Assistant Vice President, Advancement Transformation

About the role

University of Southern California | University Advancement

The Opportunity

The University of Southern California (USC) seeks an innovative and accomplished transformation leader to serve as Assistant Vice President, Advancement Transformation, a senior leadership role helping shape the future of USC Advancement.

As philanthropy, alumni engagement, data, artificial intelligence, and digital experiences evolve, USC Advancement is investing in the capabilities needed to become an increasingly connected, data-driven, and technology-enabled organization. The AVP will lead the vision and execution of a transformation strategy spanning people, processes, data, technology, and organizational design.

Reporting to the Associate Senior Vice President for Advancement, Alumni Relations, the AVP will serve as a strategic advisor and transformation leader across philanthropy, alumni engagement, communications, stewardship, operations, and technology. This leader will assess how Advancement works today, anticipate how the field and its enabling technologies are evolving, and translate that vision into an actionable roadmap that strengthens organizational performance, donor experience, alumni engagement, and fundraising effectiveness.

This is an opportunity for a leader who can operate at both the visionary and executional levels, imagining what the next generation of Advancement can become while building the structures, capabilities, partnerships, and momentum required to make that future real.

Key Responsibilities

Enterprise Transformation & Future-State Strategy

• Lead USC Advancement’s transformation strategy and roadmap across people, processes, data, technology, organizational structure, and operating models.
• Identify emerging trends in philanthropy, alumni engagement, analytics, AI, digital experience, and organizational effectiveness and translate them into actionable strategies.
• Advise senior leadership on long-range transformation priorities, innovation opportunities, and the capabilities needed to position Advancement for the future.
• Foster continuous improvement, data-informed decision-making, innovation, and cross-functional collaboration.

Organizational Assessment & Operating Model Transformation

• Through the lens of AI and technology, assess Advancement’s organizational structure, workflows, and performance model to identify opportunities for greater effectiveness, efficiency, and scalability.
• Design and test future-state organizational and operating models aligned with pipeline accountability, donor experience, alumni engagement, and institutional priorities.
• Identify and pilot opportunities to modernize business processes, reduce unnecessary complexity, and translate transformation priorities into practical, sustainable improvements.

Data, Analytics, AI & Digital Enablement

• Direct the development and adoption of advanced data, analytics, and AI capabilities, including alumni engagement, predictive modeling, next-best-action strategies, stewardship personalization, and forecasting.
• Evaluate and recommend a future-state approach that maximizes the value of USC Advancement’s CRM, reduces reliance on workarounds outside core systems, and advances modern data-management practices.
• Help shape a flexible and scalable digital and data architecture that enables systems and information to work together effectively, partnering closely with Advancement IT and university partners.

Transformation Governance, Change & Value Realization

• Establish governance frameworks, KPIs, and operating rhythms to monitor transformation progress, measure outcomes, and maintain alignment with organizational goals.
• Lead change-management strategies that build understanding, engagement, adoption, and sustained use of new processes, systems, and capabilities.
• Measure transformation value through productivity, operational efficiency, fundraising effectiveness, pipeline strength, alumni engagement, and other organizational outcomes.
• Build partnerships across Advancement and the university to advance shared transformation priorities.

Executive & Organizational Leadership

• Serve as a trusted strategic partner to senior Advancement leadership, bringing a forward-looking perspective to organizational strategy, innovation, data, technology, and operational effectiveness.
• Provide leadership and direction for the Advancement Transformation team, establishing priorities and building the capabilities needed to advance transformation across USC Advancement.
• Lead complex, cross-functional initiatives requiring alignment across organizational boundaries and competing priorities.
• Manage resources and priorities to ensure transformation investments align with institutional goals and measurable outcomes.

The Impact

The Assistant Vice President will help establish the organizational, data, technology, and AI foundations needed for USC Advancement to thrive well into the future. The AVP will develop and operationalize a comprehensive transformation roadmap while partnering with Advancement teams on near-term opportunities to improve efficiency and effectiveness. Over time, this work will strengthen fundraising productivity, pipeline performance, alumni engagement, decision-making, and the ability of Advancement teams to focus their time and expertise where they can create the greatest value.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required
• Ten years of relevant experience in higher education, enterprise transformation, analytics, digital modernization, or related fields, including at least eight years of management experience.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex transformation or teams, change management, or technology-enabled initiatives and driving successful adoption of new programs, services, or capabilities.
• Expertise using data, business modeling, visualization, and key performance indicators to generate insights and inform organizational strategy and decision-making.
• Significant executive program and project leadership experience, including defining requirements, managing complex cross-functional initiatives, and exercising sound financial management.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities, with the ability to translate complex organizational challenges into actionable strategies and solutions.
• Demonstrated leadership and interpersonal skills, with the ability to establish credibility, build alignment, and collaborate effectively across a complex organization.
• Exceptional written and oral communication skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with executive leaders, technical partners, and diverse internal and external stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree preferred.
• Ten years of relevant experience advancement, including at least eight years of management experience.
• Experience serving in a senior administrative or executive leadership role with responsibility for organizational strategy, budgets, resources, and operational performance.
• Demonstrated expertise in process mapping, organizational effectiveness, and translating strategy into disciplined execution.

Additional information

In addition, the successful candidate must also demonstrate, through ideas, words and actions, a strong commitment to USC’s Unifying Values of integrity, excellence, community, well-being, open communication, and accountability.

Required Documents and Additional Information

Resume and cover letter required (may be uploaded as one file). Please do not submit your application without these documents.

The budgeted salary for this position is $255,000 - $300,000. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state, and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

USC has excellent benefits, including health benefits for staff & their family with access to the renowned university medical network; eligibility for retirement plans with employer contributions once you meet Program's eligibility; tuition benefits for staff & their family; free professional development online courses; central Los Angeles location with easy access to commuter trains, buses & free tram pick up services; discounts to football, basketball & other campus events.

#LI-Hybrid

Required Education: Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Organizational Development, or in related field(s)

Preferred Education

• Master's degree in Business Administration, Organizational Development, or in related field(s)
• Required Experience: 10 years of relevant experience in higher education, enterprise transformation, analytics, digital modernization, or related fields. 8 years of experience in a management role.

Preferred Experience

12 years of relevant experience in higher education, enterprise transformation, analytics, digital modernization, or related fields. 10 years of experience in a management role.

Required Skills: Experience in vendor management and change management; able to introduce new programs, services and technologies and increase user buy-in, adoption, and service excellence. Expertise in data visualization, business modeling, and defining KPIs to leverage broad data sets and generate critical business insights driving strategies aligned to organizational goals.

Excellent executive program/project management skills, with experience defining requirements and demonstrated financial management aptitude. Fluent in analytical and statistical modeling capabilities, able to quickly establish credibility and effectively partner with others to define and deliver processes, data, and programs supporting organizational goals.

• Excellent written and oral communication skills and exemplary attention to detail, able to tailor message delivery to varied audiences.
• Demonstrated leadership and interpersonal skills, and excellent critical thinking, problem-solving, and organizational skills.
• Fluency with Microsoft Office suite.

Preferred Skills

• Experience in higher education and unionized environments.
• Exemplary problem-solving skills, with strategic focus on process mapping, task management, and execution.
• Experience in senior administrative or executive roles, creating and managing an organization’s fiscal operating and capital budgets and expenses.
• Demonstrated active listening skills, able to positively and successfully engage with varied internal/external stakeholders.

Preferred Certification

Certified Project Management Professional (PMP)

• Notice of Non-discrimination
• Employment Equity
• Read USC’s Clery Act Annual Security Report
• USC is a smoke-free environment
• Digital Accessibility

Additional information

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