Executive Director of Development

Are you driven by the opportunity to power groundbreaking discoveries that transform brain health on a global scale?

The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) - a global leader in health sciences - is seeking an extraordinary, strategic, and collaborative Executive Director of Development, Neurosciences. In this high-profile role, you will direct a dedicated frontline fundraising team and partner directly with world-class department chairs, institute directors, clinical leaders, and pioneering researchers to design and secure transformative major and principal philanthropic gifts ($250k to $10M+) across the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences.

As a senior development strategist within the Office of University Development and Alumni Relations (UDAR), you will occupy a critical leadership position, shaping the future of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry. You will bridge complex clinical priorities and visionary scientific research, converting them into inspiring, high-impact donor opportunities that accelerate discoveries for neurodegenerative diseases, mental health, brain injury, and cognitive science.

Why This Role Is Unique

Power a World-Renowned Ecosystem: Drive philanthropic strategy across the prestigious UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, unifying elite departments - including Neurology, Neurological Surgery, and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences - alongside cutting-edge research centers.

• Direct Access to Visionary Academic Leadership: Serve as a trusted advisor and strategic partner to department chairs, institute directors, and world-renowned scientists, translating complex clinical and basic science visions into compelling philanthropic narratives.
• High-Impact, Transformative Philanthropy: Secure visionary gifts that directly accelerate clinical breakthroughs, expand patient access, fund high-risk/high-reward research, and empower the next generation of neuroscience leaders.
• Senior Strategic & Team Leadership: Direct, mentor, and elevate a high-performing frontline fundraising team while serving as a key strategist on UDAR leadership bodies, including Frontline Leaders and Executive Team spaces.
• Unrivaled Collaborative Environment: Join one of the nation's premier academic development organizations, built on a culture of deep partnership, intellectual curiosity, and shared accomplishment.

Desired Mindset & Competencies

• Intellectual Curiosity & Passion for Neuroscience: A genuine fascination with brain health, clinical innovation, and biomedical research, paired with the ability to translate complex medical concepts into inspiring donor opportunities.
• Strategic Agility & Political Acumen: Demonstrated expertise navigating complex organizations, aligning diverse stakeholder interests, and managing multiple high-priority initiatives simultaneously.
• Collaborative Leadership & Team Orientation: High emotional intelligence, a team-first mindset, and a commitment to growing talent, celebrating collective wins, and fostering a supportive, high-performing environment.

*note: Salary commensurate with internal equity based on education, scope, and experience

Department Overview:

At UCSF's Office of University Development and Alumni Relations (UDAR), we're proud to be the kind of place where great ideas can come from anyone, and you can do the most impactful work of your career alongside fantastic colleagues. From our pioneering work in the AIDS crisis to the creation of a silicon brain, you will experience the world-class nature of our work and the difference it makes. 

UDAR is a team of innovative professionals who partner with world-class scientists, healthcare providers, and philanthropists to advance breakthrough research and life-changing patient care. We're one of the nation's top fundraising organizations, home to smart, driven people who care deeply about UCSF's mission to advance science and transform health. 

Our success comes from the combined talents of many roles: frontline fundraisers who build transformative partnerships with donors; alumni relations professionals who nurture lasting connections with the UCSF community; writers and designers who help tell the university’s story; researchers and analysts who provide critical insights; and operations and information systems experts who keep us running smoothly. 

Responsibilities

% of timeEssential Function (Yes/No)Key Responsibilities (To be completed by Supervisor)

25

YES

Manages a moderately complex fundraising program, comprised of the full range of development programs and includes responsibility for other external relations functions, such as events, volunteer coordination and management, donor relations and stewardship, and other marketing related activities. 

• Direct and partner with a dedicated development team to design, build, and secure major philanthropic opportunities across program priorities.
• Serve as a key resource, advocate, and spokesperson across designated areas, partnering closely with multiple Department Chairs, Institute Directors, and school faculty to align diverse academic priorities into compelling fundraising initiatives.
• Assume ultimate responsibility for all fundraising involving assigned program priorities, working in conjunction with multiple Chairs, Directors, and key faculty to identify goals and execute comprehensive fundraising strategies.
• Foster meaningful relationships with prospects and donors to align their interests with institutional needs.
• Partner across departments to cultivate and solicit prospects interested in supporting interdisciplinary, multi-departmental programs.
• Maintain in-depth knowledge of priorities, faculty, and initiatives across multiple departments and units.
• Partner with Advancement Communications on strategic marketing, stewardship, and donor communications.

10

YES

Manages a staff comprised of several professionals and related administrative support staff. 

• Direct and lead a team of development officers and support staff who manage distinct areas of fundraising effort, knitting together complex strategies to secure visionary gifts across multiple department lines.
• Plan, oversee, and evaluate the work of the unit staff, including four direct/indirect team members.

15

YES

Selects, trains, mentors, guides, and directs staff, and as required, takes corrective action.

• Direct and mentor the development team, establishing unified goals and driving collaborative, team-based frontline fundraising.
• Recruits, trains, mentors, and develops staff while monitoring performance standards against industry best practices.
• Partner with staff to coach them on designing and securing complex gift opportunities in coordination with multiple clinical and research leaders.

15

YES

Working through staff, conceives, creates, develops, implements, evaluates and manages development programs and strategies to meet predetermined goals and objectives, ensuring predetermined goals are met.

• Establish an annual business plan for the unit with measurable operational and dollar goals.

• Collaborate with development staff and executive leadership (Assistant Vice Chancellors, Associate Vice Chancellor, and Vice Chancellor) to ensure institutional targets are achieved.

• Apply expert knowledge of fundraising and donor engagement to structure complex gifts involving multiple research units, Department Chairs, and clinical leaders.

• Support comprehensive capital campaigns, institutional milestones, or emergency funding initiatives as directed by advancement leadership.

15

YES

Conducts and participates in short- and long-range strategic planning.

• Serve as a senior development strategist on the UDAR team and participate in leadership bodies including Frontline Leaders and Executive Team.
• Participate in high-level fundraising strategy meetings with UDAR leadership, Deans, and Department Chairs.
• Collaborate with development staff and executive leadership to align fundraising strategies with institutional priorities and long-range goals.

15

YES

Oversee and manage the identification, cultivation and solicitation of donors and donor prospects.

• Responsible for the full range of development functions focused on the identification, cultivation, solicitation, proposal writing, and stewardship of individual prospects and donors, corporations, and foundations rated at $100,000 and higher, with an emphasis on gift potentials of $1 million or more.
• Demonstrate exceptional collaboration with peer UDAR teams including Prospect Development, Gift and Endowment Planning, Corporate and Foundation Relations, External Relations, Board Relations, and other frontline fundraising teams.

5

YES

Other Duties as Assigned

• Core Objective: Maintain flexibility to support broader institutional advancement priorities, special projects, and team-wide campaigns.

• Special Campaigns & Institutional Initiatives: Support comprehensive capital campaigns, institutional milestones, or emergency funding initiatives as directed by advancement leadership.

• Departmental & Team Support: Participate in team planning, staff mentoring, and cross-departmental working groups to enhance advancement processes, templates, and collaborative workflows.

Qualifications

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in related area and / or equivalent experience / training
• 8+ years of related experience
• 7+ years of supervisory, management experience
• Excellent knowledge of all aspects of fundraising, donor and public relations including advanced knowledge of applicable laws, rules, regulations, policies, etc.
• Excellent knowledge of the campus, its achievements, vision, mission, goals, objectives, applicable policies, infrastructure and current issues of concern and knowledge of issues of concern for higher education, generally
• Excellent knowledge of leadership / management concepts, procedures, techniques and best practices
• Excellent leadership / management skills to select, train, mentor, evaluate and motivate staff
• Excellent written, oral and interpersonal communications skills, including excellent political acumen skills, to build and maintain effective working relationships within all organizational levels and with outside constituencies
• Excellent skills in meeting predetermined goals and objectives, including securing gifts and meeting fundraising goals
• Excellent strategic planning, critical thinking, analytical, problem-solving, persuasion / negotiation skills and marketing skills

Preferred Qualifications:

• Advanced degree