Director of Development

School of Social Sciences and Social Policy (SSSP)

Brandeis University is seeking a visionary and strategic Director of Development to lead advancement efforts for the School of Social Sciences and Social Policy (SSSP). This is an exceptional opportunity for a dynamic development professional who is energized by building partnerships, elevating academic priorities, and empowering world-class students and faculty through philanthropy.

Reporting to the Assistant Vice President of Development, Academic Advancement, the Director of Development (DoD) will serve as the chief advancement partner to their respective Dean and school leadership. In this highly collaborative role, you will connect donors, alumni, faculty, and university leadership to create powerful philanthropic opportunities that drive academic excellence, innovation, and social impact.

To apply, please submit a cover letter and resume/CV.

The hiring range is $129,600 - $155,400.

What You Will Do

Champion a Culture of Philanthropy

• Serve as a trusted strategic partner to the Dean, helping shape and advance a comprehensive philanthropic vision for your school.
• Build and execute strategies that strengthen donor engagement, celebrate key milestones, and inspire broad community support.
• Coordinate seamlessly with Institutional Advancement (IA) to align goals, messaging, and fundraising priorities.

Accelerate Academic Impact

• Work closely with the Dean, senior leadership, department chairs, and faculty to identify transformative funding opportunities.
• Craft compelling proposals, briefings, and reports that showcase the school’s strengths and ambitions.
• Manage and optimize the Dean’s time related to donor cultivation, stewardship, and prospect engagement.

Lead Portfolio and Donor Strategy

• Manage a portfolio of 50–75 high-potential prospects, guiding them through meaningful and strategic philanthropic journeys.
• Partner with colleagues across IA—including Donor Relations, Alumni Relations, and Direct Marketing—to design coordinated outreach and engagement strategies supporting school priorities.
• Ensure every donor is thoughtfully stewarded and connected to the impact of their giving.

Skills and Competencies:

Job specific skills and competencies required or desired:

• Track record of cultivating and closing six and seven figure gifts and working as part of a collaborative team to accomplish this.
• Strong relational, collaborative and teamwork skills for both internal and external relations.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and operationalize related fundraising and engagement strategies, switching strategies when needed.
• Successful experience engaging with faculty/leadership.

Other standardized Institutional Advancement skills and competencies are noted below.

• Demonstrates proficiency in email, word processing, spreadsheet, presentation and conferencing software, and relational databases with an ability to become comfortable and productive with the University’s alumni and donor systems.  MS Office Suite and Salesforce experience highly desired.
• Exhibits excellent written and oral communication skills that promote academic and business professionalism and convey information clearly and concisely.
• Presents a collegial, collaborative, and customer-service demeanor that positively reflects the core values and standards of the institution and demonstrates tact and diplomacy.
• Ability to successfully interact and collaborate with varied constituencies and at all times represents Brandeis University in an exemplary and professional manner.
• Ability to apply sound judgment, discretion, and a commitment to professional ethics, data security and nondisclosure when dealing with highly confidential constituent, donor, and prospect information.
• Adheres to University and departmental business policies and procedures.  
• Excellent organizational skills with high attention to detail and follow-up. 
• Self-motivated with an ability to work both independently and collaboratively.
• Must be able and willing to work occasional evenings and weekends with an attitude of doing what it takes to get the job done. 
• Must be able and willing to travel frequently throughout the United States and international regions, as needed, to attend events and meet with prospects and donors to further cultivation and solicitation strategies.

Who You Are

You are a relationship-builder, strategist, and collaborator who thrives in a mission-driven environment. You enjoy partnering closely with academic leaders and bringing their visions to life through philanthropy. You excel at connecting people with purpose, managing complex priorities, and crafting compelling narratives that inspire action.

You believe deeply in the transformative power of education—and you’re ready to help shape the future of two of Brandeis’ most dynamic academic schools.

Why Brandeis?

Brandeis is a research university with a strong liberal arts foundation, committed to academic rigor, social justice, and innovation. You’ll join a community of passionate faculty, ambitious students, and dedicated colleagues who are driven by values and united by purpose.

This is a chance to build something significant: to help define philanthropic strategy, deepen alumni and donor relationships, and support the work of schools at the forefront of business, science, technology, and discovery.

Pay Range Disclosure

The University's pay ranges represent a good faith estimate of what Brandeis reasonably expects to pay for a position at the time of posting. The pay offered to a selected candidate during hiring will be based on factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate's work experience and education/training, internal peer equity, and applicable legal requirements.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Brandeis University is an equal opportunity employer which does not discriminate against any applicant or employee on the basis of race, color, ancestry, religious creed, gender identity and expression, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, age, genetic information, disability, caste, military or veteran status or any other category protected by law (also known as membership in a "protected class").