Vice President of Advancement

Job Posting Title:
Vice President of Advancement
Job Description:
Position Overview:
Reporting to the President, the Vice President of Advancement will have the ability to translate the Institute’s mission into philanthropic partnerships.
The Vice President of Advancement will be a strong manager with the proven capability to lead and motivate members of the Advancement team, capitalizing upon their strengths and developing strategies to best utilize their time to advance KGI’s mission through the generous financial support of foundations, corporations, alumni, and other individuals.
The Vice President of Advancement will have demonstrated senior-level leadership and fundraising experience in an advancement team in prospect cultivation and management, direct solicitation, annual giving, major and planned giving management, comprehensive campaigns, community relations, and alumni engagement.
As the Institute’s chief fundraising officer, in partnership with the President and executive leadership colleagues, the Vice President of Advancement is the leading strategist, prospect, and donor relationship administrator (including identification and qualification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship) for the Institute.
Keck Graduate Institute (KGI) was founded in 1997 as the first higher education institution in the United States dedicated exclusively to education and research related to the applied life sciences. KGI offers innovative postgraduate degrees and certificates that integrate life and health sciences, business, pharmacy, engineering, and genetics, focusing on industry projects, hands-on industry experiences, and team collaborations. KGI employs an entrepreneurial approach and industry connections that allow students to become leaders in healthcare and the applied life sciences.
Located in beautiful Claremont, California, KGI is a member of the Claremont Colleges, a consortium of five undergraduate liberal arts colleges, two graduate institutions, and The Claremont Colleges Services, which provides shared institutional support services. Each nationally recognized college has its own campus, students and faculty, and distinctive mission, and each offers top-notch curricula, small classes, distinguished professors, and personalized instruction. The Claremont Colleges consistently place at the top of national college rankings, including Forbes, Money and U.S. News and World Report, and the Princeton Review.
Education and Experience:
A bachelor’s degree in any related field or equivalent professional experience. A minimum of Eight (8) years of progressively responsible experience as a development professional and manager in an innovative, forward-looking college environment is required. Demonstrated record of strategic relationship development, major gifts fundraising success, and experience in the implementation and understanding of marketing techniques is required.
An advanced degree, professional fundraising certification, alumni relationship development, and/or higher-education fundraising campaign leadership experience are preferred.
An equivalent combination of education, training, and experience that provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of the position may be considered.
Essential Functions and Responsibilities: Individuals must possess knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the essential function of the position or be able to explain or demonstrate how the essential functions may be performed, with or without reasonable accommodations, using some other combination of skills and abilities.
The Vice President is responsible for the development, implementation, and execution of strategic, annual, and operating plan goals and objectives related to the various Advancement functions; the determination of related performance metrics; and the measurement and evaluation of the Advancement’s performance against those goals.
Participate in strategic discussions and develop programs to strengthen the financial resources of the Institute.
Institutional Giving
The Vice President will develop short-term and long-range campaign strategies within Advancement and across other campus constituencies.
The Vice President directly supports the President and the Board of Trustees in fundraising activities and supports and coordinates the fundraising activities of the Institute’s academic and executive leadership.
Identify and secure partnerships with individuals, corporations, and foundations that can effectively support KGI’s philanthropic and community engagement goals.
Play a lead role in the education of all audiences so that they understand that philanthropy is a shared job and that philanthropy is essential for continued outstanding care.
Establish goals and objectives for campaign volunteer and staff structures, linking these goals with overall Advancement goals and fiscal year planning. Goals and objectives can be linked to tools, budgets, strategy, and metrics.
Partner with the President, Cabinet, and own team to engage deans, and faculty partners in campaign planning and goal attainment.
Maintain a dynamic portfolio of major gift prospects in all phases of qualifications.
Document and maintain clear and timely records and call reports to track contacts, donor giving, and notes, and assist in the maintenance of an accurate database.
Meet revenue goals for the institutional giving program as set by the President.
Support all giving efforts, including developing a department-wide yearly strategic plan.
Update policies, processes, and procedures for institutional giving and other policies as assigned.
Work with staff and key volunteers to develop, execute, and evaluate strategies to engage partners through outreach, education, invitations to special events, and personal contacts.
Alumni Engagement
Develop and own the end-to-end alumni engagement strategy.
Establish and maintain alumni engagement activities (panels, awards ceremonies, networking events, reunions) that offer professional value to engage alumni around their professional needs.
Create coherent process where alumni engagement directly supports admissions, the student experience, academic excellence and corporate partnerships.
Engagement-to-Investment Pipeline: Actively identify and qualify high- potential alumni through their participation and volunteerism, converting general engagement into a tangible pipeline of philanthropic support, advocates and ambassadors.
Develop and own the end-to-end alumni engagement strategy.
Establish and maintain alumni engagement activities (panels, awards ceremonies, networking events, reunions) that offer professional value to engage alumni around their professional needs.
Community Relations
Supports the President in identifying and connecting with community partners, government leaders, professional partners, and prospective friends of the institution.
Serves on the President’s Cabinet.
Serve as Liaison for the Advancement and Marketing Committee of the Board of Trustees.
Other duties as assigned.
Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
Individuals must possess knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the essential function of the position or be able to explain or demonstrate how the essential functions may be performed, with or without reasonable accommodations, usi