ABOUT EDWARD WATERS UNIVERSITY

Edward Waters University (EWU/University) is the state of Florida’s first independent institution of higher learning and Florida’s first institution established for the education of African Americans. With a distinguished higher education lineage spanning over 155 years, EWU is primed to continue its Emerging Eminence as a premier urban, private, Christian, historically black, liberal arts university offering high-quality degrees and preparing students holistically to advance in a global society through the provision of intellectually stimulating academic programs of study. The university offers a close-knit, collegial, intellectual community that draws students and scholars worldwide. True to its historic mission EWU’s academic program provides access and opportunity to a high-quality 21st-century undergraduate and graduate education consisting of a reinvigorated, practical, and engaged liberal arts curriculum buttressed by an array of comprehensive academic services to support high academic scholarship, achievement, and overall student success.

The university’s liberal arts curriculum is designed to provide students with a program that is rigorous, inclusive, pragmatic, socially relevant, and responsible. As such, EWU is an institution of purposeful intention that employs its resources and aligns its practices to provide students with an impactful academic and experiential program of study. The institution’s graduates are pioneering leaders, insatiable learners, and critical thinkers, and are highly skilled in navigating new environments, integrating knowledge from diverse sources, and becoming agents for positive change in every sector of our increasingly expanding society and world. In addition, the academic program at EWU embraces and places high value upon inclusivity and diversity and recognizes that students come to the university from a wide-ranging and diverse array of backgrounds.

EWU AT A GLANCE

Buttressed by a recent period of phenomenal transformation, Edward Waters University’s enrollment has skyrocketed by 27.4% since 2019 has welcomed its largest-ever class of new students (540) in 2022 and achieved its near-record high enrollment at nearly 1200 students in fall 2023 (1181) and fall 2024 (1177) respectively. EWU’s recent remarkable growth has made it the fastest-growing college or university in Jacksonville and the fastest-growing historically black college or university (HBCU) in the State of Florida per published reports.

Beginning Fall 2023 Florida’s most historic university began offering a total of fifteen-degree programs including eleven bachelor’s programs comprising of Business Administration, Biology, Criminal Justice, Mass Communication, Psychology, Forensic Science, Public Health, Social Work, Sports Management, Accounting, and Computer and Information Science as well as a four graduate degree programs all of which are offered 100% online including the Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Education Policy and Advocacy (MEPA), Master of Cybersecurity (MS-Cybersecurity), and Master of Public Administration (MPA). The university also offers a distinguished accelerated, non-traditional adult degree program (CLIMB - Credentials for Leadership in Management and Business) and is a member institution of the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) and is proud of its founding progeny and continuing tradition in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) church.

Additionally, EWU recently earned NCAA Division II membership and competes athletically with sixteen varsity teams including football, men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, softball, men’s and women’s volleyball, cross country, women’s tennis, women’s soccer, women’s golf, and varsity competitive cheerleading, as a member institution of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC).

CITY OF JACKSONVILLE – THE FIRST COAST OF FLORIDA

At 840 square miles, Jacksonville is the largest city in the continental United States by landmass. With Florida’s youngest population at an average age of 35 – and one of its hippest – Jacksonville, or Jax as locals call it, is the getaway that leaves you feeling refreshed yet accomplished because while there’s plenty to do, there’s never any rush to get it done. It is always sunny in Jax as the city gets 270 days of sunshine on average per year and boasts the largest urban park system in the country.

In Jax, you can experience a different side of Florida, combining both relaxation and adventure and letting you choose just how active you want to be. Enjoy our 22 miles of beaches, world-class fishing, historic neighborhoods, sporting events featuring NFL football and the hometown Jacksonville Jaguars, a vibrant street art scene, creative coastal cuisine, delicious craft beer, vibrant nightlife, and amazing shopping including boutiques in eclectic neighborhoods, bargain outlets, and upscale open-air shopping malls like St. Johns Town Center which offers 1.1 million square feet of shopping space. A central travel hub by land, sea, and air Jax’s travel accessibility is outstanding as over 30 U.S. cities feature non-stop flights to Jacksonville. Lonely Planet ranked Jacksonville on its list of the world's “10 Best Value Destinations for 2018,” the only U.S. city to make the list, and Expedia recently named Jacksonville as one of “21 Supercool U.S. Cities.”

POSITION SUMMARY & OVERVIEW

Under the progressive leadership of President & CEO, A. Zachary Faison, Jr., J.D. Edward Waters University seeks a Vice President for Institutional Advancement and Development (VP-IAD) to serve as a member of the President’s executive cabinet as the University’s chief advancement officer and a leading philanthropic voice of the institution. Additionally, the VP-IAD will provide the leadership and vision necessary to establish the university’s fundraising and philanthropic function as a model, inventive, and dynamic fundraising operation. The incumbent strategic advancement leader is responsible for securing external funding for the university while developing and implementing a comprehensive strategy to increase giving amongst all constituents including alumni, trustees, corporations, foundations, families, and employees. The VP-IAD also plays a lead role in managing strategic communications, marketing, government relations, and board of trustee development initiatives in collaboration with the President. There are a total of seven (including the Vice President) full-time staff positions within the Division that are under the direct oversight and purview of the VP-IAD.

Guided by the university’s five-year Eminence 2025 strategic plan, the VP-IAD will catalyze and embrace an aggressively ambitious academic, institutional, and capital improvement development agenda. The Vice President will build upon the university’s existing fundraising success and strategy, build and deepen the effectiveness of her/his divisional team, develop alumni leaders, attract new leadership donors, and align resources to best meet institutional goals including engagement of corporate partners; growth of endowment; and complete an assessment for readiness for the prospective launch of a vital capital campaign.

Reporting to the President, the VP-IAD will perform the following duties and responsibilities:

Develop the annual Institutional Development Plan that aligns with the University’s Strategic Plan.
Works in collaboration with the President to develop an annual budget and recommends funding goals linked to university priorities.
Manages a portfolio of 50-75 high-priority individuals.
Leads the Development team in planning and implementing long- and short-term strategies to secure gifts from individuals and organizations through major, planned, and annual gifts.
Establish measurable goals to increase fundraising results that are both aspirational and achievable.
Update and execute an annual Operations Plan of Action for Development and Alumni.
Maintain an effective system of portfolio management.
Solicit major and planned gifts.
Execute strategy for timely dissemination of donor reports and annual endowment reports.
Maintain responsibility for conceptualizing, developing, and superintending the launch of the University’s first-ever alumni-focused Direct Support Organization (DSO).
Ensure successful implementation of a planned giving program both by informing marketing and prospecting strategy as well as by personally soliciting and assisting in the solicitation of planned gift prospects.
Set direction and give guidance to stewardship programs to recognize donors in effective and meaningful ways.
Provide direction and leadership for research and prospect management, setting measurable and attainable goals and evaluating weekly, and quarterly outcomes to ensure fund-raising staff have the information they need to target their work with prospective donors.
Mentor, train, supervise, and evaluate staff.
Develop strong positive relationships with the university community to establish the Development office as the major resource and coordinator for all university fundraising.
Establish and adhere to annual operating budgets and ensure that development programs are operating in a fiscally prudent and productive manner.
Keep abreast of current best practices in the Development profession and evaluate new and emerging trends for potential implementation at Edward Waters University.
Administer annual budget for Development and Alumni offices.
Develop, administer, and adjust as-needed policies related to fundraising and gift stewardship.
Oversee the Development and Alumni Relations offices to ensure they operate in unison to connect and engage all internal and external constituents.
Provide management oversight to ensure that operations for Development and Alumni Relations collaborate with other departments and that talent resources are aligned to maximize results.
Manages the University’s integrated advancement and development departments which include development, alumni relations, marketing and strategic communications, and government affairs.
Diversifies the institution’s donor base/pipeline; works intensively and builds a culture of philanthropy throughout the campus and external stakeholder community.
Perform other duties as required.

Qualifications and Preferred Qualities and Skills

The Vice President for Institutional Advancement and Development (VP-IAD) will play an integral role in advancing the mission and vision of Edward Waters University as a creative, collaborative leader and innovative thinker with a strong commitment to transparency and accountability. The next VP-IAD must be an established advancement/development professional with a minimum of seven years of full-time, progressively more responsible leadership/management experience in institutional advancement and/or development. An earned bachelor’s degree is required, with an advanced degree in an appropriate field strongly preferred. Significant service in building a quantifiably successful advancement team and development program with demonstrated experience in supervising professional staff, including the development of administrative skills and the building of professional support staff competencies, is required.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Additional qualifications, experience, and personal characteristics include:

Willingness and high acumen for operating in spaces requiring self-initiation.
Agility in navigating ambiguity and effectively operating without predefined frameworks in a dynamic and evolving environment.
Demonstrated ability to maintain and foster productive relationships with external stakeholders.
Demonstrated ability to raise funds from a variety of sources.
Demonstrated ability to coordinate, attract, and close major gift funding support for a college/university or large non-profit organization.
Demonstrated knowledge and successful experience in planned giving, donor cultivation, and solicitation.
Demonstrated senior leadership experience with strategic and budget planning in a complex organization; the ability to define a vision, set goals, and strengthen the institution’s culture of philanthropy.
An innovative and entrepreneurial thinker with the ability to focus strategically on opportunities and as well as outcomes.
Outstanding leadership and management skills; Ability to communicate effectively complex financial information in lay terms to different stakeholders.
An understanding of and genuine commitment to the mission of a private, urban, comprehensive, historically black higher education institution.
Demonstrated commitment to diversity and inclusion, and ability to attract and lead a diverse workforce; Collaborative work style and commitment to data-driven decision-making; Highest standards for personal and professional excellence and unquestionable integrity.

Salary & Benefits

The salary for this position is competitively aligned with comparable roles at similarly sized private HBCUs and is commensurate with the quality of credentials and depth of documented fundraising success and experience. Edward Waters University offers a comprehensive benefits package designed to support the well-being and professional growth of our employees. This includes:

- Annual paid vacation and holidays
- Health, dental, and vision insurance plans
- Retirement benefits with employer contributions
- Professional and academic development opportunities
- Tuition remission for employees and their dependents

PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL QUALITIES

The ideal candidate will have the following professional qualifications and personal characteristics:

Alignment with mission: A deep resonance with the mission and possibilities of an Edward Waters University Education and experience; a drive that is consistently student-centered; a commitment to proactively advance student success and diversity in all its forms.

Vision: Vision to achieve optimum administrative and operational functionality for an institution like Edward Waters University; an entrepreneurial outlook and an eye for new possibilities and emerging challenges.

Institutional leadership: Readiness to be an active, valued member of the President’s leadership team and partner closely with the college units and departments; honesty and integrity in advising the president on critical issues; ability to see and embrace the importance of being a college leader with an eye toward the greatest success of the college; an understanding of how to accomplish much in a centralized and decentralized institutional environment; proven effectiveness in change management; the ability to build consensus and a sense of teamwork; and the ability to inspire joy in one’s work;

Experience in the leadership and administration of a college/university: Significant experience participating in leadership, administration, and management within a college or university setting; the ability to build an appropriate and effective strategic plan that reflects institutional goals; the capacity to lead and manage the complex interplay of interdependent college/university divisions and units including finance, athletics, fundraising and development, enrollment management, student success, etc.; the ability to optimize financial resources to ensure high-quality outcomes;

Quantitative sophistication: Experience and a demonstrated record in being facile in quantitative reasoning to ensure the generation of reliable data and rigorous analysis; strategic and analytical ability; and the ability to ask the right questions, uncover meaning, and harness research for its predictive results.

Technological sophistication: Ability to understand the potential value of technological innovations and to lead the process of recommending emerging technologies that can best support process optimization and operational efficiency.

Exceptional communication skills: Ability to be articulate, persuasive, and precise in communicating with internal audiences including both highly invested leadership including faculty and staff,f and external audiences including parents, prospective students, and alumni; desire to interact with a wide range of constituencies, administrators and institutional partners, engaging many in the dialogue to move the college forward together;

Personal qualities: An organizational leader with peerless integrity and an ability to drive a vision through engagement, transparency, hard work, and a sense of urgency; strong values aligned with high ethics, collaboration, compassion, and transparency; sound judgment backed by self-confidence and a sense of perspective; ability to work effectively in a campus culture that is relationship-oriented; and capacity to navigate a highly complex institution with political savvy, patience, tolerance for ambiguity, possess high professional dexterity sufficient to adapt in a dynamically changing fast-paced work environment ably.

Travel is required within the metropolitan Jacksonville area, the state of Florida, and nationally, as well as frequent participation and attendance at evening and weekend functions.

Note: This job description indicates the general nature and level of work employees perform within this classification. It is not intended to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties and responsibilities required or assigned to an employee in this position.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:

Please submit a letter of interest detailing relevant administrative experience, full contact information (name, phone number, and email) for four professional references, demonstrable examples of leadership acumen, and related skills along with a comprehensive CV/resumé to complete your application. The email address to send CV/resumé and letter of interest is careers@ew.edu.

Edward Waters University

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Vice President for Institutional Advancement and Development