Job Description

Job Location: Maplewood, MN 55109
Position Type: Full Time
Salary Range: $150,000.00 - $150,000.00 Salary/year
Job Shift: Any
Job Category: Business DevelopmentThe Vice President for Advancement & Executive Director of the Hill-Murray Foundation serves as the school's chief advancement officer and a member of the President's Leadership Team. This executive provides visionary leadership for all advancement and Foundation activities, including fundraising, alumni and constituent engagement, advancement operations, communications, donor stewardship, and Foundation governance. Working closely with the President, the Vice President develops and executes a comprehensive advancement strategy that inspires philanthropy, strengthens lifelong relationships with alumni and friends, and secures the financial resources necessary to advance Hill-Murray's long-term mission and strategic priorities.
Serving concurrently as Executive Director of the Hill-Murray Foundation, the Vice President partners closely with the Foundation Board of Governors to provide strategic advancement leadership, governance support, organizational management, and fundraising counsel. This individual ensures that the Foundation effectively advances the school's philanthropic priorities while fostering strong collaboration among the Foundation Board, Board of Trustees, President, and school leadership.
The Vice President leads and develops a high-performing advancement team responsible for leadership giving, annual giving, advancement operations, donor stewardship, communications, alumni engagement, and fundraising events. Through collaborative leadership, strategic planning, and clear accountability, this individual builds a culture of philanthropy, innovation, service, and operational excellence while ensuring every donor and volunteer experiences Hill-Murray with professionalism, gratitude, and care.
The successful candidate is a visionary leader, accomplished fundraiser, exceptional relationship builder, and trusted advisor with a demonstrated ability to cultivate transformational philanthropic partnerships, inspire generosity, develop high-performing teams, and build an advancement program comparable to those of the nation's leading independent schools and small colleges. The candidate will be able to develop and execute a multi-year advancement plan aligned with Hill-Murray's Strategic Plan. Establish annual fundraising goals, measurable performance indicators, and accountability systems while establishing clear goals, performance expectations, and fostering a collaborative, mission-driven culture.
All Hill-Murray employees are expected to support, model, and champion HM’s mission statement: Hill-Murray empowers students to reach their fullest potential by inspiring them to utilize their God-given strengths to become leaders who will make a positive difference in the world.
Primary Responsibilities:
Strategic Leadership for All Advancement and Foundation activities, including:
● Comprehensive fundraising strategy
● Leadership, major, principal, and planned giving
● Annual Fund
● Capital and endowment campaigns
● Alumni and constituent engagement
● Donor stewardship
● Advancement communications, operations, and analytics
Executive Director, Hill-Murray Foundation
Serve as Executive Director of the Hill-Murray Foundation by providing strategic leadership and operational support to the Foundation Board, including:
● Partnering with the Foundation Board Chair to establish strategic priorities and annual goals.
● Supporting board recruitment, orientation, education, and committee effectiveness.
● Preparing board agendas, reports, and fundraising updates.
● Managing Foundation operations, budgets, policies, and governance.
● Ensuring effective communication between the Foundation Board, President, and Board of Trustees.
Philanthropic Leadership
Lead Hill-Murray's major, principal, capital, endowment, corporate, and planned giving efforts and personally manage the school’s highest-capacity donors and benefactors by:
● Identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding transformational gifts.
● Partnering with the President, Foundation Board members, and volunteer leaders on significant gift opportunities.
● Building relationships with alumni, parents, grandparents, foundations, corporations, and community leaders while creating meaningful opportunities for donors to invest in HM.
Advancement Team Leadership
Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing Advancement Office committed to excellence, accountability, collaboration, and innovation, while directly supervising:
● Director of Leadership Giving
● Leadership Giving Officer
● Director of Alumni
● Annual Giving & Alumni Manager
● Database & Donor Relations Manager
● Communications & Marketing Manager
● Volunteers and Advancement Support Staff
Campaign Leadership & Donor Engagement
● Provide strategic leadership for comprehensive fundraising campaigns supporting scholarships, capital projects, endowment growth, and other institutional priorities.
● Develop compelling cases for support, campaign strategies, volunteer leadership structures, and donor engagement opportunities that deepen long-term philanthropic relationships.
● Ensure every donor experiences exceptional stewardship through meaningful recognition, personalized communication, and opportunities to witness the impact of their generosity.
Advancement Operations & Executive Partnership
● Oversee advancement operations, including Salesforce, prospect research, gift administration, reporting, fundraising analytics, and data governance.
● Utilize performance metrics and dashboards to guide strategic decision-making and improve fundraising effectiveness.
● Serve as one of the President's principal advisors on philanthropy, constituent engagement, and institutional advancement by providing strategic counsel, executive reports, fundraising analyses, and recommendations to the President, Foundation Board, and Board of Trustees.
● Partner with the President to strengthen Hill-Murray's visibility, reputation, and philanthropic culture throughout the broader community.

Qualifications
● Bachelor's degree required; Master's degree and/or Doctorate preferred.
● CFRE or other professional fundraising certification is desirable.
● Minimum of seven to ten years of progressively responsible leadership experience in advancement, higher education, independent schools, or non-profit philanthropy.
● Demonstrated success in securing six-, seven-, and transformational gifts.
● Experience leading comprehensive fundraising programs exceeding several million dollars annually.
● Experience leading capital campaigns and planned giving initiatives.
● Demonstrated experience supervising and developing high-performing advancement professionals.
● Experience working effectively with governing boards and executive leadership.
● Strong financial acumen and understanding of nonprofit advancement operations.
● Exceptional communication, presentation, and storytelling skills.
● Demonstrated emotional intelligence, strategic thinking, and executive presence.
● Working knowledge of Salesforce or comparable CRM platforms.
● Commitment to Catholic education and enthusiasm for Hill-Murray's Benedictine and Lasallian mission.
General Responsibilities of Catholic School Employment:
Employment in and by a Catholic school is substantially different from secular employment.  Catholic school employees must conduct themselves in a manner consistent with and supportive of the school's mission and purpose.  An employee’s behavior must not violate the faith, morals, or laws of the Church or the Archdiocese, nor must it embarrass the school or cause scandal.  It is preferred that all employees be active, participating members of a faith community.

Compensation: 1.0 FTE, exempt, 12-month position; Starting at $150,000.00, with the potential for a higher starting salary based on the selected candidate's qualifications and relevant experience. Hill-Murray School is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Benefits: Medical, dental, vision, retirement, paid time off, flexible spending accounts, EAP, life, and disability insurance.