Associate Director, Prospect Research

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.

• Partner with the Director of Research to strengthen and expand the prospect pipeline through the identification, evaluation, and prioritization of high-potential donor prospects using evolving research tools, screening resources, and data analytics.
• Develop and implement proactive prospecting and pipeline development strategies utilizing data mining, predictive modeling, relationship mapping, and wealth and affinity analysis to identify new major and principal gift prospects and support data-driven portfolio growth and fundraising strategy.
• Collaborate closely with principal and major gift officers to identify, qualify, and strategically advance prospects through the fundraising pipeline in alignment with institutional priorities and fundraising goals.
• Partner with and participate in prospect strategy discussions with frontline fundraising teams to support portfolio development and prospect strategy by providing actionable research, analysis, and recommendations on donor capacity, inclination, interests, and engagement.

• Conduct in depth research on current and potential donors, including biographical, business, philanthropic, and financial information.
• Prepare clear, concise, and well-organized research products (profiles, briefings, memos, landscape scans) for senior leadership and frontline fundraisers.
• Analyze wealth indicators and philanthropic behavior to estimate giving capacity and identify strategic opportunities for principal and major gift cultivation.
• Monitor news, public filings, and other sources to keep stakeholders informed of developments affecting key prospects and donors.

• Lead or oversee due diligence reviews on high-priority prospects and institutional partners, with attention to litigation, regulatory actions, sanctions and watchlists, corruption and fraud, and other activities that may conflict with HMS’s mission and values.
• Summarize findings in balanced, evidence-based assessments that clearly distinguish fact from allegation, convey levels of risk, and outline any ambiguities or limitations.
• Collaborate with Development leadership and other campus partners on the integration of due diligence into gift acceptance and prospect strategy decisions.

• Work with Development Technology colleagues to extract, clean, and interpret data from the fundraising database and related systems to support prospecting, portfolio analysis, and campaign planning.
• Use Excel and other tools (e.g., SQL, R, Python, or similar) to analyze large datasets, identify trends, and develop reports that inform prospect identification and portfolio management.
• Thoughtfully incorporate AI tools (for example, large language models, GPTs/Gens, and other generative AI applications) to assist with tasks such as summarizing long documents, scanning open-source media, organizing notes, and drafting initial language.

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience required.
• 5 or more years of progressively responsible experience in prospect research, due diligence, analytics, consulting, financial analysis, journalism, or a closely related field.

• Strong analytical skills and comfort working with data.
• Advanced Excel skills (e.g., formulas, pivot tables, data cleansing).
• Experience querying, exporting, and interpreting data from a CRM or fundraising database (familiarity with Advance helpful).
• Demonstrated experience conducting comprehensive research using public records, news databases, business and financial filings, and specialized research tools.
• Proven ability to synthesize complex information into clear, succinct written products tailored to senior audiences.
• Demonstrated experience handling sensitive and confidential information with discretion and integrity.
• Excellent organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across teams.
• Experience with SQL and at least one statistical or scripting language (e.g., R or Python) for data analysis and modeling.
• Experience with data visualization and reporting tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI, or similar).
• Familiarity with AI enabled tools and a track record of using them thoughtfully to enhance, rather than replace, human research and judgment.
• Prior responsibility for due diligence or reputational risk assessments in a fundraising, legal, compliance, or corporate environment.
• Experience with advancement databases (e.g., Blackbaud, Salesforce,…