Executive Strategist Philanthropic Program Development

University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

Department:
Office of Advancement

Job Title:

Executive Strategist for Philanthropic Program Development

Position #:  - Requisition #: 38637

The Executive Strategist for Philanthropic Program Development serves as a senior advisor, strategic partner, and hands‑on operational leader, personally driving and executing all aspects of program development. It will develop strategic plans and programs supporting philanthropic initiatives of $5 million or more, including the CU Anschutz Mental Health Collaborative. This position translates high‑impact benefactor visions into sustainable, operational programs that align with the strategic priorities of CU Anschutz, the School of Medicine, and other campus partners.

Operating from a strategic advantage within the campus, once gifts have been secured, the Executive Strategist brings deep School of Medicine expertise in program development and operations—including financial planning and analysis, human resources, data, and technology. The role fosters trust‑based collaboration across academic, clinical, educational, and administrative domains. The role partners with programmatic leaders to evaluate feasibility, monitor progress, and assess outcomes, ensuring decisions are informed by both data and values.

This role will facilitate structured decision‑making processes—through project management, independent financial modeling, cost‑benefit analysis, and operational strategy—ensuring philanthropic initiatives are not only visionary but executable, scalable, and aligned with the CU Anschutz vision.

Because of the prevalence of gifts at the $5M+ level in the School of Medicine, this position will maintain a deep understanding of the School of Medicine's financial and administrative systems and create synergy between the School of Medicine and the Office of Advancement.

• Serve as the primary administrative and strategic contact for a portfolio of select gifts of $5M+, including the Mental Health Collaborative and future initiatives.
• Create and oversee the design and monitoring of actions needed to achieve the operating goals and objectives of the benefactor's vision for major philanthropic gifts; sustaining a strong reputation for on‑time and on‑target performance.
• Lead the design and execution of multi‑year strategic plans for key innovation areas funded by major philanthropic gifts.
• Independently maintain the administrative operationalization to support the successful support of philanthropic program development.
• Translate the School of Medicine and CU Anschutz Mental Health Collaborative vision into clear operational strategies with defined goals, metrics, and milestones.
• Identify trends, risks, and emerging opportunities to inform strategic and programmatic operations for major philanthropic gifts.
• In partnership with the CU Anschutz advancement principal gift team, serve as the lead in program planning and development of major philanthropic gifts ($5M+), ensuring alignment with benefactor intent, institutional goals, and the core mission and values of CU Anschutz.

• Transform conceptual frameworks into actionable strategies by assessing organizational capacity, resource allocation, and long‑term sustainability to ensure effective development.
• Serve as a strategic advisor in executive‑level forums, providing consultative insight into operational implications, financial risk analysis, and strategic opportunities, while ensuring responsible stewardship of institutional resources.
• Facilitate structured decision‑making processes, leveraging reporting, dashboards, data, cost‑benefit analysis, return‑on‑investment modeling, and feasibility assessments, to promote informed, values‑aligned outcomes and shared understanding.
• Identify and address information gaps by leading efforts to collect relevant data and stakeholder input necessary for data‑driven decision‑making, strategic alignment and risk mitigation.

• Facilitate cross‑functional collaboration by partnering with units and…