Associate Vice President, Strategic Philanthropy

About Junior Achievement USA®
Junior Achievement is education for what’s next. As a strategic partner working in collaboration with educators, employers, investors, leaders, and the communities they serve, we are dedicated to helping students achieve academically today and economically tomorrow. As a leader in experiential learning operating on a national scale with over a century of experience, we are driving toward lasting change. This means ensuring a generation of students has the transferable skills and competencies needed to navigate a rapidly changing world. By delivering career-connected learning, we are invested in accelerating economic mobility through education. By helping students become confident, capable, and connected today, we can ensure they have access to opportunity-filled futures tomorrow. Junior Achievement reaches more than 4.6 million students annually across nearly 100 U.S. markets, and is part of JA Worldwide, which serves over 19.9 million students in more than 100 countries. Learn more at www.ja.org. 

Position Summary

Junior Achievement USA (JA USA) is seeking an Associate Vice President, Strategic Philanthropy to lead and advance a national strategy focused on high-net-worth individuals, families, and family foundations. This leadership role advances individual and family philanthropy as a critical component of JA USA’s development strategy and supports long-term mission impact and growth.

Reporting to the Chief Development Officer, the Associate Vice President will manage senior-level donor relationships, secure significant philanthropic investments, and partner with executive leadership to strengthen and scale JA USA’s strategic philanthropy efforts.​ At a pivotal moment of growth and opportunity for JA USA, this role plays an important leadership function in strengthening strategic philanthropy efforts and securing the philanthropic investments that support innovation, scale, and long-term mission impact.

Essential Functions

Lead Strategic Philanthropy Strategy

• Lead the development and execution of a national strategy for high net worth and family philanthropy aligned with JA USA’s mission and organizational priorities.
• Translate enterprise development goals into actionable philanthropy strategies and donor engagement plans.
• Serve as a leader and subject matter expert on development strategy, philanthropic trends, and investment alignment.

Secure Significant Philanthropic Investments

• Personally manage and steward a portfolio of high-capacity investors and prospects.
• Secure significant multi-year and principal gifts, including six-figure and selected seven-figure commitments.
• Guide investors toward values-aligned, outcomes-driven philanthropic investments that support strategic organizational initiatives.

Partner with Executive Leadership

• Collaborate with the Chief Development Officer and senior leadership on cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies.
• Serve as a representative of JA USA with investors and advisors in support of strategic philanthropy objectives.

Strengthen Philanthropic Capacity

• Establish and implement best practices that enhance investor experience and long-term engagement.
• Contribute to department-wide development strategy and national local alignment.
• Ensure philanthropy strategies are executed in alignment with JA USA’s federated governance structure.

Required Qualifications

• 8–10 years of senior-level experience in major or principal gift fundraising.
• Demonstrated success securing significant philanthropic gifts from individuals, families, or family foundations.
• Experience building or scaling high-net-worth or principal giving strategies within a complex organization.
• Strong leadership presence, sound judgment, and advanced relationship-building skills.
• Deep commitment to mission-driven, impact-focused philanthropy.

Benefits 

JA USA’s health care benefits provide coverage when needed—focusing on programs that support and encourage healthy living and your overall well-being. We offer medical, dental, vision, life insurance, long-term disability, holidays, paid time off, and 401(k). 

Our Commitment 

At JA USA, we believe that our success is directly tied to our ability to foster an environment where all individuals have access to opportunities and can thrive. We are deeply committed to creating a workplace where inclusion and belonging are not just principles but lived experiences. This commitment drives us to attract, develop, retain, and promote a workforce that mirrors the communities we serve, bringing together a wide range of perspectives, experiences, and talents. 

We embrace the unique contributions that every JA USA employee brings to our mission and encourage individuals from all backgrounds to join our team. By welcoming various voices, we continue to expand our understanding of the world, and we actively seek to elevate representation of different individual experiences and the perspectives they shape. 

We are dedicated to fostering an environment where everyone feels respected, valued, and heard—where people can be their authentic selves and know that they belong. This is how we build a workplace where every individual can succeed, and where we work together to create lasting impact for the young people and communities we serve. 

Additional Information 

JA USA does not provide sponsorship for employment visas for this position. All candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States without the need for sponsorship, now or in the future.