Senior Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations

Dartmouth College; Hanover (NH); Hybrid; USD 250,000 - 500,000; Full time

Job summary

Dartmouth College is seeking a Senior Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations to guide the university’s global advancement initiatives and set priorities for engaging alumni, parents, volunteers, and donors. The SVP will oversee Alumni Relations, Development, and Advancement Administration in partnership with senior leaders to advance philanthropic support.

Reporting to the President, the SVP will lead large, diverse teams, build strategic collaborations across the academic

Qualifications

• 15+ years of progressively responsible advancement leadership experience.
• Ability to cultivate, solicit, and steward significant gifts from individuals, foundations, and corporations.

Responsibilities

• Develops an ambitious, forward-thinking vision for the advancement organization and multi-year fundraising strategies.
• Leads Dartmouth's advancement teams across five schools and coordinates with senior leadership.
• Oversees financial management, budgeting, and performance metrics for the division.

Skills

Advancement leadership

Donor solicitation

Strategic planning

Team leadership

Communication skills

Stakeholder management

Change management

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

CRM systems

Campaign management

Data analytics

Job description

Position Information

Posting date: 10/22/2026

Closing date:

Open Until Filled: Yes

Position Number: 1129729

Position Title: Senior Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations

Hiring Range Minimum: Please inquire.

Hiring Range Maximum: Please inquire.

Union Type: Not a Union Position

SEIU Level: Not an SEIU Position

FLSA Status: Exempt

Employment Category: Regular Full Time

Scheduled Months per Year: 12

Scheduled Hours per Week: 40

Schedule:

Location of Position: Hanover, NH Centerra Parkway

Remote Work Eligibility?: Hybrid

Is this a term position?: No

If yes, length of term in months.: NA

Is this a grant funded position?: No

Position Purpose

Reporting directly to the President and serving as a member of the senior leadership team, the Senior Vice President (SVP) for Development and Alumni Relations leads Dartmouth's global advancement enterprise. The SVP is responsible for setting advancement priorities and promoting an innovative, comprehensive, and sustainable program to engage Dartmouth's alumni, parents, friends, volunteers, and unaffiliated prospective donors in lifelong connection, service, and philanthropic support.

The SVP oversees Alumni Relations, Development, and Advancement Administration. This includes direct oversight of advancement teams embedded in Dartmouth's five schools, all of which are increasingly committed to philanthropic engagement. Working in partnership with the Senior Vice President for Transformational Strategy and Philanthropy, the SVP will define and operationalize the interface between the broad advancement function and Dartmouth's transformational strategy and philanthropy work.

Required Qualifications – Education and Yrs Exp

Bachelors or equivalent combination of education and experience

Required Qualifications – Skills, Knowledge and Abilities

• At least 15 years of progressively responsible advancement leadership experience in institutions of comparable complexity, with substantial exposure to development, alumni relations, advancement services, campaign planning, and communications.
• Demonstrated success personally cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding significant gifts from individuals, foundations, and corporations, along with the credibility to coach presidents, deans, trustees, volunteers, and senior leaders in donor strategy.
• A deep commitment to Dartmouth's mission, liberal arts education, research excellence, and societal impact.
• Ability to lead and implement operational transformation to support an ambitious advancement strategy, ensuring an operationally rigorous advancement culture with clear decision rights, compliance protocols, prospect management systems, and campaign processes that improve coordination and results.
• Proven ability to lead, motivate, and develop large, complex teams; establish clear goals and accountability; strengthen talent pipelines; and foster a culture of collaboration, professional growth, innovation, inclusion, and high performance.
• The ability to build strong collaborative relationships with and earn the trust of senior leaders, trustees, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, volunteers, donors, and colleagues across the academic community.
• Superior written and oral communication skills, with clarity, crispness, and elegance in translating complex institutional priorities into persuasive advancement narratives for multiple audiences.
• Exceptional interpersonal and influencing skills to address complex, ambiguous challenges with creativity and pragmatism; skilled at breaking down barriers and finding actionable solutions.
• Intellectual depth, maturity, judgment, personal integrity, resilience, humility, and the confidence to earn trust across Dartmouth's leadership, donor, volunteer, alumni, and staff communities.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Dartmouth College is an equal opportunity employer under federal law. We prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, veteran status, marital status, or any other legally protected status. Applications are welcome from all.

Background Check

Employment in this position is contingent upon consent to and successful completion of a pre-employment background check, which may include a criminal background check, reference checks, verification of work history, conduct review, and verification of any required academic credentials, licenses, and/or certifications, with results acceptable to Dartmouth College. A criminal conviction will not automatically disqualify an applicant from employment. Background check information will be used in a confidential, non-discriminatory manner consistent with state and federal law.

Is driving a vehicle (e.g. Dartmouth vehicle or off road vehicle, rental car, personal car) an essential function of this job?

Preferred, but not required

Key Accountabilities

Strategic Leadership

• Develops an ambitious, forward-thinking vision for the advancement organization by crafting and operationalizing multi-year fundraising and engagement strategies that support institutional priorities set by the President.
• Serves as a member of Dartmouth's Senior Leadership Team and a close partner to the President, Provost, deans, and other institutional leaders.
• Establishes clear direction and data-driven measurable goals, and inspires and empowers staff through active communication, collaboration, delegation, accountability, and professional growth.
• Ensures sustainable, long-term growth in philanthropic contributions and ever-increasing alumni, parent, and friend support.
• Provides oversight, direction and vision across Alumni Relations, Development, and Advancement Administration, including teams embedded in Dartmouth's five schools.
• Leads, motivates, and develops large, complex teams, establish clear goals and accountability, strengthening talent pipeline, and fostering a culture of collaboration, professional growth, innovation, inclusion, and high performance.

Percentage Of Time: 40%

Fundraising and Prospect Engagement

• Personally cultivates, solicits, and stewards a select portfolio of significant prospects and donors.
• Ensures that frontline teams execute effective engagement, solicitation, and stewardship strategies.
• Staffs the Advancement Committee of the Board of Trustees, supports volunteer leadership, and identifies additional areas of opportunity.

Percentage Of Time: 35%

Operations

• Oversees the division's financial management and resource allocation, including budget stewardship, financial planning and forecasting, and the metrics used to evaluate return on advancement investment.
• Sets strategic direction for Advancement's utilization of AI, information systems, data governance, and technology infrastructure to ensure data integrity and support the division's goals.
• Leads organizational design, talent strategy, and change management for the division, building a high-performing, inclusive workforce and aligning structure and staffing with evolving institutional and campaign priorities.
• Establishes performance metrics, risk management practices, and internal controls across the division, and ensures market and constituent research inform strategic planning.

Percentage Of Time: 25%

Demonstrates professionalism and collegiality through actions, interactions, and communications with others appropriate to an environment that is welcoming to all.

Performs other duties as assigned.