Description
Director, Foundations & Corporate Partnerships (North America, Europe & Canada)
Department: Office of Advancement
Location: New York, NY (On site)
Reports to: Vice President for Advancement
Travel: Frequent domestic and international travel required
About Lebanese American University
Founded in 1924, the Lebanese American University (LAU) is a leading American-style institution with campuses in Beirut and Byblos and a strategic presence in New York. For more than a century, LAU has educated generations of leaders who contribute to Lebanon, the region, and the world, grounded in a mission of academic excellence, access, innovation, and service.
As it enters its second century, LAU is undertaking a bold institutional transformation—shifting from a tuition-dependent model to an endowment-powered, globally engaged university capable of advancing research, innovation, and student opportunity at scale, even amid regional economic volatility. To support this transformation, LAU is launching Transform Tomorrow Together, a $300 million comprehensive capital campaign (2026–2033) designed to grow the University’s endowment toward $1 billion, strengthen research and innovation capacity, expand access, and secure long-term institutional sustainability and autonomy.
Position Summary
The Lebanese American University seeks a Director of Foundations & Corporate Partnerships (North America, Europe & Canada) to lead the development of strategic relationships with corporations and foundations across the United States, Canada, and Europe, while supporting discovery and early cultivation of individual prospects within the Lebanese and Lebanese diaspora and other mission-aligned communities.
This senior-level advancement role is a core leadership position within LAU’s $300 million Transform Tomorrow Together campaign, with responsibility for building institutional partnerships that will anchor campaign success over the next decade. The Director will focus on institutional partnership development, discovery, and early- to mid-stage cultivation, with a strong emphasis on corporate and foundation engagement beyond research funding alone.
Operating within a matrixed global advancement model, the Director will work in close coordination with LAU’s Beirut-based Foundations & Corporations team—led by the Senior Director overseeing the Middle East and Africa—as well as Major Gift Officers and school-based advancement leaders. This role will ensure aligned, collaborative, and non-duplicative engagement across regions, particularly where foundations or corporate partners have global representation, European headquarters, or cross-regional governance structures.
Key Responsibilities
Corporate & Strategic Partnership Development (North America, Europe & Canada)
Lead the identification, cultivation, and qualification of strategic relationships with:
Corporations and corporate foundations
Foundations
CSR and ESG leaders
Senior executives, founders, and innovation-driven organizations
Position LAU as a long-term institutional partner, advancing opportunities that may include:
Corporate philanthropy and signature partnerships
Sponsored and applied research
Innovation and entrepreneurship collaboration
Industry engagement and enterprise partnerships
Workforce development, internships, and talent pipelines
Collaborate closely with LAU’s Enterprise Initiative, including the Industrial Hub and LAU Engine, as well as faculty, researchers, and academic leadership.
Advance partnership conversations from discovery through early cultivation and support transition to later-stage engagement in coordination with Advancement leadership.
Foundation Engagement, Grant Assessment & Global Coordination
Identify and cultivate relationships with private, family, and corporate foundations across North America and Europe aligned with LAU’s mission, academic strengths, and campaign priorities.
Assess foundation guidelines, priorities, and funding mechanisms to determine institutional and programmatic fit.
Expand foundation engagement beyond research funding to include:
Scholarships and student access
Innovation and entrepreneurship
Applied learning and workforce development
Institutional capacity building
Work in close coordination with the Senior Director of Foundations & Corporations (Beirut), who oversees the Middle East and Africa, to:
Align prospect strategy and outreach across regions
Coordinate engagement with globally represented or multinational foundations and corporations
Ensure strategic alignment across North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa portfolios
Contribute to grant planning and proposal strategy
Participate in joint prospect strategy and coordinated relationship management for foundations with global boards, international grantmaking structures, or cross-regional funding priorities.
Review and provide strategic input on proposals, concept notes, and institutional communications, as appropriate.
Writing, Communication & Strategic Materials
Prepare high-quality written materials in support of corporate, foundation, and major gift cultivation, including:
Opportunity briefs and concept notes
Donor and funder summaries
Internal strategy memos and leadership briefing materials
Cultivation and engagement narratives
Ensure clear, consistent, and compelling articulation of LAU’s mission, priorities, and value proposition.
Collaborate with Advancement Communications colleagues to refine messaging for institutional partners and campaign audiences.
Discovery & Cultivation of Individual Prospects
Discover and qualify individual prospects, with emphasis on:
Lebanese and diaspora communities across North America and Europe
Individuals with demonstrated affinity for Lebanon and LAU
Leverage corporate, foundation, entrepreneurial, and professional networks to identify new relationships.
Conduct discovery and early cultivation meetings focused on alignment, engagement, and long-term philanthropic potential.
Identify donors whose long-term interests may align with legacy and planned giving opportunities, supporting the development of LAU’s future endowment pipeline.
Regional Market Development (North America & Europe)
Manage engagement across a defined portfolio of U.S., Canadian, and key European markets.
Build localized philanthropic ecosystems connecting:
Corporations and foundations
Entrepreneurs and business leaders
Alumni and friends of LAU
Represent LAU at relevant business, philanthropy, innovation, and industry events.
Partner with Alumni Relations and Advancement colleagues on coordinated regional strategies.
Presidential & Executive Advancement Support
Support planning and execution of President and Vice President for Advancement engagements in North America and Europe.
Assist with prospect identification, strategic briefing materials, meeting preparation, and follow-up.
Participate in select senior-level meetings to support relationship development and campaign momentum.
Capital Campaign Leadership, Readiness & Reporting
Serve as a key contributor to LAU’s $300 million Transform Tomorrow Together campaign, building institutional partnerships aligned with campaign priorities.
Develop and manage robust early- and mid-stage corporate and foundation pipelines designed to mature into multi-year and/or transformational commitments.
Share market intelligence, partnership insights, and foundation analysis with Advancement leadership to inform campaign planning and strategy.
Maintain accurate contact reports, prospect strategies, and pipeline activity in Raiser’s Edge NXT.
Requirements
Qualifications
Required
Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred.
5–7+ years of progressive experience in:
University advancement, NGOs, or international organizations
Corporate, foundation, or institutional partnership development
Demonstrated success building senior-level relationships with corporations and foundations.
Exceptional writing, analytical, and verbal communication skills.
Strong strategic judgment, organizational ability, and attention to detail.
Experience collaborating across teams, geographies, and cultures.
Willingness to travel frequently within the U.S., Canada, and Europe.
Ability to work on site from LAU’s New York office.
Preferred
Experience contributing to or reviewing foundation proposals and grant submissions.
Familiarity with international or multi-campus advancement operations.
Experience engaging diaspora or affinity-based philanthropic communities across North America and Europe.
Exposure to enterprise, innovation, or research-based partnerships.
Foreign language skills (Arabic, French, Portuguese strongly valued).
Proficiency with Raiser’s Edge NXT or comparable advancement CRM systems.
