a challenging and supportive environment for direct reports and others to assume ownership for programs and results, take intelligent risks, and learn from mistakes. Provide direct feedback and coaching that ensures accountability, professional development, and team success.
• Innovative and Accountable Leadership - approach the work with a spirit of experimentation and measured risk-taking, accepting the invitation to test new ideas, learn from outcomes, and build a culture where thoughtful failure is a pathway to growth. Champion shared accountability by fostering mutual trust and ensuring that bold ambitions are matched by disciplined follow-through.
• Partnership and Collaboration - cultivate strong, collaborative relationships with University leadership, volunteer leaders, and other partners across schools, divisions, and units to amplify engagement efforts and foster a unified, university-wide approach to advancement. Connect with peer organizations and professional associations to build UChicago Advancement's national reputation and presence. Ensure partners' experience is top of mind in all areas of Advancement activity.
• Operational Excellence and Fiscal Management - oversee departmental budgets and resources with financial acumen, fostering operational excellence and ensuring efficient, timely, and cost-effective execution of programs and initiatives.
• Executive Leadership Presence - operate as a sophisticated, emotionally intelligent member of the Advancement executive team, bringing the strategic perspective, interpersonal acuity, and institutional awareness required to lead at this level of a complex research university.

Additional Responsibilities

Education: Bachelor's degree required. Advanced degree preferred.

Experience or Certifications:

• 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.

Technical Knowledge or Skills: 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.

Working Conditions and Physical Requirements: This position has a hybrid work schedule which includes weekly in office presence. Standard office environment. Travel to campus and/or non-campus locations for University business. Work evenings and weekends as needed.

Required Documents:

• Resume/CV (required)
• Cover Letter (required)

The University of Chicago uses AI-assisted tools to streamline and augment some recruitment processes; however, AI is not used to make hiring decisions.

Job Family: Senior Administrators

Scheduled Weekly Hours: 37.5

Drug Test Required: No

Health Screen Required: No

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required: No

Pay Frequency: Monthly

Pay Rate Type: Salary

FLSA Status: Exempt

Pay Range: $275,000.00 - $325,000.00

The included pay rate or range represents the University's good faith estimate of the possible compensation offer for this role at the time of posting.

Benefits Eligible: Yes

Information about the benefit offerings can be found in the Benefits Guidebook.

Posting Statement

The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.

All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history. A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment. Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case‑by‑case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, and its relevance to the position.

The University of Chicago's Annual Security & Fire Safety Report (Report) provides information about University offices and programs that provide safety support, crime and fire statistics, emergency response and communications plans, and other policies and information. The Report can be accessed online at: http://securityreport.uchicago.edu. Paper copies of the Report are available, upon request, from the University of Chicago Police Department, 850 E. 61st Street, Chicago, IL 60637.

Location

Hyde Park at 5235 South Harper Court.