Job Title

Senior Associate Vice President for Development and Chief Development Officer

Department

University Advancement

Worker Type

Regular

Pay Type

Salary

Position Salary Minimum

$225,000

Position Salary Maximum

$300,000

Salary will be commensurate with the level of the position, education, and experience.

Scheduled Weekly Hours

40

Benefit Eligible

Yes

Screening Date

2026-09-10

Job Description Summary

Miami University invites applications for the Senior Associate Vice President for Development and Chief Development Officer. Reporting to Scott Barrett, Vice President for University Advancement and President of the Miami University Foundation, the SAVP/CDO will serve as the chief development officer for both the university and the Foundation and will lead a 52-person Development organization.

This is a consequential moment for Miami. The university is entering the final year of its historic $1 billion campaign while identifying the priorities and fundraising model that will sustain philanthropic growth in the years ahead. The next SAVP/CDO will help close the campaign with strength while building the strategy, talent, pipeline, and organizational structure needed for Miami’s next chapter.

The role carries broad authority across Development, including responsibility for fundraising strategy, talent, performance, resource allocation, and partnerships with Miami’s deans and academic leaders. The SAVP/CDO will also hold significant leadership responsibilities within the Miami University Foundation.

Miami is seeking an experienced fundraiser and people leader who can deliver near-term campaign results while designing what comes next. The strongest candidate will bring strategic judgment, a record of significant gift success, and a commitment to building a culture where accountability, collaboration, and professional growth reinforce one another.

Job Description

Role at a Glance

Reports to:

Scott Barrett, Vice President for University Advancement and President of the Miami University Foundation

Foundation role:

Chief Development Officer of the Miami University Foundation; Foundation officer; staff liaison to the Foundation Board’s Development Committee

Development portfolio:

Academic and unit fundraising, intercollegiate athletics, Gift Planning, Foundation Relations, Parent and Family Giving, and the National Team

Team:

52 Development staff

Campaign:

For love. For honor. For those who will. | $848.8 million raised toward $1 billion as of June 30, 2026 | campaign concludes June 30, 2027

Location and travel:

Based in Oxford, Ohio; eligible for hybrid work; regular travel; occasional evenings and weekends

Compensation:

$225,000-$300,000, commensurate with experience and qualifications; relocation assistance available

Leadership Priorities

The SAVP/CDO will join Miami at a point of momentum and transition and will be expected to provide clarity, steady leadership, and disciplined execution across the Development enterprise.

1. Complete the $1 billion campaign: Lead the frontline Development effort required to close the campaign successfully and position Miami to meet or exceed its goal.

2. Build Miami's post-campaign fundraising strategy: Work with the vice president and advancement leadership to sustain urgency, develop elevated stewardship strategies, strengthen donor engagement, define new priorities and bridge campaigns, and establish a durable fundraising model for the future. 

3. Strengthen the major- and principal-gift pipeline: Create consistent expectations for portfolio health, qualification, strategy, movement, forecasting, and collaboration across Advancement.

4. Build and sustain an excellent Development team: Create a culture of accountability, collaboration, and professional growth; strengthen managers; recognize strong performance; and recruit, develop, and retain talented advancement professionals.

5. Align structure and resources with opportunity: Assess the current organization, including interim reporting arrangements for several college and unit teams, and recommend a long-term model that supports deans, fundraisers, and university priorities effectively.

Scope and Organization

The SAVP/CDO will lead fundraising for Miami's academic colleges and other constituent areas, including the College of Arts and Science, Farmer School of Business, College of Creative Arts, College of Education, Health, and Society, College of Engineering and Computing, Miami Regionals, Student Life, University Libraries, Intercollegiate Athletics, and Parent and Family Giving. The portfolio also includes the National Team, a group of regionally based fundraising generalists, as well as Gift Planning and Foundation Relations.

Current direct reports

• Assistant Vice President, Development - Arts & Science

• Associate Vice President, Development & External Relations - Farmer School of Business

• Assistant Vice President, Development - Gift Planning

• Assistant Vice President, Development - Intercollegiate Athletics

• Assistant Vice President, Development - National Team

• Senior Director, Development - College of Creative Arts

• Senior Director, Development - Education, Health & Society

• Senior Director, Development - Engineering and Computing

• Senior Director, Development - Foundation Relations

• Senior Director, Development - Miami Regionals

• Senior Director, Development - Student Life & University Libraries

• Administrative Associate, Development

Several additional college and unit fundraising teams currently report through an interim development leadership arrangement. The incoming SAVP/CDO will assess that model and determine the long-term structure that best provides clear leadership, strong dean partnerships, equitable support, and effective resource allocation.

Primary Responsibilities
Development strategy and performance

• Create and lead a multi-year Development strategy aligned with Miami's institutional priorities, campaign commitments, and post-campaign ambitions.

• Establish annual and multi-year fundraising goals for Development teams and allocate staff and resources to the strongest opportunities.

• Use pipeline, portfolio, activity, and revenue data to improve forecasting, guide coaching, identify risk, and support timely decisions.

• Set clear and consistent expectations for prospect qualification, portfolio management, donor strategy, collaboration, and fundraiser performance.

• Advise the vice president on Development priorities, organizational design, staffing, budget needs, and emerging philanthropic opportunities.

Campaign and post-campaign leadership

• Lead Development’s work to complete For love. For honor. For those who will. by June 30, 2027, partnering with the vice president and campaign director to monitor progress, address gaps, coordinate campaign leadership, and maintain momentum across units.

• Partner with Stewardship and Donor Relations, Alumni Relations, and Advancement Marketing and Communications to ensure campaign donors understand the impact of their support and remain engaged in Miami's future.

• Develop a clear post-campaign strategy that sustains pipeline, donor engagement, academic partnership, and fundraising performance beyond the campaign. Works closely with Stewardship and Donor relations to develop an elevated stewardship plan for major gift donors.  

Talent, culture, and organizational leadership

• Recruit, retain, coach, evaluate, and develop a strong and diverse team, creating meaningful professional development, mentoring, and career-growth opportunities across Development.

• Lead through managers by setting expectations, strengthening management practice, developing successors, and holding leaders accountable for both results and team health.

• Address performance concerns promptly, fairly, and directly while maintaining a culture of respect and shared purpose.

• Assess reporting relationships and workload distribution and recommend changes that improve effectiveness and reduce unnecessary friction.

University, academic, donor, and volunteer partnership

• Serve as a primary Development partner to the provost, deans, and other academic and unit leaders.

• Help institutional leaders identify and refine priorities, assess philanthropic readiness, develop compelling cases for support, and prepare for donor engagement.

• Working with divisional leadership, coordinate presidential, vice presidential, dean, and volunteer involvement in principal-gift strategy.

• Represent Miami with alumni, donors, prospective donors, corporate and foundation partners, and volunteer leaders.

• Maintain a selective personal portfolio, as appropriate, and personally advance significant gift opportunities.

Foundation and governance responsibilities

• Serve as Chief Development Officer and an officer of the Miami University Foundation.

• Present Development strategy, performance, opportunities, and risks regularly to the Foundation Board of Directors.

• Serve as staff liaison to the Foundation Board’s Development Committee and support members in meaningful fundraising and ambassador roles.

• Ensure fundraising practices uphold donor intent, gift acceptance policies, confidentiality, and the highest ethical standards.

Systems, data, and cross-functional execution

• Set clear expectations for Development’s effective use of Slate and other data and reporting tools.

• Communicate Development priorities and results clearly to advancement colleagues, university leaders, Foundation directors, and other stakeholders.

University Advancement and Development at Miami

University Advancement is a division of approximately 140 professionals spanning Development, Alumni Relations, Annual Giving, Advancement Marketing and Communications, Operations, Campaign Services, Foundation Administration, Stewardship and Donor Relations, Principal Gifts, and Solutions and Innovation. The division is led by Scott Barrett, who also serves as President of the Miami University Foundation.

Development staff are based in Oxford and in key regions across the country. The SAVP/CDO must be able to lead employees working on campus, in hybrid arrangements, and fully remotely while maintaining clear expectations, strong communication, and a shared sense of purpose.

Miami is implementing Slate as its advancement CRM. The technology transition is part of a broader effort to strengthen data, reporting, portfolio management, and the staff experience. The SAVP/CDO will not own the technical implementation, but will be responsible for setting expectations for Development use, supporting adoption, and ensuring that systems and reports help fundraisers and managers make better decisions.

For love. For honor. For those who will.

Miami launched the campaign's fundraising effort in July 2016 and publicly introduced For love. For honor. For those who will. in October 2022. With a goal of $1 billion, it is the largest campaign in university history and is scheduled to conclude June 30, 2027.

Fiscal year 2026 included one principal gift totaling $6.5 million and 18 leadership gifts between $1 million and $4.9 million totaling $27.4 million. Miami expects to meet and exceed the campaign goal by the close date. The most significant priorities still requiring philanthropic support include the humanities, scholarships, and the new multipurpose arena.

The Miami University Foundation

Established in 1948, the Miami University Foundation supports the unive