Director of Prospect Management and Research

Southern Methodist University (SMU) seeks a strategic, collaborative, and forward-thinking advancement professional to serve as its next Director of Prospect Management and Research. Reporting to Vice President for Development Services Chris Kollar, this position represents an outstanding opportunity to lead and further develop a critical function within an ambitious and rapidly evolving advancement enterprise. The Director will play an essential role in helping SMU identify, prioritize, and engage the prospects who will shape the university’s philanthropic future while leading a talented and growing prospect development team.

Southern Methodist University is experiencing a period of extraordinary momentum and transformation. Under the leadership of President Jay Hartzell and Senior Vice President for Development and External Affairs Shontel Grumhaus, the university is making significant investments in its advancement infrastructure, organizational capacity, and fundraising talent. As SMU prepares for its next chapter of campaign planning and philanthropic growth, university leadership recognizes that sophisticated prospect development strategies, robust portfolio management, and data-informed decision making will be essential to achieving the university’s ambitious fundraising goals.

At the center of this effort is a well-resourced prospect development function that serves as a strategic partner to advancement leadership, frontline fundraisers, and university administrators. The Director will oversee both prospect research and management, leading a team of seven professionals with the potential for continued growth as the advancement division expands. With responsibility for prospect identification, portfolio strategy, ratings and analytics, principal gift pipeline management, and fundraising intelligence, the Director will help ensure that fundraising resources are aligned with the university’s highest-priority opportunities and most promising prospects.

The position arrives at a particularly exciting moment for SMU. As the university prepares for a future campaign expected to reach unprecedented levels of philanthropic ambition, leadership is seeking a seasoned development professional who can help translate institutional aspirations into actionable prospect strategies. Working closely with development and engagement leadership, the Director will play a visible and influential role in campaign planning, principal gift strategy, portfolio optimization, and the cultivation of a sustainable pipeline of transformational donors. As SMU transitions to Salesforce Ascend, a next-generation CRM built specifically to optimize prospect development, research, and pipeline management, the incoming Director will play a pivotal role in shaping the university’s data-driven fundraising strategies and maximizing this powerful platform’s impact.

Beyond managing day-to-day research and prospect management operations, the Director will have significant opportunity to shape the future of prospect development at SMU. This individual will be empowered to evaluate processes, implement new approaches, strengthen fundraising partnerships, and further integrate research and prospect management strategies across the advancement enterprise. The successful candidate will inherit a talented, ambitious team eager for mentorship, leadership, and professional development and will have the opportunity to cultivate a culture defined by excellence, service, innovation, and continuous improvement.

The ideal candidate will be an accomplished prospect development leader who combines strategic thinking, operational expertise, and a deep understanding of fundraising. They will bring experience leading research and prospect management functions within a complex advancement organization, preferably in a campaign environment, along with the confidence and judgment required to serve as a trusted advisor to senior leaders. Most importantly, the successful candidate will be energized by the opportunity to build upon a strong foundation, elevate a high-performing team, and help position SMU for its next era of fundraising success.

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

Southern Methodist University will not discriminate in any employment practice, education program, education activity, or admissions on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, genetic information, or veteran status. SMU’s commitment to equal opportunity includes nondiscrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity and expression.