Chief Advancement Officer

Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart finds itself at a pivotal moment in its over  65-year history on Memorial Drive in Houston, Texas. We have completed an unprecedented campaign for a contiguous 8-acre land acquisition and are poised to chart a future that will help us meet the demand for increased admissions and enrollment, expand and enhance programming, and add and improve facilities.  

The realization of the decades-long dream of acquiring this land ensures that we will continue to offer a competitive, balanced program that promotes personal growth and compassionate leadership in the context of Catholic, Sacred Heart education. We seek a leader with a clear vision and intentional strategy to serve as thought partner to the Head of School and solidify our position as the premier school of choice for girls in the Houston area.  

The Chief Advancement Officer (CAO) will steward the school into the next phase of mission-driven planning in a newly created role that expands the existing team’s reach and purview and sets the stage for the next 65 years of growth and success. The new CAO is a strategic, authentic, and inspiring leader who is easy to follow and builds trust-based relationships across a diverse school community. He/she is a natural organizer who motivates and instructs others to serve the mission of the Society of the Sacred Heart. 

The CAO reports directly to the Head of School, serving as a member of the Administrative Leadership Team, and is responsible for advancing the school’s mission through a comprehensive, values-aligned advancement plan that oversees three seminal teams in the school’s administration: Admissions and Enrollment, Development, and Project Management. Supervision also includes the Capital Campaign Director and the Major Gifts Officer. This integrated approach requires departments to avoid siloed thinking and serve the advancement of the school’s mission as one team.  

Grounded in the Goals and Criteria of School of the Sacred Heart and informed by best practices in independent school leadership, the CAO will strengthen community engagement, ensure the long-term sustainability and vitality of the institution, and articulate the transformative power of a Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart education 

Primary Responsibilities 

Mission-Aligned Strategic Leadership 

• Partner with the Head of School to advance Duchesne’s strategic vision and ensure alignment with the Goals and Criteria. 
• Develop and implement a comprehensive advancement strategy that integrates mission, community engagement, and financial sustainability. 
• Participate in and collaboratively lead the school’s master planning process. 
• Supervise Director of Project Management in carrying out the school’s master plan.  

Comprehensive Advancement Program Leadership 

• Oversee and support Admissions and Enrollment in identifying, recruiting, enrolling, and re-recruiting mission-appropriate students and their families. 
• Oversee Development, ensuring integration and alignment across fundraising efforts: 
  • Alumnae and parent engagement
  • Communications and storytelling
  • Events and community-building initiatives
  • Advancement systems, data, and reporting. 

Relationship Stewardship 

• Model a relational, mission-centered approach to fundraising that emphasizes authentic connection and long-term stewardship. 
• Design and implement strategies to grow annual giving, major gifts, planned giving, and endowment support. 
• Manage the cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of a portfolio of major and leadership gift prospects.
  • Cultivate, maintain, and steward an active portfolio of major donor prospects and solicit leadership gifts as appropriate.
  • Supervise Campaign Director and campaign-related communications strategies. 
  • Supervise Major Gifts Officer, cultivating relationships with constituents. 
• Strengthen relationships with alumnae, families, trustees, and community partners in support of lifelong connection to Sacred Heart education. 
• Oversee mission-centered events and engagement opportunities that reinforce community and institutional identity, particularly regarding capital campaign efforts. 
• Collaborate with faculty and leadership to ensure advancement messaging reflects the intellectual, spiritual, and personal formation of students. 

Leadership & Governance 

• Serve as a strategic partner to the Head of School and Board of Trustees, particularly in advancement and fiduciary matters. 
• Support and engage trustees in advancement activities, including campaign leadership and relationship development. Contribute to institutional decision-making and long-term planning as a member of the Administrative Leadership Team 

Requirements

Minimum Education/Prior Experience/Qualifications Required

• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree strongly preferred.
• Minimum of 7-10 years of progressive leadership experience in advancement, independent schools or related fields
• Demonstrated success in:
  • Major gift cultivation and solicitation.
  • Campaign planning execution.
  • Building sustainable advancement programs.
  • Engaging diverse stakeholder communities.

Core Competencies

• Ability to think long-term while translating vision into actionable plans and measurable outcomes. 
• High level of emotional intelligence (EQ). 
• Superior skills both in leading a team and inspiring the larger school community.  
• High capacity for consensus building, working effectively across constituencies to foster shared ownership of advancement goals. 
• Outstanding collaborative skills. 
• Comfort with transparency and accountability. 
• Proactive and growth mindset. 
• Excellent organizational skills. 
• Flexibility and willingness to change course when necessary. 
• Facility with translating the school’s mission to inspire engagement and philanthropy 

Nothing in this Job Description restricts Duchesne’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this position at any time. This position is at will, which means that either the employee or Duchesne may terminate the employment relationship at any time, with or without notice and for any reason or no reason.

Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart is committed to providing equal opportunity in all of its employment practices, including selection, hiring, promotion, transfer, and compensation, to all qualified applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex (gender), age, national origin, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable law.

Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart Chief Advancement Officer Statement Link: https://bit.ly/DASH-cao.