Director of Development

Director of Development

Schar School of Policy and Government

The George Mason University Schar School of Policy and Government invites applications for the position of Director of Development. George Mason University has a strong institutional commitment to the achievement of excellence and diversity among its faculty and staff.

The Director of Development will serve as the chief fundraising officer for the school and will work closely with the Dean and the Senior Associate Dean to develop and implement a strategic plan for solicitation of principal and major gifts on behalf of the school. The Schar School seeks to raise $25 million over a 6 year period, and the Director of Development will play a leading role in the success of this initiative. The position will be responsible for all activities related to the identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of principal and major gifts. It will also oversee relationships with smaller donors who have the potential to grow into principal and major donors over time.

The Director of Development will report to the Senior Associate Dean of Administration of the Schar School, with a dotted line to the Associate Vice President of Development for Schools and Colleges in the Mason Office of Advancement. The Director will provide vision and counsel on advancement strategies to the Dean, faculty and other senior leaders and collaborate closely with the central University Advancement team.  They will build productive relationships with current and new donors, including with individuals not already in the school’s pipeline. The incumbent will be responsible for soliciting gifts individually and/or in conjunction with school leaders and for preparing/training others to solicit gifts. The successful candidate will be one who is excited and passionate about creating a transformative development operation with the opportunity to expand the development team and the related management responsibilities in the years to come.

George Mason University is an innovative, entrepreneurial institution with national distinction in both academics and research. Mason was named the top young university in the United States and is currently the largest and most diverse university in Virginia. The Schar School serves over 2,000 students at the Ph.D., Master’s, and undergraduate levels. It is one of the most intellectually diverse policy/government schools in the nation, with degrees in public policy, public administration, international security, biodefense (global health security), political science, global commerce, and organizational development. The school rose by an extraordinary 9 slots in the most recent USNWR rankings and aspires to reach the top 20 within the next four years. Over the past two years, Schar has more than tripled its grant expenditures to almost $15M/year. It is committed to hiring 12 tenure-line faculty over a four-year period and has launched four undergraduate Learning Communities in the past 12 months. The school also has several centers with national reach and name recognition.

For a more-detailed description of the opportunity, please visit: https://diversifiedsearchgroup.com/search/gmu-director-of-development-schar-school/

Review of application materials will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. All requests for information, written nominations, confidential inquiries, and all application materials should be directed in confidence, to:

Susan VanGilder, Managing Director

Kenna Boyd, Managing Associate

Storbeck Search

GMUDevelopmentScharSchool@storbecksearch.com

For full consideration, applicants must also apply at https://jobs.gmu.edu/; complete and submit the online application; and upload a cover letter, resume, and a list of three professional references with contact information. Submission of materials as Adobe PDF attachments is strongly encouraged. For full consideration, applicants must apply for position number FA09JZ at https://jobs.gmu.edu/

For more information on George Mason University please visit http://www.gmu.edu/

George Mason University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, committed to promoting inclusion and equity in its community. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or veteran status, or any characteristic protected by law.