Senior Director, Philanthropic Partnerships
 Massachusetts Institute of Technology | |
 United States, Massachusetts, Cambridge | |
 Jan 22, 2026 | |
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) MIT seeks an accomplished, strategic fundraising executive to serve as Senior Director, Philanthropic Partnerships within the Office of Philanthropic Partnerships (OPP). This position offers a rare opportunity to shape and execute principal and transformational gift strategies that advance MIT's highest institutional priorities and accelerate global impact across fields such as artificial intelligence, climate, health, manufacturing, and quantum technologies. Position Overview In close partnership with the Executive Director of OPP and a fellow Senior Director, this role helps define and drive MIT's overall principal gift fundraising strategy, ensuring strong alignment, operational effectiveness, and a cohesive approach to market and donor development. The Senior Director will bring vision, judgment, and momentum to an already high-performing team while reinforcing a donor-centric culture that connects philanthropists to bold, cause-based initiatives. The Senior Director leads a small team of frontline fundraisers, establishing and executing growth strategies for MIT's principal and transformational giving program. This includes setting goals, coaching performance, removing barriers, and ensuring disciplined cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of donors capable of commitments of $5M or more. In addition to team leadership, the Senior Director manages a personal portfolio of approximately 25-50 ultra-high-net-worth individuals, including non-alumni and corporate partners. These prospects support university-wide and presidential priorities that often cut across schools and disciplines, as well as core institutional needs such as scholarships, fellowships, professorships, and campus renewal. The role requires strong business development acumen to identify new opportunities, build strategic partnerships, and secure investments that fuel transformational change at scale. As part of MIT's lead principal fundraising unit, OPP collaborates with colleagues across campus to develop and implement strategies for market development, donor engagement, volunteer leadership, and resource allocation for initiatives managed at the highest levels of the Institution. The Senior Director partners closely with colleagues in operations, research, stewardship, writing, and travel support, and creates clear pathways for communication and collaboration to ensure shared success across teams. Qualifications The ideal candidate will be a polished, collaborative fundraising executive with a deep understanding of the role private philanthropy plays in advancing a top-tier research university. Success in this role requires comfort operating in a matrixed environment, managing complex fundraising activities simultaneously, and coordinating solicitation strategies involving senior academic and institutional leaders. Required qualifications include:
A collegial, team-oriented leadership style is essential, as is a commitment to fostering an inclusive and high-performing professional environment that rewards both individual and collective success. Work Environment & Compensation
Employment is contingent upon completion of a satisfactory background check. Application Instructions To learn more about working at MIT and to apply, please visit the MIT Careers Website. MIT is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages applications from individuals of all identities and backgrounds. recblid e6408va12z6pp482r7wzf3y5gs1559 | |