Senior Vice President for Institutional Advancement

Brandeis University seeks a strategic, innovative, and modern advancement professional who will design and lead a best-in-class advancement enterprise. The ideal candidate for this position will be an outstanding advancement professional with a demonstrated track record as a fundraiser, leader, innovator, and strategist. As a fundraiser, the senior vice president will be versatile and effective, with first-hand experience building productive and relationships with a wide range of donors and potential donors, from friends to alumni. Effectively balancing best practices with innovation, the senior vice president will be a forward-thinking and aspirational senior leader, capable of enhancing existing development and outreach activities while developing new initiatives both independently and in collaboration with the president and board of trustees. The SVP will be a champion of Brandeis’ historic roots and its founding values, which have been foundational to past philanthropic successes.

A private research university (R1) and member of the Association of American Universities (AAU) with a liberal arts focus located in Waltham, Massachusetts, Brandeis was founded in 1948 by the American Jewish community at a time when Jews and other ethnic and racial minorities and women faced discrimination in higher education. Established as a nonsectarian research university, from the beginning Brandeis welcomed talented faculty and students of all backgrounds and beliefs. Brandeis is the academic home to 542 faculty members and 1,146 staff members and serves 3,639 undergraduate students and 2,161 graduate students. Nationally and internationally renowned for teaching, learning, and research, Brandeis’ investment in and commitment to the highest quality undergraduate and graduate education is demonstrated in the distinction of its four schools as well as its robust continuing education programs.

Jack Gorman is leading this search with Grace Zakim and Lisa Clayton.


Brandeis University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer. It is the policy of the University not to discriminate against any applicant or employee on the basis of race, color, ancestry, religion, gender identity and expression, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, genetic information, disability, military or veteran status or any other category protected by law.