Executive Director, External Affairs

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Full Time Main Campus Jacksonville, FL, US

4 days ago Requisition

Job Title: Executive Director of External Affairs

Department: External Affairs

Position

Reports to:

Senior Vice President, External Affairs

Position Class/Type : Exempt, Full-Time

Job Summary

Jacksonville University is seeking a strategic and collaborative Executive Director for the Office of External Affairs to support and partner with the Senior Vice President of External Affairs in leading initiatives that advance the University's mission, strengthen cross-functional collaboration, and drive organizational effectiveness. The Executive Director ensures that the university's external affairs functions, including advancement, government relations, strategic communications, alumni engagement, and corporate partnerships operate as an integrated enterprise aligned around measurable outcomes.

By coordinating strategic initiatives, removing organizational barriers, and driving accountability across departments, the Executive Director enables the Senior Vice President and senior leadership to devote greater time to high-value activities such as cultivating major donors, strengthening strategic partnerships, engaging government and community leaders, and advancing the university's mission.

This role is responsible for identifying opportunities to enhance organizational effectiveness, expand institutional capacity, and support sustainable revenue growth through improved collaboration, strategic planning, and execution. The Executive Director serves as a trusted advisor to senior leadership, ensuring that strategic priorities move efficiently from vision to implementation while fostering a culture of innovation, operational excellence, and results.

• Oversee hiring, training, performance evaluation, and professional development of team members.
• Fosters a collaborative, high-performing team environment aligned with institutional goals.

• Identify and coordinate initiatives that expand and diversify philanthropic, corporate, governmental, and partnership revenue opportunities.
• Develop systems and processes that increase the productivity and effectiveness of fundraising and external engagement efforts.
• Analyze institutional trends and recommend strategies that support long-term growth and financial sustainability.
• Coordinate cross-functional initiatives that strengthen the university's market position and external impact.
• Lead the University's state government relations strategy, including legislative engagement, state agency partnerships, and advocacy efforts aligned with institutional priorities.
• Lead cross-divisional strategic planning to diversify revenue sources beyond philanthropy.
• Evaluate financial performance of strategic initiatives and recommend investment opportunities.

• Increase the strategic capacity of the Senior Vice President of External Affairs and University leadership by assuming responsibility for operational oversight, project execution, and organizational coordination.
• Ensure leadership and revenue-generating staff time is focused on the highest-value activities, including donor cultivation, strategic partnerships, governmental relations, and institutional leadership.
• Serve as a thought partner in helping the SVP deploytime and attention toward the University's highest priorities.
• Serve as a force multiplier for senior leadership by anticipating needs, solving complex organizational challenges, and ensuring seamless execution of institutional priorities.
• Represent the SVP in internal and external meetings as appropriate, ensuring continuity of leadership and timely decision-making.
• Plan and facilitate external affairs team meetings and other leadership forums, including agenda development, preparation of materials, documentation of key decisions, and monitoring of follow-through.
• Serve as a primary point of contact for cross-University engagement involving the Dean's office and support coordination with university leadership, schools, administrative units, and key partners across the University. Facilitate communication and follow-through on initiatives, requests, and partnerships.
• Monitor progress on priorities, milestones, commitments, and deliverables, ensuring accountability and follow-through.
• Lead strategic initiatives assigned by the Senior Vice President of External Affairs that improve organizational performance and advance division priorities.

• Demonstrated experience supporting senior executives or organizational leaders in complex environments with a proven ability to influence and achieve results through collaboration and relationship-building rather than formal authority.
• Exceptional project management and…