Director, Endowments & Foundations

Job Summary:

Mercer Advisors is seeking a Director, Endowments & Foundations to help lead the day-to-day execution, growth, and client experience of our institutional nonprofit practice, reporting to the Managing Director of Institutional Partnerships. Mercer Advisors has served nonprofit organizations since our founding in 1985, and our Endowments & Foundations practice today serves 225+ nonprofit clients across the country.

This is a senior execution-focused role, partnering closely with the Managing Director on practice strategy while carrying direct accountability for new business development, client service delivery, and team coordination. The Director will support the practice's growth agenda, contribute to business planning and resource decisions, help build the marketing and thought-leadership engine, originate and close institutional mandates alongside the Institutional sales team, and oversee day-to-day service and retention of the existing client base. Success in this role requires fluency in institutional investment strategy, nonprofit governance and fiduciary practice, and strong execution discipline within a defined strategic mandate set by firm leadership.

Essential Job Functions for this role include:

Strategic Support & Business Planning

Support the Managing Director in shaping practice strategy, including market segmentation, service model design, and multi-year growth roadmap
Contribute to P&L reporting and analysis in partnership with the Managing Director and firm finance
Provide input on the business case for practice investment (headcount, technology, marketing spend); help manage resources against the approved plan
Surface adjacent growth opportunities, including new institutional sub-verticals, partnership channels, and inorganic opportunities, for evaluation by the Managing Director and firm leadership

New Business Development

Partner with the Institutional sales team and Managing Director to originate and close discretionary OCIO and advisory mandates with endowments, private and community foundations, educational institutions, faith-based organizations, healthcare nonprofits, and other tax-exempt institutions
Build and deepen relationships with executive directors, CFOs, CEOs, investment committees, finance committees, and boards of directors
Support the practice's sales strategy, contributing to pipeline development and conversion; report progress against shared targets
Execute portions of complex, consultative, long-cycle sales processes including RFPs and finalist presentations, in coordination with the Managing Director
Develop tailored value propositions in collaboration with the broader team, aligned to each organization's governance model, investment objectives, spending needs, and long-term mission
Build and manage relationships with OCIO search consultants, nonprofit intermediaries, and centers of influence that influence buyer criteria and selection outcomes

Client Oversight & Service Delivery

In partnership with the Head of Endowments & Foundations practice, oversee the service and retention of the practice's existing nonprofit client relationships, ensuring consistent delivery of the firm's fiduciary standard of care across the client base
Monitor client health and retention metrics; intervene directly in at-risk relationships and escalate systemic service issues
Define and continuously improve the practice's client experience standards, including reporting cadence, committee meeting support, and onboarding
Marketing, Events & Thought Leadership
Help build and execute the practice's annual strategic marketing plan in partnership with the firm's marketing organization, including segmentation, campaign strategy, content calendar, and lead generation targets
Support the practice's events strategy — conferences, board and committee education programs, regional roundtables, webinars, and co-hosted events with professional partners
Contribute to thought leadership on institutional investing, nonprofit governance, UPMIFA and fiduciary duty, spending policy, and reserve management
Help refine the practice's differentiated positioning and messaging in a competitive OCIO marketplace

Team Leadership

Serve as a senior team member, mentor, and coach to the Endowments & Foundations team, providing direction on pipeline strategy, deal execution, client engagement, and professional development
Contribute to coverage models, territory design, and go-to-market priorities in partnership with firm leadership

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Work cross-functionally with the Chief Investment Officer and investment research team, portfolio management, marketing, compliance, legal, finance, and client service to deliver the practice's mandate
Partner with subject matter experts across the firm to position the full breadth of Mercer Advisors' capabilities to institutional clients
Contribute institutional client perspective to firmwide strategy, product, and investment discussions
Ensure all practice activity is conducted in accordance with Mercer Advisors' fiduciary obligations and compliance requirements

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree (MBA, MPA) and/or CFA preferred
7+ years of institutional asset management, OCIO, or nonprofit investment advisory experience, with meaningful time in business development
Demonstrated success supporting or co-leading the sale of discretionary OCIO / fiduciary management or institutional investment solutions
Track record supporting or co-leading institutional mandate wins with sophisticated nonprofit and institutional buyers
Experience contributing to or supporting P&L management, budgeting, or business planning for a practice or team
Experience partnering with senior leadership on strategy execution; player/coach experience is a plus, not required
Experience engaging with investment committees, finance committees, and boards of directors, as well as internal investment teams, CIOs, OCIO search consultants, and intermediaries
Working knowledge of the endowment and foundation marketplace, including UPMIFA and nonprofit fiduciary standards, spending policy design, Investment Policy Statement construction, and nonprofit governance practice
Experience contributing to marketing, events, or thought leadership programs that generate measurable pipeline
Understanding of consultative sales methodologies and long-cycle institutional sales processes
Experience using CRM systems (Salesforce preferred) and managing sales pipelines and forecasts
Strong computer aptitude with proficiency in MS Excel, Word, Outlook and PowerPoint
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present credibly to boards, committees, and public audiences
Flexibility to travel