Job Summary

The role of University Advancement (UA) is to provide a seamless and coordinated program of outreach that fosters strong relationships with internal and external partners to enhance support for Cal Poly. UA works in close collaboration with Cal Poly stakeholders, garnering the support necessary to fulfill the University's mission and accomplish its strategic goals. UA has broad responsibilities - fundraising, communications/marketing, alumni relations, and government relations, and operates in a model that requires and encourages collaboration with partners across campus.

Under the general supervision of the Assistant Dean of Advancement, the purpose of this position is to provide the clerical, technical, and administrative support functions for the Assistant Dean of Advancement, the Director of Advancement, and the CLA Communications Specialists for the activities and programs that support strategic fundraising objectives in the CLA. This individual will coordinate gift processing procedures and advancement expenditures.

Department Summary

Cal Poly is a nationally ranked, four-year, comprehensive, polytechnic university located in San Luis Obispo, California. The emphasis of the University is a "learn by doing" educational experience for its ~25,000 students. The CLA Advancement Office is responsible for raising over $3 million per year in philanthropic funds to support the vision of the CLA and the College's 17 academic departments and other CLA programs such as Cal Poly Arts, Spanos Theatre, and the Center for Expressive Technologies.

The College of Liberal Arts (CLA) includes disciplines that represent five broad areas of knowledge: the fine and performing arts, communications, the humanities, the social sciences, and interdisciplinary studies with a liberal arts focus. In addition to offering courses for its own majors, CLA offers a significant proportion of courses in general education, as well courses that support minors and serve as electives for all majors throughout the university. Further, the CLA plays a significant role in providing activities that enhance the cultural and intellectual environment of the campus, including exhibits and performances offered by our academic departments (e.g., Art, Music, Theatre & Dance) and Cal Poly Arts, cultural programs and lecture series offered by all of our departments, and co-curricular programs such as KCPR Radio, Mustang Daily, Model UN, and debate.

Key Qualifications

• Demonstrated customer service experience requiring a high level of diplomacy and professionalism. Ability to present a professional and pleasant demeanor on a consistent basis both in person and by telephone, with a variety of campus and community individuals requiring active problem solving and effective interpersonal skills.
• Ability to use tact and diplomacy to effectively handle a broad range of high level and sensitive interpersonal situations with diverse personalities, and to respond appropriately to conflicts and problems.
• Ability to initiate, establish, and foster communication and teamwork by maintaining a positive, cooperative, productive work atmosphere in and outside the University, and the ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships within a diverse population and with those from various cultural backgrounds.
• Excellent communication skills; ability to effectively communicate information in a clear and understandable manner, both verbally and in writing.
• Ability to address a wide range of problems which requires interpreting policies and procedures and using ingenuity to put information together in new ways. Ability to use reasoning and judgment to develop practical, thorough, and creative solutions. Excellent organizational skills and time management skills with the ability to set own priorities and those of others as well to coordinate multiple assignments with fluctuating and time-sensitive deadlines.

Education and Experience

• High school diploma or its equivalent.  Five years of general office support or technical experience. (Training at a vocational school or full-time college education may be substituted for two years of required experience on the basis of one year of college education for 6 months of experience).

Licenses, Certificates, and Credentials

• Possession of a valid driver's license or the ability to obtain by date of hire.

Salary and Benefits

Anticipated Hiring Range: $52,404- $66,456 per year

Classification Range: $52,404- $76,344 per year

Factors in determining the appropriate compensation for a role include experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, and other business and organizational needs. The Anticipated Hiring Range referenced in the job posting is the budgeted salary or hourly range that the University reasonably expects to pay for this position. The Classification Range may be broader than what the University anticipates paying for this position, based on internal equity, budget, and collective bargaining agreements (when applicable).

Cal Poly offers a best-in-class benefits program, including health, dental and vision insurance, retirement participation in the Public Employees' Retirement System, and educational benefits for eligible employees. See our benefits website for additional information. 

Cal Poly

Cal Poly is a nationally-ranked public university located in San Luis Obispo, California, and known for its Learn by Doing philosophy. Each year more than 20,000 top-tier students come to San Luis Obispo to put knowledge into action, taking their learning outside the classroom as they prepare for careers in engineering, agriculture, science, business, humanities and the built environment. Cal Poly’s hands-on philosophy, small class sizes and close student-faculty mentorships result in graduates ready from day one to impact their communities, California and the world. For more information, visit calpoly.edu.

Please watch the video linked here to learn more about the CSU system. 

Equal Opportunity and Excellence in Education and Employment

This position is open and available to all regardless of race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin. Consistent with California law and federal civil rights laws, Cal Poly provides equal opportunity in education and employment without unlawful discrimination or preferential treatment based on race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin. Our commitment to equal opportunity means ensuring that every student and employee has access to the resources and support they need to thrive and succeed in a university environment and in their communities. Cal Poly complies with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the California Equity in Higher Education Act, California’s Proposition 209 (Art. I, Section 31 of the California Constitution), other applicable state and federal anti-discrimination laws, and CSU’s Nondiscrimination Policy. We prohibit discriminatory preferential treatment, segregation based on race or any other protected status, and all forms of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation in all university programs, policies, and practices.

Cal Poly is a diverse community of individuals who represent many perspectives, beliefs and identities, committed to fostering an inclusive, respectful, and intellectually vibrant environment. We cultivate a culture of open dialogue, mutual respect, and belonging to support educational excellence and student success. Through academic programs, student organizations and activities, faculty initiatives, and community partnerships, we encourage meaningful engagement with diverse perspectives. As a higher education institution, we are dedicated to advancing knowledge and empowering individuals to reach their full potential by prioritizing inclusive curriculum development, faculty and staff training, student mentorship, and comprehensive support programs. At Cal Poly, excellence is built on merit, talent, diversity, accessibility, and equal opportunity for all.

Supplemental Information

Satisfactory completion of a background check (including a criminal records check) is required for employment. Cal Poly will make a conditional offer of employment, which may be rescinded if the background check reveals disqualifying information, and/or it is discovered that the candidate knowingly withheld or falsified information. Current employees who are offered positions on campus will be required to undergo a background check for any position where a background check is required by law or that Cal Poly has designated as sensitive. Failure to satisfactorily complete the background check may affect the continued employment of a current CSU employee who was conditionally offered the position.

The person holding this position is considered a 'mandated reporter' under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and is required to comply with the requirements set forth in CSU Executive Order 1083 as a condition of employment.

Cal Poly is not a sponsoring agency for staff or management positions. Applicants for staff and management positions must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time.

Education Code 89521 Requirements: Applicants will be required to disclose whether they have received a final administrative decision or final judicial decision determining that they have committed sexual harassment within the last 7 years only after a determination is made that they meet the minimum qualifications for the position, and before an offer of employment is extended.  Applicants who reach the final stages of the application process must also sign a release form that authorizes the release of information by the applicant’s current and/or former employers to the CSU concerning any substantiated allegations of misconduct.

Positions are posted for a minimum of 14 calendar days.