Executive Director, Advancement
Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto
Salary: $210,000 - $230,000
THE OPPORTUNITY
This is an incredible opportunity to lead the Advancement team and initiatives at the top Business School in Canada, at the top University in the country, in the midst of the University of Toronto’s landmark $4 billion Defy Gravity Campaign that is harnessing the power of our global community, including Rotman School of Management’s 29,000 alumni.
Deeply rooted in one of the world’s most diverse city regions, U of T brings a comprehensive approach to solving complex social, economic and health issues at scale. Our unrivalled commitment to excellence, inclusion and removing barriers to higher education opens up worlds of opportunity for students.
We are seeking an exceptional fundraising professional with a significant track record of success in increasingly senior advancement leadership positions in large-scale, complex settings. Candidates should possess superior solicitation experience and a demonstrated track record of securing significant philanthropic support; a strong commitment to developing, and empowering a team of high-performance advancement professionals; and a strong commitment to establishing and supporting efforts to meaningfully engage alumni and volunteers in support of the Rotman School’s priorities and ambitions.
Work Location: The Executive Director, Advancement office is located at 105 George Street, on the U of T St. George Campus. Currently, Advancement staff work in the office for a minimum of three days per week, as the in-person engagement with students, faculty and other staff is critically important to collaboration and a sense of community. In the early months of the role, being onsite full time will be important for learning and relationship building.
Compensation: This position is rated as a 2AP (Advancement Professional) level and has a broad-based salary range of $136,859 to $273,717. The target hiring salary range for this role is $210,000 to $230,000 per annum base salary, plus a potential annual bonus of up to 10%. A full range of pension and benefits are also provided, and further information about U of T benefits can be found at https://hrandequity.utoronto.ca/careers/benefits/
APPLICATION PROCESS
For more information, please contact Tara George, Executive Consultant, at KCI Search + Talent via email at Rotman@kcitalent.com by January 9, 2026.
Further information can be found in the Executive Brief, please visit: www.kcitalent.com.
Candidates interested in applying for this position should please send a resume and letter of interest to the email address listed above. All inquiries and applications will be held in strict confidence.
The University strives to be an equitable and inclusive community and proactively seeks to increase diversity among its community members. Our values regarding equity and diversity are linked with our unwavering commitment to excellence in the pursuit of our academic mission. If you require accommodations during the recruitment and selection process, please let us know.
The University of Toronto embraces Diversity and is building a culture of belonging that increases our capacity to effectively address and serve the interests of our global community. We strongly encourage applications from Indigenous Peoples, Black and racialized persons, women, persons with disabilities, and people of diverse sexual and gender identities. We value applicants who have demonstrated a commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion and recognize that diverse perspectives, experiences, and expertise are essential to strengthening our academic mission.
As part of your application, you will be asked to complete a brief Diversity Survey. This survey is voluntary. Any information directly related to you is confidential and cannot be accessed by search committees or human resources staff. Results will be aggregated for institutional planning purposes.
The University is committed to the principles of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). As such, we strive to make our recruitment, assessment and selection processes as accessible as possible and provide accommodations as required for applicants with disabilities.
ABOUT THE ROTMAN SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT
From MBA to executive and specialized degrees, the Rotman School of Management is shaping the future of business education and making an impact through world-class research, leadership and global engagement.
We sum up the goals and aspirations that shape Rotman in a simple statement of purpose:
to create value for business and society.
And to make that purpose more concrete, we focus our collective efforts in three main areas:
Designing more responsive and resilient organizations
Driving innovation and analytical insights
Building healthy, equitable and sustainable societies
Every decision and action we take together is grounded in our shared values: diversity, excellence, integrity and respect.
Rotman is the leading business school in Canada and one of the best schools in the world for our Full-Time MBA, Executive MBA, Global Executive MBA and specialized programs. Rotman is also recognized as one of the top-ranked business schools in the world for its research excellence.
Academic Programs
Rotman provides a range of programs including undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees to over 4,450 student in business administration, finance and commerce. These include:
Full-Time MBA, Evening MBA, and the One-Year MBA
a slate of executive MBA (EMBA) programs, including the Executive MBA, the Rotman-Bocconi GEMBA and the Global Executive MBA for Healthcare and the Life Sciences
Master of Finance, the Master of Management Analytics– the #1 MMA program according to the QS World University rankings
Rotman Commerce is the undergraduate program offered through Rotman and the Faculty of Arts and Science at U of T
Joint or combined MBA degrees in partnership with other faculties at U of T
Professional Learning
The School is known for its professional development offerings through Executive Programs and the Initiative for Women in Business, and hosts a lively calendar of speaker series and alumni events.
The School takes full advantage of its strategic location by drawing on a rich pool of business and political leaders as teachers, mentors and speakers. With deep connections to the business community, the School nurtures vital collaborations and career-building opportunities, and extends its impact through a global network of business and thought leaders.
Research Institutes, Centres, and Labs
Faculty research informs Rotman’s programs at all levels and defines our role in the academic community. With 10 active research institutes, Rotman researchers push the boundaries of inquiry, exploring everything from data analytics to behavioural economics, health strategy to business design, sustainability to equity, diversity and inclusion. And Rotman’s institutes, centres and labs reinvent old models and explore new solutions to business and social challenges.
ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO
U of T brings a comprehensive approach to solving complex social, economic, and health issues at scale. Our unrivalled commitment to excellence, inclusion, and removing barriers to higher education opens up worlds of opportunity for students.
Canada’s largest and most renowned research-intensive university, the University of Toronto has over 100,000 registered students enrolled in over 700 undergraduate programs and more than 200 graduate programs across three campuses, along with nearly 26,000 faculty, staff and librarians, and more than 700,000 alumni in over 200 countries, territories, and regions.
U of T continues to be the highest-ranked Canadian university and one of the top-ranked public universities in the five most closely watched international rankings.
Established in 1827, the University has an operating budget of $3.62 billion. U of T’s globally recognized network of faculty members, alumni, and partners creates a unique educational experience for undergraduate and graduate students. With one of the strongest teaching faculties across all disciplines – spanning medicine to business, urban studies to engineering, humanities to education, and more – our students have the opportunity to learn from and work with professors who are some of today’s thought leaders.
In 2025 the University of Toronto is ranked one of Greater Toronto’s Top Employers for the 19th consecutive year, one of Canada’s Greenest Employers, and one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers. Committed to enhancing the diversity and experience of both staff and students, U of T offers employees challenging work, flexible family-friendly programs and opportunities for professional and personal development.
For More Info:
ADVANCEMENT @ UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO
The Division of University Advancement (DUA) promotes and supports the University of Toronto by engaging a worldwide community of over 700,000 alumni, plus many donors and friends.
DUA encompasses a highly skilled team of staff focused in the areas of development, alumni and volunteer engagement, advancement services, and advancement marketing and communications. The uniquely integrated structure of University Advancement encourages each division to bring its particular strengths and expertise to the common cause of advancing U of T’s relations with alumni, donors, and friends. In this ecosystem, there is an emphasis on collaboration, diplomacy, teamwork and mission focus as DUA supports our Faculties, Campuses and Divisions as a shared service.
The Division of University Advancement at the University of Toronto is committed to a transformative agenda deeply rooted in the University’s vision for growth and innovation.
We are focused on doubling annual fundraising performance on a sustainable basis; doubling the number of newly engaged alumni; achieving Advancement goals through the foundational integration of Alumni Relations and Development both centrally and through collaborations with divisional colleagues; creating an organization and culture that fosters leadership, initiative, effectiveness, and community; and contributing to the creation of an external relations strategy for a transforming image, reputation and standing of the University of Toronto along an axis of differentiation and excellence.
DEFY GRAVITY: THE CAMPAIGN FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO
On December 13, 2021, the University proudly launched Defy Gravity: The Campaign for the University of Toronto. The largest university campaign in Canadian history will harness the power of our worldwide community, including our alumni, students, faculty and staff, to fuel vital work for the betterment of humanity.
From pioneering work in the humanities to the breakthrough development of neural networks, the University of Toronto has a long history of tackling the impossible and transforming society through the ingenuity of its faculty, students, and alumni. In a world searching for positive change, we will build on this tradition to address some of the biggest challenges facing our city, country, and planet as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and grapple with this age of climate change, inequality, and mass technological disruption.
Through our commitment to inclusive excellence, we will bring together top minds from every conceivable background and discipline to lead pandemic recovery and enable healthy lives, build inclusive cities and societies, create a sustainable future, spark creativity and culture, drive scientific discovery, power bold innovation and entrepreneurship, and support student success as we educate the next generation of creative, engaged, and empathic citizens.
The campaign theme, Defy Gravity, reflects U of T’s history of advancing the frontiers of knowledge by transcending disciplines and borders in a diverse and inclusive community that emboldens students to think big—a community that accomplishes things no one else believed possible.
Our campaign has two ambitious goals to meet today’s challenges
For the first time in U of T history, the campaign will include a goal for alumni engagement: to inspire 225,000 alumni to get involved as volunteers, mentors, donors, participants, and leaders and encourage them to contribute their time and talent to the University one million times As of fall 2025, the campaign has engaged more than 180,000 alumni over 900,000 times collectively.
The campaign will also seek to raise $4 billion for the University’s highest priorities, a goal commensurate with our excellence, the breadth of our aspirations, the global footprint of our faculty, students, alumni, and donors, and our potential for life-changing impact. As of fall 2025, over $2.4 billion has been raised.
Defy Gravity Campaign Priorities – The campaign will advance U of T’s commitment to inclusive excellence and help the University bring together people from every conceivable background to create a healthier, more sustainable, and equitable world.
ADVANCEMENT @ ROTMAN
The pulse of a connected community. The Rotman alumni network is a powerhouse of talent and expertise. Our community of alumni is renowned for its diversity, bringing together people from different backgrounds, industries, and perspectives to create a rich spectrum of ideas and experiences.
Rotman is a hub for curious minds and committed leaders. Through speaker events, conferences and a range of high-impact opportunities, we bring together our community of students, faculty, alumni, donors and global changemakers to exchange ideas that matter, challenge conventional thinking, and spark new ideas to extend learning beyond the classroom.
21,000+ Rotman graduate alumni and 19,000+ Rotman Commerce alumni in more than 90 countries globally
1,410 Rotman and Rotman Commerce alumni volunteered as speakers, case judges, mentors and more
21 regional events globally engaging more than 600 students and alumni
1,400 attendees at Reunite at Rotman in 2025
1,600 newly engaged Rotman and Rotman Commerce alumni
560+ employers engaged with and posted 5,370+ job postings for Rotman Commerce students
In 2024/25, we raised $10.7M+ in total philanthropic and planned giving commitments
Over $500k was raised this year during Rotman Giving Day, and $2.2M in its first 5 years
Rotman Campaign
The Rotman School has set a goal of $250 million as part of the Defy Gravity campaign. To date, we have raised over $100 million. Our Funding Priorities include:
Executive Education Tower – The Academic Wood Tower will have three dedicated floors in a new state-of-the-art building for executive education programs to enable executives to tackle societal challenges with fresh insights and solutions.
Scholarships – Help shape the leaders of tomorrow by investing in scholarships to empower students to reach their full potential and bring about positive change in society.
Self-Development & Leadership Development Labs – to equip business students with essential resources, mentorship and hands-on experiences, fostering their growth into empathetic and innovative leaders.
Sandra Rotman Centre for Health Sector Strategy – building a healthier future by developing leaders who will transform the healthcare sector by directly influencing policy decisions, pioneering research, and fostering collaboration.
Rotman Commerce Building – building the first dedicated home for our undergraduate program which will unite students, faculty, and alumni in one centralized space. The new building will strengthen community and enable program growth, partnerships, and experiential learning.
Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) – pporting the development of massively scalable, seed-stage science and technology companies. Through an objectives-based model, founders gain access to judgment from seasoned entrepreneurs, venture leaders, economists, and other thought leaders, transforming breakthroughs in AI, Quantum, Health, and frontier technologies into world-changing businesses.
Chairs and Professorships – Endowed research Chairs and Professorships provide a financial foundation, enabling faculty to produce breakthrough research.
THE ROLE: EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ADVANCEMENT @ ROTMAN
POSITION OVERVIEW
Under the general direction of the Dean, the Executive Director (ED) Advancement, has overall responsibility for leading the Advancement function for the Rotman School of Management.
As a member of the Dean’s Executive Leadership Team (ELT), the Executive Director, Advancement’s responsibilities encompass the development and implementation of an overall Advancement strategy, while ensuring the achievement of annual goals and objectives.
This role provides leadership and professional advice to Faculty and Directors with respect to advancement strategies and approaches.
As part of the Advancement portfolio, the Executive Director, Advancement has responsibility and accountability for the overall development, design, implementation and oversight of a comprehensive fundraising plan including: principal gifts, major gifts program, annual giving, alumni engagement and donor relations as well as working collaboratively with the Executive Director, Strategic Communications to develop the marketing and communications to support fundraising and alumni engagement.
The incumbent is responsible for the development of an annual business plan with the Dean and the University’s Advancement office, and has accountability for delivery of the plan.
The Executive Director works with the Dean to develop a strategic plan for the Advancement function at the Rotman School that supports the academic, research and strategic goals of the School as well as tying into any campaign goals of the broader university.
REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS
Rotman’s Executive Director, Advancement reports dually to the Dean, Rotman School of Management and the Vice President, Advancement (or his/her designate). The Executive Director, Advancement reports to the Dean on day-to-day management of the advancement program and is accountable to both the Dean and the Vice-President Advancement for the University of Toronto (or their designate) on matters of goal setting, evaluation, advancement policies and guidelines, and advancement strategies that advance key campaign goals.
This joint reporting also ensures alignment with and accountability to University-wide standards, guidelines, and procedures that protect academic integrity and promote best practice, excellence, and equity in advancement. Further details on the definition of joint reporting can be found in the Provost’s Guideline on Advancement Joint Reporting.
The Executive Director, Advancement manages Rotman’s Senior Director of Development and Director, Alumni Engagement ensuring that their portfolios are aligned and working in unison to reach annual and longer range strategic advancement goals and objectives. In addition, the ED shares the oversight the Director of Development, Rotman Commerce with the Faculty of Arts & Science Executive Director, Advancement and AVP Advancement College Relations and also has shared oversight of the Associate Director, Advancement Communications with Rotman’s Executive Director, Strategic Communications.
MAJOR ACTIVITIES
The Executive Director, Advancement is responsible for developing the fundraising strategies for the Rotman School of Management in conjunction with the Dean. Working collaboratively with the Advancement teams and other internal and external stakeholders including faculty, other staff, donors, corporate partners etc. the incumbent is charged with ensuring that goals and objectives are met. In conjunction with the Advancement Senior Leadership Team, the incumbent ensures the alignment of the development, alumni affairs and advancement communication functions to meet Rotman’s fundraising and stewardship goals. The ED, Advancement is expected to be a leader and catalyst, bringing together various internal and external stakeholders to realize the Advancement goals of the Rotman School.
Development, Donor Relations & Stewardship – Working closely with the Senior Director, Development:
Prepares an annual development plan outlining the School’s advancement goals, priorities and objectives. Establishes fundraising goals in conjunction with various stakeholders and ensures that goals are achieved, gaining input from the Vice-President Advancement (or his/her delegate).
Works closely with the Dean to develop fundraising priorities that align with the School’s academic plan and university priorities.
Oversees identification and management of a comprehensive fundraising (PG, MG, AG) program by ensuring the development of tailored cultivation and stewardship programs that are designed to enhance the interest and involvement of the prospect in the School and wider University.
Defines goals and desired outcomes for own prospect portfolio (70-100 prospective donors); identifies, cultivates and solicits prospective donors, and effectively stewards all donors.
Maintains communications with key stakeholders (departments, alumni, students) on development strategies, activities and achievements.
Oversees the gift planning activity for the School, ensuring that the program is fully functional and collaborates with DUA’s gift planning team.
Works with faculty, staff, and volunteer Boards to advance prospects and steward donors.
Ensures gifts are appropriately stewarded to ensure fulfillment of gift promises.
Oversees design and implementation of overall donor relations and stewardship programs that complement other University initiatives while focusing on complementary activities within Rotman.
Ensures coordination of donor recognition pursuant to University guidelines for stewardship.
Alumni Activities – Working closely with the Director, Alumni Engagement:
Oversees the development and implementation of the School’s alumni relations’ activities, ensuring consistency with the overall advancement strategic goals and objectives.
Establishes Annual Fund goals, in consultation with various stakeholders including the Division of University Advancement, and ensures achievement of goals.
Oversees planning of alumni events, locally and globally, throughout the year with ongoing efforts to build alumni engagement in identified global centres.
Selectively builds relationships with high profile or highly motivated alumni.
Ensures the development of effective volunteer identification and recruitment programs to develop resources for various chapter and Faculty needs.
Facilitates and supports alumni programs with different student support groups in the School (ie. careers and program services) to help connect current students to alumni for career mentorship, job search or engagement in student activities.
Ensures close collaboration of Rotman with DUA staff on University-wide alumni programs.
Advancement Communications – Working closely with the Executive Director, Strategic Communications and Associate Director, Advancement Communications:
Oversees development and implementation of the School’s advancement communications strategies including web, social media, marketing and print materials, and e-communications.
Develops an annual report summarizing successes of the school to share with alumni and donors and the external community.
Provides input on key messages to enhance the image and visibility of the School at the local, national and international levels.
Raises the profile and visibility of alumni in the broader community.
Rotman Commerce Advancement Activities – Working closely in collaboration with Faculty of Arts & Science Executive Director, Advancement and AVP College Advancement Relations and the Director of Development, Rotman Commerce:
Prepares an annual development plan outlining the Rotman Commerce’s advancement goals, priorities and objectives. Establishes fundraising goals in conjunction with various stakeholders and ensures that goals are achieved.
Oversees the identification and management of major gift prospects by ensuring the development of tailored cultivation and stewardship programs that are designed to enhance the interest and involvement of the prospect in the School and wider University.
Defines goals and desired outcomes for own Rotman Commerce prospect portfolio; identifies, cultivates and solicits prospective donors, and effectively stewards all donors.
Supports the implementation of the advancement strategy for Rotman Commerce with the resources outlined by the joint MOU between Rotman and the Faculty of Arts & Science
Coordinates alumni engagement activities in Rotman Commerce with those at Rotman
Operations & Finance
Represents the overall Advancement portfolio of internal and external stakeholders and ensures the involvement of these stakeholders in supporting Rotman and the Advancement functions.
Develops and directs the implementation of Rotman advancement policies and procedures, ensuring consistency with University-wide policies and procedures.
Provides budget forecasts and inputs to Rotman’s CAO on projected fundraising goals needed for the annual budget.
Develops, implements and manages the overall Advancement budget in collaboration with each of the functional Directors.
Creates a coordinated team environment where all members of the Advancement team are aligned. Working with and through the functional Directors, develops a strong, goal-oriented team environment and takes an evaluative approach to all advancement activities.
Ability to set principal gift fundraising goals and establish an internal system for meeting deadlines, tracking, follow-up, monitoring, and reporting progress.
Cultural sensitivity and capacity to work with international students and donors.
Human Resources Management
The Executive Director Advancement has direct managerial responsibility for Rotman’s Senior Director, Development and for the Director, Alumni Engagement. In addition, the Director, Development at Rotman Commerce reports on an everyday basis to the ED, Advancement at Rotman with dual reporting to the ED, Advancement at the Faculty of Arts & Science. The Associate Director, Advancement Communications has a dual report to Rotman’s ED, Advancement and Rotman’s ED, Strategic Communications. In addition to these senior staff, the ED, Advancement role at Rotman has responsibility for overseeing the work of all Advancement staff who form this portfolio.
Full managerial authority over the staff in the work Unit/Department, requiring input and coordination with both Rotman’s HR team as well as DUA’s HR team.
Plans strategically for and defines the organizational structure for the Unit/Department including the kinds of equipment used, the methods and techniques of work, the work assignments, duties and responsibilities of positions and the classifications and qualifications of positions.
Adapts processes and workforce needs to incorporate changes in technology.
Implements changes to the organizational structure, including organizational change, hiring, layoff, demotions, creating and eliminating positions.
Defines duties and responsibilities of staff including defining hours of work, the schedules of work, and the methods and techniques of work.
Defines classifications and the qualifications for positions.
Determines work assignments for staff based on understanding of needs, individual skill, project requirements and availability of resources.
Approves work of staff to ensure quality of work. Ensures work tasks are completed on schedule and standards and policies are followed by staff.
Budget responsibilities related to the human resources management. For example, this position would decide on the implementation of a budget cut to the Unit/Team/Department.
Hires staff based on assessment of candidates and understanding of department’s needs.
Discusses performance with employees to provide feedback and address performance related issues as part of the employee development process.
Disciplines employees where necessary and appropriate. Terminate employment (e.g., for cause or as a result of organizational restructuring).
Evaluates employee performance based on assessment of individual’s work and achievement of performance goals.
Determines appropriate salary adjustments for employees based on performance and organization salary structure.
Consults with HR when dealing with serious issues that affect employment relationships. Manages conflict between staff members.
Strategically manages labour relations implications of business disruptions; participate as representative of department in broader strategic management initiatives related to planning for business disruptions within the University.
Develops plans and work processes for department projects based on understanding of project requirements and timelines.
Guides department staff by providing the necessary direction and training to complete work, based on knowledge of department procedures and specialized expertise.
Recommends training courses, seminars and conferences for staff to update and enhance their skills and knowledge.
Resolves technical problems and staff-related issues that arise during department/project work on a timely basis, to ensure work can be completed with minimal delay.
Resolve informal complaints from unionized staff, in consultation with Human Resources and Labour Relations. Discusses informal complaints and step 1 grievances from unionized staff with employees, Human Resources and Labour Relations.
Determines appropriate disposition of the grievance, in consultation with Human Resources and Labour Relations, based on knowledge of collective agreements and labor relations procedures. Provides documentation and information to legal counsel in preparation for grievance arbitration hearings. Presents evidence at arbitration hearings on behalf of management where unionized staff is involved.
Recommends exceptional pay adjustments for unionized staff based on performance evaluation.
Maintains positive relations with union representatives.
Other Responsibilities
Initiates or participates in other projects at Rotman, across the University, and outside of U of T in order to cultivate relationships and goodwill, and to promote community outreach toward Rotman and the University as a whole.
Represents the Rotman on various University committees involved in advancement activities.
REQUIRED EXPERIENCE & COMPETENCIES
Required Experience & Education
A minimum of 10+ years in senior positions with proven fundraising and major gift experience within the Advancement field.
Advanced knowledge of and experience in all aspects of the fundraising process including: research/identification, cultivation, solicitation, recognition/stewardship and leadership of volunteer boards and other contributors to a successful campaign.
Proven track record of meeting short-term and long term goals and objectives.
Solid understanding of university or relevant not for profit fundraising environments, advancement communications and marketing, and constituent/alumni engagement.
Experience in managing a large team of advancement professional within a unionized environment.
A university degree is required for this role. An MBA is preferred, or another master’s or professional degree, though graduate-level education is not a strict requirement for the role. Equivalent education and experience will be considered. CFRE designation would be an asset.
Abilities, Qualities and Attributes
Exceptional leadership, team-building, and team management skills with the ability to motivate and manage a team to reach a common goal.
Outstanding communications (oral, written), presentation and interpersonal skills.
Ability to work in a fast-paced, results-oriented environment.
Detail oriented with strong organizational and analytical skills.
Strong collaboration skills, both within and across teams, and the ability to work effectively with and through others.
Demonstrates initiative, tact, diplomacy, creativity and political astuteness.
Cultural sensitivity and capacity to work effectively with international students and donors.
Computer literacy: databases, Microsoft office, e-mail, web and social media applications.
Other Considerations
Domestic and international travel will be required. A valid passport for international travel is required, as is the willingness to travel overnight periodically for work.
Standard hours of work are 8:45am to 5:00pm although there will be considerable evening and weekend work required.