Associate Vice President and Dean of Development, Faculty of Arts and Sciences

Harvard University invites applications and nominations for the Associate Vice President and Dean of Development (AVP/Dean) to serve as the chief development officer for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences—the largest division of the University.

Harvard is at a pivotal moment in its philanthropic history. The Harvard Campaign—the most successful campaign in American higher education—concluded on June 30, 2018 and surpassed its goal of $6.5 billion with a total philanthropic commitment of more than $9.6 billion. The Harvard Campaign is the first University-wide drive in which all of Harvard’s 12 degree-granting Schools and its Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study participated.

FAS Development with a staff of 169 and an annual budget of $28.5M, raised one-third ($3.2 billion) of the campaign total and has been raising more than $300M annually. This support has translated into 1,678 new undergraduate scholarships, many new professorships, and transformative investments in the spaces and activities that are central to a vibrant student experience and the pursuit of groundbreaking research. The FAS endowment is currently valued at $17B.

To maintain and grow this level of support, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) seeks an innovative, energetic leader with proven success in high-level development operations, who both understands the economics of higher education and will bring to his or her work with senior leaders, faculty, and others an intellectual curiosity and excitement about the FAS’s continuing growth. This leader must be able to work with stakeholders to design and execute a fundraising vision that advances the FAS mission of “being at the forefront of teaching and learning and fostering cutting edge research and discovery.”

The AVP/Dean will join a team led by Claudine Gay, Edgerley Family Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and Brian Lee, Vice President for Alumni Affairs and Development, and will report to both Dean Gay and Vice President Lee. This is the beginning of a new era for the institution. Dean Gay was appointed in August 2018, Vice President Lee was appointed in November 2018, and Lawrence S. Bacow was inaugurated as Harvard’s 29th president in October 2018. These leaders will shape Harvard’s future, and the AVP/Dean will play a critical role in this effort.

The Faculty of the Arts and Sciences includes: Harvard College, which is comprised of the undergraduate student body; the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the only PhD-granting School at the University; the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the newest School established at Harvard; and the Division of Continuing Education. There are 40 academic departments in the FAS, ranging from astronomy to economics to South Asian studies; 51 centers, institutes, and societies; 57 libraries stewarding more than 11 million items; and six museums that curate more than 28 million objects. Raising support for such diverse needs—and at such a remarkable scale—is a tremendous opportunity and challenge. The successful candidate will be a creative strategist with a history of success in leading large, highly-productive fundraising operations at complex institutions.

Inquiries, nominations and applications are invited.  Candidates should provide, as two separate documents, a curriculum vitae and a letter of application that addresses the responsibilities and requirements described in the Leadership Profile.  These materials should be sent electronically via email to Harvard University’s consultants Manny Berger and Melissa Fincher at HarvardAVPDeanFAS@wittkieffer.com. The consultants can be reached via the desk of Candice Jones at 630-575-6929.  Review of applications will continue until the position is filled.

A comprehensive leadership profile can be found at www.wittkieffer.com.

Harvard University values diversity and is committed to equal opportunity for all persons regardless of age, color, disability, ethnicity, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other status protected by law.