Senior Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations

BrightFocus Foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit organization internationally renowned for funding scientific research to defeat Alzheimer’s disease, macular degeneration, and glaucoma. Since its inception, BrightFocus has awarded nearly $300 million in research funding for close to 2,000 awards, with 202 active awards across 15 countries. Several Nobel laureates are among the foundation’s awardees and serve on its board of directors. As the organization continues to grow, BrightFocus now seeks an inaugural senior director of corporate and foundation relations (senior director) to drive institutional philanthropy in support of its mission. In this newly created role, the senior director will be a collaborative, aspirational, and strategic leader; a superb relationship builder; and an expert institutional fundraiser with a mission-forward mindset.

Located in metropolitan Washington, DC, in suburban Clarksburg, Maryland, BrightFocus is dedicated to funding breakthrough research efforts as a catalyst for researchers and scientists to pursue innovative ideas that transform our understanding of these diseases and accelerate the pathway to treatments and cures. Under the umbrella of three global flagship programs, BrightFocus provides early-stage funding for high-risk, high-reward projects by funding the boldest research and “what-if” ideas to fuel the development of novel treatments and diagnostic tools.

Reporting to the senior vice president, strategic partnerships, and supporting the senior vice president, development, the senior director will play a transformational role in the life of the organization. Success for the senior director will mean significantly growing funds critical to the foundation’s groundbreaking discoveries and increasing the volume of corporate and foundation contributions and engagements. In partnership with a dedicated team of senior leaders, the senior director will devise a plan to penetrate new industry sectors and increase public awareness of the foundation’s life-changing work, while growing and nurturing existing corporate and foundation partnerships. The successful candidate will energize and motivate those around them and bring sincere compassion for individuals and families suffering from diseases of mind and sight, as well as for the scientific researchers working on new discoveries.

Jack Gorman is leading this search with Grace Zakim and Lisa Clayton.

BrightFocus is committed to the full utilization of all human resources and to a policy of equal opportunity. In accordance with applicable laws, it is our policy to recruit, hire, train and promote individuals, as well as administer any and all personnel actions, without regard to any legally-protected characteristic including, but not limited to, race, age, color, religion, sex, marital status, national origin, physical or mental disability, or veteran status.