Assistant Director of Institutional Advancement
Founded in 1860, Bard College is an international network of highly innovative and admired educational institutions grounded in the liberal arts and sciences. Simon’s Rock at Bard College actualizes the simple yet radical idea that many students are ready for college before the age of 18. This idea, first envisioned by Elizabeth Blodgett Hall on the original Simon’s Rock campus in 1966 in Great Barrington, MA, launched the Early College movement in the United States and beyond. Simon’s Rock has carried out this mission for 59 years in Great Barrington, and in July of 2025 is relocating to the Massena campus of Bard College, in Annandale-on-Hudson, NY.
In this new location, Simon’s Rock will have a diverse student population of approximately 180 students, both boarding and day students, drawn nationally and internationally, with a significant population of students identifying as LGBTQIA+. This includes enrollment in the Early College Associate in Arts degree program as well as in Bard Academy. Launched in 2015, Bard Academy is a two-year high school program with courses designed and taught by college professors and leading to entry into college after the 10th grade. Students at the Massena campus may enter the Early College either as matriculants from Bard Academy or as students directly admitted to Early College after completing 10th or 11th grade, or the equivalent in homeschooled or non-traditional pathways.
The Role:
For Simon’s Rock at Bard College, we seek an energetic and committed individual for the role of Assistant Director of Institutional Advancement as a member of the Simon’s Rock Institutional Advancement team. Institutional Advancement (IA) plays a vital role in the long-term well-being of Simon’s Rock and provides essential services and engagement opportunities to the College’s alumni, parents, and other stakeholders. Most crucially, it serves as the central resource for alumni and parent giving, as well as other forms of philanthropic support for the College. IA is responsible for securing resources for the Fund for Simon’s Rock, the Simon’s Rock endowment, corporate and foundation support, and estate planning from individual donors.
The Assistant Director of Institutional Advancement works in concert with the Director to manage the daily operations of the Advancement office. The Assistant Director helps guide the operational strategy and logistical elements of the Fund for Simon’s Rock, as well as other strategic philanthropic priorities underway and others as they emerge. Additionally, the Assistant Director plays a key role in the planning and execution of alumni and parent focused events and contributes directly to the team’s communication efforts through existing and future platforms, including both print and social media.
While direct experience in higher education and/or independent high schools is beneficial, we are also interested in candidates with development experience in non-profit organizations. Interest and experience in fundraising around women’s history, educational access, and/or LGBTQ+ issues are a plus.
This position is a full-time position with benefits, on-site five days per week at the Massena campus of Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, NY.
Duties include:
- In close coordination and collaboration with the Director of IA, provide strategic guidance, messaging, and oversight to the Manager for Annual Giving & Alumni Relations
- Maintain orderly day-to-day operations of development processes in the Office of Institutional Advancement
- Liaise with Bard campus-wide partners
- Working closely with Advancement Services and Director of IA, identify high net worth individuals and develop engagement strategies as needed
- In close collaboration with Director of IA and Provost, identify strategic geographical and substantive engagement opportunities with alumni and parents
- Manage portfolio of approximately 100 leadership and major gifts ($50,000 ) prospects
- Other related duties as assigned
Required qualifications:
- Bachelor’s Degree
- Minimum of 5-7 years experience in advancement, preferably in higher education, or in a closely related field
- Experience writing/editing for advancement
- Experience with CRMs and database management.
- High aptitude for learning new technologies and technological troubleshooting
- Ability to leverage high standards for information integrity and employ an ethical approach to handling of sensitive and confidential data
- Ability to communicate effectively with donors, alumni, and colleagues
Preferred qualifications:
- Event production experience
- Project management experience
- Experience with an Early College program
- Experience with an independent school and/or liberal arts college
Compensation:
$70,000 to $75,000
This salary range reflects the College's good faith and reasonable estimate of the compensation for the position at the time of the job posting. Salary decisions are dependent on several factors including but not limited to market and organizational considerations, experience, and qualifications of a selected candidate as well as internal and external equity.
Benefits Overview
We are pleased to offer our full-time employees an excellent benefit package which includes; multiple health insurance options; TIAA retirement plans; generous vacation, sick, and personal time; and more. To learn more about employee benefits and eligibility at Bard College, please visit https://www.bard.edu/humanresources/benefits/.
APPLY
All applications must be accompanied by a cover letter, résumé, and contact information for three references. Submit your files to interfolio.com. Address email inquiries to hr@simons-rock.edu. No phone calls, please. Applications will continue to be accepted until the position is filled.
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