About Union

Since 1836, Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York has forged a distinctive vision for theological education, one that centers rigorous scholarship and personal faith in an urban context so that they might respond to the needs of the world. Progressive theology has long taken shape at Union, where faith and scholarship meet to reimagine the work of justice. Today, Union trains people of all faiths and none who are called to the work of social justice, forming courageous leaders who make a difference wherever they serve.

Position Summary

Reporting to the President and serving as a senior member of the President’s leadership team, the Vice President for Partnerships & Chief Partnerships Officer leads Union’s integrated strategy for strategic partnerships, development, and institutional communications. The Vice President builds and stewards relationships, within and outside the residential campus, that advances Union’s mission, strengthen its public impact, and grow the resources needed to support students, programs, and institutional priorities—developing partnerships with faith-rooted, civic, community, and justice-centered organizations, as well as funders, alumni, donors, faculty and staff and peer institutions across the for-profit, private, and public sectors.

The Vice President is also an integral, resident member of the Union community in Morningside Heights. Advancing President Thompson’s vision of “One Union,” the Vice President is responsible for internal community engagement—participating in daily operations and co-curricular life, supporting cohesion between the institution’s external partnerships, its internal community, and mission. The Vice President supervises the Senior Director of Development, supervises the Senior Director of Communications, and gives oversight to in-house affiliate centers and programs, ensuring advancement, communications, and public programming work together in support of Union’s mission, visibility, and long-term sustainability.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead Union’s integrated strategy for external partnerships, advancement, and communications, in close collaboration with the President and senior leadership team, and in service of a future-facing orientation for the institution.
• Build, steward, and deepen mission-aligned relationships with faith-rooted organizations, civic and community partners, advocacy organizations, funders, alumni, donors, and peer institutions—cultivating an ecology of healthy relationships across the for-profit, private, and public sectors.
• Advance a “One Union” vision by regular and consistent engagement with the Seminary community, ensuring alignment and cohesion between Union’s external agenda and its internal community life, culture, and mission.
• Cultivate internal community engagement as a resident leader—participating in daily operations, strategically working with co-curricular programs through affiliate centers, and collaborating within the campus communities in Morningside Heights.
• Identify and help shape grant-funded innovation and “borderless” programming that connects Union’s academic strengths, student needs, public leadership, and mission priorities to new partnerships.
• Supervise and support the Senior Director of Development, ensuring that donor pipelines, cultivation plans, stewardship practices, reporting, and advancement systems are clear, disciplined, and tied to institutional priorities.
• Partner with the President and Board of Trustees on the cultivation and solicitation of revenue pipelines, major donors, institutional funders, and other key supporters.
• Working with the Senior Leadership Team to identify revenue pipelines and formulate RFPs for contracts and opportunities that align with advancing our current mission across sectors.
• Represent Union in external settings, including meetings with donors, funders, community leaders, partner organizations, and public-facing audiences, and translate external relationships into concrete outcomes—student support, public programs, grants, and philanthropic support.
• Set priorities, goals, accountability routines, budgets, staffing, and vendor relationships for the advancement, communications, and public programming functions.
• Contribute to a culture of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice at Union, and perform other duties and projects as assigned by the President.

Residence & Community Engagement

Because internal community engagement is a core function of this position, and a core objective of the Seminary, the Vice President is required to reside in and maintain primary residence at Union-provided on-campus housing in Morningside Heights as a condition of employment. Living in community enables the daily presence and participation at the center of the “One Union” vision and better supports missional alignment between our residential and non-residential partners and programming. Housing is provided on Union’s campus, an exceptional benefit in New York City.

Qualifications

• Business-development, earned-revenue, or partnership-development experience—the ability to identify and build new revenue streams and programs is preferred.
• Senior leadership experience in advancement, partnerships, external relations, development, communications, or a closely related field.
• Demonstrated ability to build, manage, and sustain relationships with donors, funders, community partners, faculty, staff, alumni, institutional partners, and other mission-aligned external audiences.
• Experience supervising staff, setting priorities, managing toward goals, and creating clear accountability across related functions.
• Strong strategic judgment, with the ability to connect relationships, resources, communications, and institutional priorities.
• Ability to work effectively with a President, senior leadership team, and Board of Trustees.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to cultivate public relationships with professionalism, discretion, and good judgment.
• Willingness and desire to live in and actively contribute to a residential campus community.
• Commitment to the mission, vision, and values of Union Theological Seminary, including its commitment to social justice.
• Experience in higher education, nonprofit leadership, theological education, faith-rooted organizations, or justice-centered institutions is preferred.
• Preferred but not required: experience in business strategy and strategic planning, in settings of educational and
  nonprofit sectors.

Compensation & Benefits

The salary range for this position is $200,000–$220,000, commensurate with experience. In addition, Union provides on-campus housing as a condition of, and benefit of, employment (a significant additional value in New York City), which has been reflected in the cash salary range. Union offers a comprehensive employee benefits program, including contributions to medical, dental, and vision insurance plans, as well as an employer contribution to a TIAA retirement plan account. This is a full-time position; some evening and weekend work is required for events.

Location

Morningside Heights, New York City

How to Apply

For confidential consideration, please submit your cover letter and resume to [email protected] and indicate the specific job title in the subject line. No phone calls, please. Only candidates selected for further consideration will be contacted.

Equal Opportunity

Union Theological Seminary is an Equal Opportunity Employer and acts in accordance with applicable laws in all of our hiring and employment practices. Union considers applicants for all positions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, age, ability, marital status, sexual orientation, or any other protected factor under federal, state, or local law.

About Union

Since 1836, Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York has forged a distinctive vision for theological education—one that centers rigorous scholarship and personal faith in an urban context so that they might respond to the needs of the world. Progressive theology has long taken shape at Union, where faith and scholarship meet to reimagine the work of justice. Today, Union trains people of all faiths and none who are called to the work of social justice, forming courageous leaders who make a difference wherever they serve.

Position Summary

The Director of Public Religion & Programs advances Union’s public voice and mission by designing and leading public programs, convenings, and partnerships that bring Union’s scholarship and justice commitments into the public square. Building on Union’s long tradition of engaged, progressive theology, the Director develops future-facing, “borderless” programming that connects faculty scholarship and student learning to the most pressing issues of our time—suffering and injustice, religious pluralism, the fragility of the planet, and the health of democracy—while preserving and extending Union’s distinctive public identity.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, produce, and lead a portfolio of public programs—lectures, convenings, series, and signature events (in the spirit of Union’s public programming, such as the James Cone Lecture, the Mama Leo Latinx Lecture Series, and the Union Medal).
• Develop public-religion initiatives that connect faculty scholarship and Union’s justice commitments to contemporary public issues and audiences, especially working with Union’s numerous Centers and co-curricular programs.
• Build programmatic partnerships with civic, community, faith-rooted, cultural, and academic organizations across the for-profit, private, and public sectors, in support of borderless, non-degree, and continuing-education programming.
• Manage program operations, including budgets, calendars, vendors, logistics, and evaluation, ensuring programs are well-run and mission-aligned.
• Collaborate with development and communications to amplify, fund, and grow Union’s public programs, and to align programming with institutional priorities and brand.
• Steward relationships with speakers, partners, funders, and audiences, and represent Union in public and community settings.
• Contribute to a culture of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice at Union, and perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Experience designing, producing, and leading public programs, convenings, or events, ideally in a university, seminary, cultural, or mission-aligned nonprofit setting.
• BA required.
• While not required, training in theological education or religions is preferred, with the capacity to translate religious scholarship across broader conversations of moral and ethical leadership.
• Knowledge of religion and public life, theology, or a closely related field, and the ability to translate scholarship for public audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to build and sustain partnerships with external organizations and community leaders.
• Strong project-management skills, including budget management and follow-through on complex logistics.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and a strong public presence.
• Commitment to the mission, vision, and values of Union Theological Seminary, including its commitment to social justice.
• A graduate degree in theology, religious studies, or a related field is preferred.

Compensation & Benefits

The salary for this position is $130,000. Union offers a comprehensive employee benefits program, including contributions to medical, dental, and vision insurance plans, as well as an employer contribution to a TIAA retirement plan account. This is a full-time position; regular evening and occasional weekend work is required for programs and events.

Location

Morningside Heights, New York City

How To Apply

For confidential consideration, please submit your cover letter and resume to [email protected] and indicate the specific job title in the subject line. No phone calls, please. Only candidates selected for further consideration will be contacted.

Equal Opportunity

Union Theological Seminary is an Equal Opportunity Employer and acts in accordance with applicable laws in all of our hiring and employment practices. Union considers applicants for all positions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, age, ability, marital status, sexual orientation, or any other protected factor under federal, state, or local law.