Director of Development
School of Social Sciences and Social Policy (SSSP)
Brandeis University is seeking a visionary and strategic Directors 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 are 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…