Associate Vice President for Colleges and Units

Executive Leadership Opportunity: Associate Vice President for Colleges and Units
Cornell University - Ithaca, NY

Founded on the principle that any person can find instruction in any study, Cornell University is a premier Ivy League institution committed to academic excellence, innovative research, and transformative education. Thanks, in large measure to a deeply-rooted and highly successful culture of philanthropy and institutional advancement, Cornell provides educational and research excellence that shapes future leaders and leads to groundbreaking discoveries that impact our world in myriad positive ways.

The Division of Alumni Affairs and Development (AAD) serves as the driving force behind the institution's comprehensive advancement efforts, partnering with academic leadership, faculty, and administrators to secure philanthropic support and foster meaningful alumni engagement. Operating in a sophisticated hybrid centralized-decentralized model, AAD provides strategic oversight and support to college and unit-based development teams while maintaining strong central services and programs.

Position Overview:
Reporting to the Senior Associate Vice President of Alumni Affairs and Development, the Associate Vice President for Colleges and Units (AVP) serves as a senior leader within AAD and key member of the Vice President's Senior Leadership Team. This executive position is one of two AVP roles responsible for managing Assistant/Associate Deans and Directors, working in close partnership with them to ensure strategic alignment and sector leadership across the division.

The AVP will oversee development activities for a diverse portfolio of colleges and units, including the SC Johnson College of Business, College of Arts & Science, Brooks School of Public Policy, College of Human Ecology, College of Architecture, Art and Planning, School of Industrial and Labor Relations, the Library, and Student and Campus Life/Athletics. Additionally, this leader will provide strategic oversight of Leadership Annual Giving, including the Cornell Annual Fund.

Key Leadership Responsibilities:
Strategic Leadership and Team Management

• Guide strategic planning and execution of annual fundraising and engagement initiatives across multiple units
• Lead and mentor a team of 70+ advancement professionals, with 9 direct reports, to successfully meet and build upon goals; regularly track progress and manage team performance
• Provide professional growth/development to staff via training opportunities, career mapping, and growth opportunities
• Oversee the Leadership Annual Giving program
• Foster a culture of excellence, accountability, and continuous improvement

Strategic Cohort Management and Academic Partnerships

• Identify and cultivate interconnections between fundraising and engagement goals of colleges/units with broader university priorities
• Lead forecasting efforts for Colleges and Units to ensure alignment with institutional objectives
• Partner with university major gifts and principal gifts teams to develop and execute prospect strategies
• Serve as a bridge between university and college-unit initiatives by advocating for best practices and ensure compliance with protocols while maintaining transparency in operations
• Track and manage fundraising progress through established metrics and expectations

Senior Leadership Team Engagement

• Actively participate in Vice President's Senior Leadership Team meetings
• Contribute strategic insight on divisional priorities and initiatives
• Lead necessary sub-committees and special projects in support of the division's mission
• Work collaboratively with senior staff on management and leadership issues
• Drive forward key initiatives through cross-functional leadership

The successful candidate must demonstrate:

• A bachelor's degree and minimum of 10 years of experience in progressively responsible development leadership positions, which includes work in functional areas of development and campaign execution
• Demonstrated track record of managing complex relationships and ability to provide management oversight, leadership, and direction with at least five years of significant supervisory experience
• Particular strength in developing strategic and comprehensive fundraising plans and executing against these plans to achieve goals and objectives. Creating and managing a budget is critical
• Experience with securing significant gifts, including cultivation through solicitation and stewardship, as well as experience working with related areas that may include planned giving, corporate and foundation relations, alumni affairs and annual fund strategies for identifying the next generation of leadership donors
• Experience in managing and developing high-performing teams
• Commitment to fostering an environment where everyone feels they belong and can do their best work.

The Associate Vice President for Colleges and Units role presents an extraordinary opportunity for a strategic advancement leader to join Cornell University's forward-thinking development division. This pivotal position will drive philanthropic strategy across multiple prestigious schools and units, balancing strategic vision with tactical execution while fostering collaboration among diverse stakeholders. The successful candidate will work alongside dedicated faculty, administrators, and advancement professionals to shape the future of higher education through transformational giving.

In an environment where diversity of thought is celebrated and innovation is embraced, this leader will partner with Cornell's senior leadership to advance the institution's continuing story of excellence in education, research, and public engagement, making a significant and lasting impact on one of the world's premier universities.

This position is based in Ithaca, NY with hybrid work arrangements (3 days on campus and the remainder remote from a commutable distance).

The salary range for this position is $305,000 - $320,000.

No visa sponsorship available for this position.

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Non-Union Positions

Noted pay ranges reflect the potential pay opportunity for each job profile. The hiring rate of pay for the successful candidate will be determined considering the following criteria:

• Prior relevant work or industry experience

• Education level to the extent education is relevant to the position

• Unique applicable skills

• Academic Discipline

To learn more about Cornell's non-union staff job titles and pay ranges, see Career Navigator.

Union Positions

The hiring rate of pay for the successful candidate will be determined in accordance with the rates in the respective collective bargaining agreement. To learn more about Cornell's union wages, see Union Pay Rates.

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For general questions about the position or the application process, please contact the Recruiter listed in the job posting or email mycareer@cornell.edu.

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EEEO Statement:

Cornell University's history of diversity and inclusion encourages all students, faculty and staff to support a diverse and inclusive university in which to work, study, teach, research and serve. No person shall be denied employment on the basis of any legally protected status or subjected to prohibited discrimination involving, but not limited to, such factors as race, ethnic or national origin, citizenship and immigration status, color, sex, pregnancy or pregnancy-related conditions, age, creed, religion, actual or perceived disability (including persons associated with such a person), arrest and/or conviction record, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender expression and/or identity, an individual's genetic information, domestic violence victim status, familial status, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

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