Description

Vice President for University Advancement

Position Category: Staff (Exempt)
FLSA: Exempt
FTE: 1
Location: Thousand Oaks

University Background:
The mission of California Lutheran University is to educate leaders for a global society who are strong in character and judgment, confident in their identity and vocation, and committed to service and justice. Founded in 1959 in beautiful Ventura County, the university has an enrollment of about 4,000 undergraduate and graduate students who come from across the nation and around the world from a diversity of backgrounds, cultures and faiths. As a federally recognized Hispanic-Serving Institution, Cal Lutheran is looking for candidates with a dedication to and success in working in diverse communities. The university is committed to an inclusive learning and work environment that values individual differences and respects each person's dignity.

Basic Function:
Reporting to the Chief Strategy and Growth Officer, the Vice President for University Advancement serves as the University's senior advancement executive responsible for providing visionary leadership for philanthropy, alumni and family engagement, advancement operations, donor relations, and strategic external partnerships that advance California Lutheran University's mission, long-term sustainability, and institutional growth.

Working closely with the President, Chief Strategy and Growth Officer, Provost, Cabinet, Board of Regents, and university leadership, the Vice President develops and executes comprehensive advancement strategies that expand philanthropic investment, strengthen constituent engagement, cultivate strategic partnerships, and align philanthropic priorities with the University's academic excellence, enrollment growth, brand development, and strategic priorities.

The Vice President serves as a collaborative executive leader who leverages philanthropy, constituent engagement, and external relationships to support innovation, student success, academic excellence, and transformational institutional initiatives while fostering a culture of philanthropy, collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Representative Duties:
Advancement Strategy and Institutional Leadership

• Provide strategic leadership for the University's comprehensive advancement program, including major gifts, annual giving, planned giving, corporate and foundation relations, alumni and family engagement, advancement services, and campaign initiatives.
• Develop and implement comprehensive advancement strategies that support the University's strategic priorities, long-term sustainability, and institutional growth.
• Partner with the President, Chief Strategy and Growth Officer, Provost, and executive leadership to identify philanthropic opportunities that advance academic excellence, student success, institutional innovation, and strategic priorities.
• Lead long-term philanthropic investment, fundraising, and endowment growth strategies that diversify revenue sources and strengthen the University's financial sustainability.
• Foster a university-wide culture of philanthropy by engaging academic and administrative leadership, faculty, staff, alumni, volunteers, and donors in advancing institutional priorities.
• Provide visionary leadership for the University Advancement division while promoting innovation, collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Philanthropic Leadership and Fundraising

• Develop and execute comprehensive fundraising strategies that increase annual giving, major gifts, principal gifts, planned giving, corporate support, foundation grants, and endowment growth.
• Personally manage a portfolio of major and principal gift prospects and maintain responsibility for cultivating, soliciting, closing, and stewarding transformational philanthropic investments.
• Partner with the President and Board of Regents to cultivate strategic donor relationships and secure major philanthropic commitments.
• Lead the planning, implementation, and evaluation of comprehensive and capital campaigns.
• Strengthen donor stewardship and constituent engagement strategies that increase donor retention, lifetime giving, and philanthropic participation.
• Identify emerging philanthropic opportunities and develop innovative fundraising approaches that expand the University's base of support.

Strategic Partnerships and Constituent Engagement

• Provide executive leadership for alumni and family engagement, corporate and foundation relations, community partnerships, donor relations, and constituent engagement strategies.
• Develop strategic relationships with corporations, foundations, community organizations, alumni, and other external partners that support institutional priorities and long-term growth.
• Collaborate with University leadership to develop philanthropic partnerships that support scholarships, academic initiatives, experiential learning, workforce development, and student success.
• Represent the University in advancement-related activities, professional organizations, community events, and donor engagement opportunities to strengthen institutional visibility and philanthropic support.
• Collaborate with University leadership to identify and develop philanthropic partnerships that support strategic initiatives and institutional priorities.

Institutional Collaboration and Strategic Growth

• Collaborate with executive leadership to align advancement initiatives, philanthropic investments, and constituent engagement strategies with the University's strategic priorities and long-term growth objectives.
• Partner with academic and administrative leaders to identify philanthropic opportunities that support new academic programs, strategic initiatives, capital projects, student success initiatives, and institutional innovation.
• Utilize data, analytics, and constituent insights to inform advancement strategies, evaluate organizational performance, and identify opportunities for growth and continuous improvement.
• Advance enterprise-wide strategic initiatives by leveraging philanthropy, constituent engagement, and external partnerships to support institutional priorities and long-term organizational growth.
• Provide strategic advancement counsel to executive leadership regarding philanthropic opportunities that support institutional priorities.

Advancement Operations and Organizational Effectiveness

• Provide executive oversight for advancement services, prospect research, donor relations, gift administration, advancement communications, fundraising analytics, and campaign operations.
• Establish fundraising goals, key performance indicators, and accountability measures to evaluate organizational performance and advancement effectiveness.
• Ensure compliance with applicable laws, regulations, ethical fundraising standards, University policies, and gift administration requirements.
• Develop and administer the division's operating budget and ensure effective stewardship of University resources.

Leadership and Administration

• Recruit, develop, mentor, and retain a high-performing advancement team while fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Provide leadership, coaching, and professional development opportunities that strengthen organizational capacity and succession planning.
• Prepare and present advancement reports, campaign updates, fundraising analyses, and strategic recommendations to the President, Board of Regents, Cabinet, and other University leadership.
• Serve as a member of the University's executive leadership team, contributing advancement expertise to institutional planning, policy development, and strategic initiatives.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Knowledge Of:

• Principles and practices of university advancement, including annual giving, major gifts, principal gifts, planned giving, comprehensive campaigns, donor stewardship, and endowment development.
• Philanthropic strategy, fundraising best practices, and constituent engagement within higher education.
• Alumni and family engagement, donor relations, corporate and foundation relations, and community partnership development.
• Strategic planning principles, organizational leadership, and change management.
• Higher education governance, organizational structure, and the relationship between philanthropy, academic priorities, enrollment, and institutional sustainability.
• Financial management, budget development, and resource allocation.
• Advancement services, prospect research, constituent relationship management (CRM) systems, fundraising analytics, and performance metrics.
• Principles and practices of organizational development, performance management, and staff leadership.
• Marketing, communications, and brand positioning strategies that support philanthropic engagement and institutional advancement.
• Applicable federal and state laws, regulations, ethical standards, and best practices governing charitable giving, gift administration, and nonprofit fundraising.
• Enterprise technology systems and Microsoft Office Suite, including constituent relationship management systems, data analytics, collaboration platforms, and fundraising technologies.

Ability To:

• Provide visionary leadership for a comprehensive university advancement program that supports institutional priorities and long-term growth.
• Develop and execute strategic fundraising, philanthropic engagement, and constituent relations initiatives that advance the University's mission and strategic goals.
• Cultivate, solicit, and steward transformational philanthropic investments from individuals, corporations, foundations, and other external partners.
• Develop and sustain collaborative relationships with the President, Board of Regents, executive leadership, faculty, staff, alumni, donors, volunteers, and community stakeholders.
• Translate institutional priorities into effective fundraising strategies, campaigns, and philanthropic opportunities.
• Utilize data, analytics, and market intelligence to guide strategic planning, evaluate performance, and support informed decision-making.
• Lead, inspire, mentor, and develop high-performing teams while fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Lead organizational change and effectively manage multiple complex initiatives in a dynamic and evolving higher education environment.
• Represent the University with professionalism, credibility, diplomacy, and political acumen in a variety of internal and external settings.
• Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with diverse audiences, including executive leadership, governing boards, donors, alumni, community leaders, and external partners.
• Exercise sound judgment, discretion, and confidentiality in managing sensitive, complex, and highly visible matters.

Minimum Qualifications:
Any combination equivalent to: Master's degree from an accredited institution in higher education administration, business administration, nonprofit management, public administration, communications, or a related field.
Ten (10) years of progressively responsible executive leadership experience in university advancement, development, fundraising, philanthropy, or related areas, including experience leading comprehensive advancement programs, major gift fundraising, and organizational leadership.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in higher education advancement, preferably within a comprehensive university.
• Demonstrated success leading comprehensive or capital fundraising campaigns.
• Experience partnering with presidents, governing boards, and executive leadership on institutional fundraising and strategic initiatives.
• Demonstrated success securing transformational philanthropic investments from individuals, corporations, and foundations.
• Experience leading organizational change, strategic growth initiatives, or institutional transformation efforts.
• Experience developing strategic partnerships that advance academic excellence, student success, community engagement, or institutional priorities.

Licenses and Other Requirements:
N.A.

Physical Abilities:
Detect to understand appropriate written correspondence; operate a computer and other office productivity machinery, such as a calculator, copy machine, and computer printer; communicate to exchange information in person, in writing, on the telephone and by email; stationary position for extended periods of time; move or transport light objects; position self to store and/or retrieve files

Working Environment:
Office environment; frequent travel.

Hiring Range $200,000-$250,000+, commensurate with experience
Posting Number: Staff005322022
Open Date: 06/19/2026
Close Date: 8/2/2026

Application Procedure/Special Instructions

To apply, visit https://careers.callutheran.edu/postings/13390

California Lutheran University is committed to providing equal opportunity in employment for all persons, regardless of race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, marital status, sex, age, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender, gender identity or expression, or any other basis protected by applicable law. No person shall be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination in any program, activity or facility of the University on the basis of these factors in a manner consistent with applicable federal and state laws, regulations, ordinances, orders and rules, and University's policies, procedures, and processes.

Upon request, reasonable accommodations in the application process can be provided to individuals with qualifying disabilities. Please contact the Human Resources Department for further information or to request an accommodation.





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