Vice President for Alumni Affairs and Development

Yale University; New Haven (CT); On-site; USD 250,000 - 350,000; Full time

Job summary

Yale University seeks an accomplished, visionary leader to serve as Vice President for Alumni Affairs and Development. Reporting to the President, this role leads one of the nation’s most respected advancement organizations and shapes the future of alumni engagement, philanthropy, and institutional impact.

The Vice President will oversee development, alumni engagement, and major gifts, guiding a decentralized enterprise with ~400 professionals and coordinating with senior university leaders to

Qualifications

• Significant senior leadership experience in advancement, philanthropy, alumni relations, or a closely related field with fundraising success.
• Proven track record strengthening alumni engagement and cultivating lifelong relationships with alumni, volunteers, and donors; strong communication skills.
• Executive leadership experience in large, complex institutions and systems-oriented thinking.
• Experience partnering with presidents, boards, and academic leaders; high emotional intelligence.
• Deep curiosity for scholarship and higher education; ability to translate academic priorities into philanthropic opportunities and leverage data/analytics.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic direction for Yale’s comprehensive advancement enterprise.
• Oversee development and alumni affairs, donor relations, and campaign strategy.
• Lead an organization of nearly 400 professionals and drive alignment across a decentralized environment.
• Translate Yale’s academic ambitions into compelling opportunities for alumni, donors, and partners.
• Represent Yale with credibility and build enduring philanthropic investments.

Skills

Senior leadership

Alumni engagement

Relationship-building

Executive leadership

Higher education

Philanthropy

Analytics

Data-driven

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Working at Yale means contributing to a better tomorrow. Whether you are a current resident of our New Haven-based community- eligible for opportunities through the New Haven Hiring Initiative or a newcomer, interested in exploring all that Yale has to offer, your talents and contributions are welcome. Discover your opportunities at Yale!

Job Description

1. Develops goals and implements plans for various administrative functions.
2. May perform other duties as assigned.

Required Education and Experience

Bachelor’s degree and fifteen or more years of experience or the equivalent combination of education and experience.

Overview

Yale University seeks an accomplished, visionary, and collaborative leader to serve as its next Vice President for Alumni Affairs and Development (Vice President). Reporting to President Maurie McInnis and serving on the President’s Cabinet and Vice Presidents Council, the Vice President will lead one of the nation’s most respected advancement organizations and help shape the future of one of the world’s preeminent universities.

This is an extraordinary opportunity to build on significant momentum and help define Yale’s next era of alumni engagement, philanthropy, and institutional impact. Yale recently concluded a historic $7 billion campaign that surpassed its goals—demonstrating remarkable commitment from alumni, donors, volunteers, and friends. The next Vice President will sustain this success while positioning Yale to seize emerging opportunities and navigate a rapidly evolving higher education landscape.

As Yale’s chief advancement officer, the Vice President will steward one of the most passionate and influential alumni communities in the world, guided by the belief that alumni engagement and philanthropy are mutually reinforcing expressions of lifelong connection to the University.

The Vice President will strengthen relationships across generations and expand opportunities for engagement, service, advocacy, volunteer leadership, and philanthropic investment.

The Vice President will provide strategic direction and executive oversight for Yale’s comprehensive advancement enterprise. Leading an organization of nearly 400 professionals, the Vice President will oversee all aspects of development and alumni affairs, driving alignment across a complex, decentralized environment and advancing University-wide priorities.

In close partnership with the President, Provost, Deans, faculty leaders, trustees, and alumni volunteers, the Vice President will translate Yale’s academic ambitions into compelling opportunities for alumni, donors, and partners to support transformative impact.

The role encompasses leadership of an integrated organization responsible for development, alumni engagement, principal and major gifts, annual giving, planned giving, corporate and foundation relations, advancement services, prospect development, donor relations, and campaign strategy.

A visible and trusted ambassador for Yale, the Vice President will represent the University with credibility, authenticity, intellectual curiosity, and distinction—building enduring relationships and securing philanthropic investments that advance Yale’s mission and global influence.

Required Skills and Abilities

1. Significant senior leadership experience in advancement, philanthropy, alumni relations, or a closely related field, with a distinguished record of fundraising success, including experience securing and stewarding transformational gifts.
2. Demonstrated success strengthening alumni engagement and cultivating lifelong relationships with alumni, volunteers, and donors; exceptional communication, relationship-building, and consensus-building skills.
3. Executive leadership experience and the ability to lead large, complex organizations and develop high-performing teams; a systems-oriented mindset and the ability to operate effectively in a decentralized environment.
4. Experience serving as an executive leader within complex institutions and contributing meaningfully to enterprise-wide strategy and decision-making; experience partnering effectively with presidents, boards, academic leaders, faculty, and volunteers; high emotional intelligence and sound judgment.
5. Deep intellectual curiosity and genuine enthusiasm for scholarship, research, and higher education; the capacity to engage thoughtfully with complex academic priorities and translate them into compelling philanthropic opportunities; experience leveraging data, analytics, technology, and emerging tools to strengthen organizational effectiveness and constituent engagement.

Background Check Requirements

All candidates for employment will be subject to pre-employment background screening for this position, which may include motor vehicle, DOT certification, drug testing and credit checks based on the position description and job requirements. All offers are contingent upon the successful completion of the background check. For additional information on the background check requirements and process visit "Learn about background checks" under the Applicant Support Resources section of Careers on the It's Your Yale website.

COVID-19 Vaccine Requirement

The University maintains policies pertaining to COVID-19. All faculty, staff, students, and trainees are required to comply with these policies, which may be found here: https://campushealth.yale.edu/covid-19-information

Posting Disclaimer

The intent of this job description is to provide a representative summary of the essential functions that will be required of the position and should not be construed as a declaration of specific duties and responsibilities of the position. Employees will be assigned specific job-related duties throughtheir hiring department.

University policy is committed to affirmative action under law in employment of women, minority group members, individuals with disabilities, and protected veterans. Additionally, in accordance with Yale's Policy Against Discrimination and Harassment, and as delineated by federal and Connecticut law, Yale does not discriminate in admissions, educational programs, or employment against any individual on account of that individual's sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, age, disability, status as a special disabled veteran, veteran of the Vietnam era or other covered veteran.

Inquiries concerning Yale's Policy Against Discrimination and Harassment may be referred to the Office of Institutional Equity and Accessibility (OIEA).

Note

Yale University is a tobacco-free campus.