Vice President of Philanthropic Operations

Jan 12

Anticipated Start Date: TBD

Description

College Track seeks a Vice President of Philanthropic Operations to play a critical leadership role in ensuring the successful implementation of the organization’s 10-Year Promise through systems-level strategic and cross-functional alignment. Reporting to the Chief of Philanthropy and serving as a key member of the Philanthropy Leadership Team, the Vice President of Philanthropic Operations will operate as the chief architect of strategic planning, effectiveness, and priority alignment across the Philanthropy division and its intersection with all central teams.

By driving strategic coherence, thinning operational complexity, and fostering transformational partnerships across the organization, the Vice President of Philanthropic Operations will ensure that systems, structures, communication and people are aligned to deliver measurable outcomes for scholars. This role requires a visionary strategist with exceptional systems-thinking capability, change management expertise, and the ability to lead through influence at the highest levels of the organization.

Responsibilities

The Vice President of Philanthropic Operations will be responsible for the following:

Organizational Strategy & System Leadership

Lead the development and implementation of College Track’s annual Philanthropy Division strategic planning process, ensuring tight alignment with organizational priorities and financial revenue fiscal realities.
Establish and oversee knowledge management infrastructure, including Salesforce governance, impact metrics capture, technology resources, and organizational style standards that ensure data integrity and consistent donor messaging.
Design and implement strategies for priority alignment for philanthropy revenue and cross-functional collaboration, ensuring Education, Operations, Finance, Data, IT, and Communications operate in concert to achieve key revenue outcomes.
Develop and manage a strategic framework for the handoff between different phases of philanthropy, ensuring seamless transitions, clear accountability at each milestone, and proper oversight of revenue budgets.
Facilitate the development and execution of a clear revenue planning process that reduces operational complexity and enables effective execution of core functions.

Strategic Infrastructure & Knowledge Systems

Design and advance fundraising systems and operational frameworks that enable scalability, reduce organizational complexity, and position the team for sustainable growth.
Drive innovation in technology, data solutions, and operational best practices; lead strategic evaluation and implementation of tools that enhance fundraising effectiveness and institutional learning.
Build enterprise knowledge management infrastructure—including Salesforce governance, impact measurement systems, technology ecosystems, and communication standards—that ensures data integrity, accessibility, and strategic donor intelligence.

Revenue Strategy & Financial Sustainability

Facilitate annual strategic planning and ongoing budget oversight for the Philanthropy Division, connecting fundraising activity to organizational growth objectives and financial sustainability.
Partner with Finance to ensure compliance frameworks, gift processing systems, and revenue forecasting align philanthropic strategy with fiscal reality.
Design revenue planning processes that create clarity, establish accountability, and enable data-informed decision-making across fundraising verticals.

Leadership Coordination & Executive Team Support

Design and facilitate the Philanthropy Leadership Team's strategic planning calendar, including Philanthropy Leadership retreats and quarterly forecasting frameworks.
Establish meeting structures, communications, and rhythms across the Philanthropy Division that foster alignment, data-informed decision-making, and accountability toward revenue and engagement goals.
Provide strategic leadership to a high performing operations team: Philanthropy Operations Manager, Grants and Impact Manager, and contract grant writers.

Systems Effectiveness & Operational Excellence

Partner with the Chief of Philanthropy to assess and refine team structures, ensuring that staffing and leadership capacity align with College Track’s 10-Year Promise and financial sustainability.
Create frameworks for donor movement across fundraising phases with clear ownership, smooth transitions, and revenue accountability.
Establish shared success metrics and feedback loops to continuously assess the effectiveness of cross-functional initiatives and operational strategies.

Change Management

Lead assessments of philanthropy systems, processes, and team capacity to identify barriers to revenue growth, donor engagement, and operational effectiveness; design and implement solutions to strengthen fundraising performance and donor experience.
Guide strategic communications and change management efforts across the Philanthropy team to ensure new fundraising initiatives, systems, and structures are clearly adopted, consistently executed, and aligned with revenue goals and stewardship standards
Above all, the Vice President of Philanthropic Operations will be a passionate advocate for College Track’s mission to equip scholars facing systemic barriers with the support to earn a bachelor’s degree and pursue a life of opportunity, choice, purpose, and power.

Requirements

The ideal candidate will bring a deep commitment to educational equity, along with the following experience, skills, and mindset:

8+ years of relevant experience in philanthropic strategy, operations, or organizational effectiveness, ideally within complex, mission-driven organizations
Master’s degree strongly preferred, though not required
Deep expertise in strategic planning, systems design, and change management
Demonstrated excellence in mentoring and coaching staff, fostering leadership growth, and building inclusive, high-performing teams
Strong data analysis and visualization skills; able to translate complex information into actionable insights for diverse audiences
Demonstrated success leading large-scale initiatives that require cross-functional alignment and cultural transformation
Exceptional relationship-building and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build trust, credibility, and collaboration across internal and external stakeholders
Availability to work occasional evenings and weekends, based on program and organizational needs
Physical Requirements: Sedentary work that primarily involves sitting, standing, typing on a keyboard, manipulating a mouse to use a computer's operating system/internet. Ability to move around an office environment and communicate with stakeholders

Salary Range and Employee Benefits

This position is full-time, exempt, with a salary range of $165,000-$225,000.

Exact compensation will depend on experience. However, as someone new to the role, you can expect an offer around $180,000-$194,999 to ensure internal equity while leaving room for salary growth during your time in the position.

College Track provides access to extensive benefits centered around three core areas of wellness: health care, work-life balance, and financial security. We believe time off is essential to success and provide up to 27 discretionary time off days (Sick and Vacation) in addition to 28 paid office closure and holiday days in your first year of employment. Learn more about benefits here.

This is a hybrid position based in Oakland, CA at the local College Track Site. Travel may be requested to support events. While we hire great people from a wide variety of backgrounds, we especially encourage applicants who identify as first-generation college graduates to apply for open opportunities.

How to Apply for this Job

Apply Now

About the Organization

College Track is a comprehensive college completion program that equips students from underserved communities to be the first in their families to graduate with a bachelor’s degree. We do this by offering a holistic, asset-based program that invests in each of our scholars over the course of 10 years: from high school, to college, through the launch of their careers.

In 1997, our organization began with 25 students in East Palo Alto. Today, we serve over 5,000 alumni and scholars. Our 12 centers for high school students are located in underserved communities across California, Colorado, Louisiana and the D.C. Metro Area. Our college scholars are on higher education campuses across the nation, and our alumni community is 1,500 and growing.

WOC is not responsible for the content of job postings.