"Assistant Vice President, Solutions and Innovation"

Job Description Summary

The Assistant Vice President (AVP) for Solutions and Strategy Innovation is a senior executive leader within University Advancement at Miami University. This role is responsible for architecting and driving the strategic transformation of advancement operations—aligning technology, data, and people to enable a modern, insight-driven, and donor-centric advancement enterprise.

Job Description

The Assistant Vice President (AVP) for Solutions and Strategy Innovation is a senior executive leader within University Advancement at Miami University. This role is responsible for architecting and driving the strategic transformation of advancement operations—aligning technology, data, and people to enable a modern, insight-driven, and donor-centric advancement enterprise.

Reporting to the Vice President for University Advancement, the AVP will provide strategic oversight of the university’s enterprise CRM (Slate), analytics strategy, and advancement systems, while integrating decentralized efforts into a cohesive and scalable operational structure. The AVP will oversee the formation and leadership of key functional areas—Data Strategy, Information Systems, Analytics, Prospect Development, Pipeline Development, and future Innovation efforts—into a unified advancement operations team.

Acting as a systems thinker, strategic planner, and integrative leader, the AVP will ensure that operational units are aligned to deliver best-in-class service, fuel data-driven decision-making, and support Miami’s long-term fundraising and engagement goals. A key charge of this role is to build the infrastructure and insight capacity needed to support Miami University’s bold ambition of becoming an annual $100 million fundraising enterprise.

This role will champion a culture of continuous improvement, guide digital transformation efforts, and drive change management practices to modernize tools, streamline processes, and increase agility. The ideal candidate will be a mission-driven strategist with the ability to lead complex, multi-unit functions, foster innovation, and develop the capacity of staff while maintaining a strong commitment to collaboration, performance, and organizational excellence.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Systems Leadership

• Lead the design, execution, and adoption of enterprise platforms including the Slate CRM system.
• Build and oversee integrated operational units such as Information Systems, Analytics, Data Strategy, Pipeline Development, and Prospect Management.
• Develop a centralized advancement reporting infrastructure with predictive and real-time insight capabilities.

Organizational Development and Staff Leadership

• Create and lead a departmental strategic plan focused on continuous improvement, team development, and change leadership.
• Champion skill building and cross-training programs that foster agility, innovation, and staff advancement.
• Partner with HR to recruit, retain, and support a high-performing team.

Operational Planning and Governance

• Guide operational policy development, data governance, and cross-functional planning efforts.
• Oversee administrative budgets and strategic investments in technology and tools.
• Ensure operational alignment with legal, ethical, and university-wide policies and standards.

Innovation and Cross-Unit Coordination

• Establish and lead a Digital Leadership Cabinet to align advancement technologies and resource use.
• Foster a culture of experimentation, agility, and scalable innovation across Advancement.

Prospect Pipeline and Donor Strategy

• Lead the development of a proactive, data-informed approach to prospect research, donor qualification, and engagement readiness.
• Oversee tools and personnel supporting wealth screening, donor signals, and portfolio strategy.
• Support gift officers with actionable intelligence, strategic reports, and fundraising analytics.
• Grow the pipeline of potential donors for today and the future.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible experience in advancement, nonprofit administration, or higher education strategy.
• Minimum of 5 years of leadership experience managing multi-unit teams, budgets, and enterprise operations.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree or advanced credentials in business, technology, public administration, or related fields.
• Experience managing CRM system implementations (e.g., Slate, Salesforce).
• Expertise in data infrastructure, analytics platforms, and digital transformation in advancement or mission-driven organizations.
• Demonstrated success and experience leading and maintaining cross-functional innovation and building high-performing teams and executive level relationships.
• Successful leadership in complex Advancement operations, preferably within a Higher Education or non-profit setting
• Understanding of/background in building data governance systems
• Experience in building and refining complex, system-wide processes
• Demonstrated experience with managing complex vendor/partner relationships and related contracts including outsourcing.

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Demonstrated ability to drive successful operational strategies and achieve measurable outcomes
• Knowledge of and experience in developing strategic and tactical plans. Proven record of leading strategic change initiatives in a manner consistent with organizational culture and values.
• Ability to respond quickly to changing business needs and priorities. Ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously and to produce high-quality and compelling work products under tight deadlines. Ability to work with a high degree of flexibility in a highly-collaborative, fast paced, goal-oriented environment.
• Deep understanding of current and emerging technologies and the ability to apply this knowledge strategically to support organizational goals.

Required Application Documents

To be considered for this position please upload a resume and cover letter.