Director of Prospect Strategy & Research

Company Description

By working at Harvard University, you join a vibrant community that advances Harvard's world-changing mission in meaningful ways, inspires innovation and collaboration, and builds skills and expertise. We are dedicated to creating a diverse and welcoming environment where everyone can thrive.

Harvard Business School, located on a 40-acre campus in Boston, was founded in 1908 as part of Harvard University. It is among the world's most trusted sources of management education and thought leadership. For more than a century, the School's faculty has combined a passion for teaching with rigorous research conducted alongside practitioners at world-leading organizations to educate leaders who make a difference in the world.

Through a dynamic ecosystem of research, learning, and entrepreneurship that includes MBA, Doctoral, Executive Education, and Online programs, as well as numerous initiatives, centers, institutes, and labs, Harvard Business School fosters bold new ideas and collaborative learning networks that shape the future of business.

The Director of Prospect Strategy & Research provides leadership for the institution’s prospect strategy and research function in support of fundraising priorities and long-term pipeline development.

Building upon a strong foundation of prospect research expertise and fundraising support, the Director will help advance the organization’s prospect strategy capabilities by strengthening the integration of research, analytics, technology, relationship intelligence, and operational best practices.

The Director will lead efforts to develop scalable approaches to prospect identification, qualification, ratings, and prospect prioritization across a large and diverse alumni population. The role is responsible for ensuring that research resources are focused on the highest-value opportunities while leveraging technology, data, and process improvements to expand prospect coverage and support fundraising success.

Reporting to senior advancement leadership, the Director will oversee staff, establish operational priorities and service models, foster professional development, and partner closely with fundraising leadership, analytics, and advancement operations teams.

• Provide leadership for prospect identification, qualification, ratings, screenings, and prospect prioritization efforts.
• Develop scalable approaches to prospect identification and prioritization that leverage research, analytics, constituent engagement data, screenings, and emerging technologies.
• Partner with fundraising leadership to support portfolio strategy, pipeline development, and fundraising planning.
• Support proactive prospecting efforts focused on strategic industries, alumni segments, affinity groups, and emerging opportunities.
• Establish frameworks that help ensure research resources are focused on the prospects and opportunities where strategic analysis adds the greatest value.
• Collaborate with advancement partners to identify opportunities to broaden prospect coverage and strengthen fundraising pipelines.

• Oversee prospect research, ratings, screenings, and constituent intelligence activities.
• Support the continued development of relationship intelligence and network-based approaches to prospect strategy.
• Ensure research products are relevant, actionable, and aligned with fundraising priorities.
• Maintain quality standards and consistency across ratings, screenings, prospect identification, and research practices.
• Evaluate and refine methodologies used to assess prospect capacity, engagement, and philanthropic potential.

• Provide leadership for workflows, service models, and operational processes that support prospect strategy and research activities.
• Develop metrics, dashboards, and reporting that provide visibility into team activities, outcomes, and organizational impact.
• Evaluate opportunities to leverage automation, AI-enabled tools, screening resources, and other technologies to improve…