Executive Director

Zamorano University Foundation; United States; On-site; USD 180,000 - 220,000; Full time

Job summary

The Zamorano University Foundation is seeking an Executive Director to lead fundraising efforts. This role involves engaging donors and expanding philanthropic support for Zamorano University, with a starting salary of $180,000. The position is remote and offers the chance to have a significant impact on advancing the university's mission in the United States.

Qualifications

• Proven leadership in nonprofit fundraising.
• Experience in engaging high-level donors.
• Ability to develop and articulate the case for support.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Foundation in fundraising and donor engagement.
• Strengthen ties with existing and new donors.
• Work collaboratively with university and foundation boards.

Skills

Fundraising experience

Communication skills

Strategic planning

Education

Bachelor's degree

Advanced degree (preferred)

Job description

THE SEARCH

The Zamorano University Foundation (ZUF) seeks an accomplished and entrepreneurial fundraising professional to serve as the inaugural Executive Director. Incorporated in the United States in 2025, the Zamorano University Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the mission of Honduras’ renowned Zamorano University by inspiring philanthropic support from new sources in the United States. The Executive Director will serve as the Foundation’s chief executive officer and lead fundraiser.

Founded more than 80 years ago, Zamorano University’s teaching, research, and community programs are focused on sustainable agriculture, food security, and environmental science. Zamorano has a transformative impact on its talented, hardworking students, who come from over 20 Latin American countries and around the world. Zamorano places a strong emphasis on providing need-based scholarship funding to enable students to come to the University from communities impacted by poverty and malnutrition, studying alongside full-pay students and building bridges across the University’s diverse population. Its campus is a botanical garden and biological reserve in Honduras, and the impact of this enriching, multicultural, and Pan-American environment spans far beyond the grounds. The University is a strategic partner to communities, governments, and the private sector for the advancement of agricultural programs and enterprises that benefit all of Latin America, as approximately 95% of Zamorano alumni (Zamoranos) return to their home countries to apply the skills and expertise they develop at the University.

Alumni of Zamorano University frequently go on to universities in the United States to pursue advanced degrees, and many are employed by major corporations in the US. There is a significant opportunity to enhance philanthropic support for Zamorano University in the United States, as the majority of Zamorano alumni who live outside Latin America are in the US. It is a critical moment of alignment to ensure the ongoing sustainability of the University and to advance its bold vision.

Establishing the Zamorano University Foundation, a United States-based 501(c)(3), is a cornerstone of this work. The University has an endowment of approximately $120 million and is transferring its assets to the Foundation, with the support of a contract Chief Investment Officer. The inaugural Executive Director of the Foundation will report to the Foundation Board and will be a leading colleague working in concert with a newly appointed Director of Institutional Development for the Zamorano campus and the entire development team in Central America, the President of Zamorano University, and the boards of both the University and the Foundation.

This is an outstanding opportunity for a seasoned fundraising professional to expand the reach and scope of the University's philanthropic support by strengthening ties with existing donors and engaging new donors who have an appreciation for Zamorano's mission. In addition to well-rounded frontline fundraising experience, the successful candidate will demonstrate skill and nuance at articulating compelling cases for support, as Zamorano has an exciting breadth of avenues to inspire prospective donors, including educational access, research, technology, environmental sustainability, food security, and the health impacts related to food and environment.

COMPENSATION AND LOCATION

Compensation for this position will be competitive and negotiated in good faith, with the range beginning at $180,000.

This is a remote, US-based position. The Executive Director can be located anywhere in the United States near a major airport.

APPLICATIONS, INQUIRIES, AND NOMINATIONS

Screening of complete applications will begin immediately and continue until the completion of the search process. Confidential inquiries, nominations, referrals, and applications (including resumes and two- to three-page letters of interest responding to the opportunities and challenges outlined above) should be sent via the Isaacson, Miller website: https://www.imsearch.com/open-searches/zamorano-university-foundation/executive-director.

Phillip Petree, Partner
Kennedy Kearney-Fischer, Managing Associate
Isaacson, Miller

The Zamorano University Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer.