Senior Director of Development

Columbia Global advances Columbia University's global engagement by connecting faculty, students, and partners across regions to address complex global challenges through research, education, dialogue, and action. Established as an integrated University-wide platform in 2022, Columbia Global brings together academic leadership, a global network of Centers across multiple regions at varying stages of operational development and strategic evolution, and impact-oriented initiatives including Columbia World Projects and affiliated academic platforms.

As Columbia Global continues to define and strengthen its long-term institutional and global impact, the organization is in a period of active evolution and strategic transformation. Columbia Global is deepening and strategically leveraging its global footprint, strengthening partnerships across the University, clarifying its long-term value to the institution, and advancing a sustainable and diversified revenue model across a complex and dynamic global platform.

For more information, please visit global.columbia.edu.

The Senior Director of Development reports to the Executive Vice President of Columbia Global. The role receives operational guidance and accountability from the Chief Operating Officer and works in close coordination with the Vice President for University Development and Alumni Relations to ensure alignment with University-wide philanthropic priorities. In this capacity, the Senior Director leads the design and execution of a five-year sustainability and revenue diversification strategy across the portfolio.

The role is responsible for expanding, diversifying, and stewarding philanthropic and partnership funding from individuals, foundations, corporations, bilateral and multilateral donors, and government sources, in close collaboration with University Advancement and Sponsored Projects offices. In the first 18-24 months, the role will prioritize building a coherent organization-wide development strategy, strengthening pipeline discipline and institutional alignment, defining measurable performance benchmarks and funding priorities, and advancing a focused set of high-impact funding opportunities.

Working in partnership with senior leadership, program teams, faculty, and central University offices, the Senior Director of Development drives funding across Columbia Global's full portfolio, ensuring alignment between revenue generation, strategic priorities, and institutional commitments. This includes support for globally oriented research, faculty scholarship, student experiential learning and academic programs, social impact initiatives, and the Global Centers network.

• Lead the design and implementation of a five year revenue generation, sustainability, and diversification strategy across all Columbia Global entities and geographies, while actively contributing to its execution during a period of organizational evolution, institutional transformation, and operational complexity.
• Translate the five-year sustainability strategy into prioritized pipelines, target funding mixes, measurable performance benchmarks, and clear annual revenue goals aligned with organizational capacity and strategic priorities.
• Serve as a hands on strategic partner to Columbia Global senior leadership, translating institutional priorities into actionable funding strategies, proposals, and donor and government engagement plans.
• Establish organization wide goals, standards, and expectations for revenue generation and stewardship in collaboration with program, finance, communications, and leadership teams, as well as central partners such as the Office of Alumni Development (OAD) and Sponsored Projects Administration (SPA).
• Help define and operationalize frameworks for measuring fundraising performance, organizational sustainability, and long-term philanthropic growth across a complex and evolving global platform.

• Personally drive a selective portfolio of high-priority, complex, or cross-cutting fundraising and partnership efforts, including donor…