Executive Director

Job Description

The Saint Benedict Institute, dedicated to making the Catholic intellectual and spiritual tradition alive at Hope College, seeks its next executive director.

The Executive Director serves as the chief executive and strategic leader of the Saint Benedict Institute, responsible for advancing its dual mission of Catholic intellectual engagement and spiritual formation. Reporting to the board and working in close collaboration with the priest chaplain, diocesan, and campus partners, the Executive Director oversees strategy, programs, fundraising, staff leadership, external relationships, and organizational sustainability.

This is a senior leadership role requiring theological depth, institutional acumen, fundraising capacity, and the ability to navigate complex relationships across higher education and ecclesial contexts.

Candidate Profile and Qualifications
Required Qualifications:
Practicing Catholic in full communion with the Church and faithful to her teachings.

Deep familiarity with the Catholic intellectual tradition and its contemporary application.

Demonstrated leadership experience within educational, ecclesial, or mission-driven organizations.

Proven ability to articulate mission compellingly to diverse audiences, including donors and institutional partners.

Strong interpersonal judgment, emotional intelligence, and political acumen.

Preferred Qualifications:
PhD (preferred) or Master's degree in theology, philosophy, or a closely related discipline, or equivalent experience.

Experience in fundraising and donor cultivation.

Familiarity with undergraduate formation and campus ministry contexts.

Comfort working within ecumenical and higher education environments.

Reporting Relationship and Governance:
Reports to the Saint Benedict Institute Board, of which the Bishop of Grand Rapids serves as Episcopal Moderator.

Works in close partnership with the priest chaplain, parish leadership, the Diocese of Grand Rapids, and Hope College leadership.

Under the partnership with Hope College, SBI also operates within prescribed accountability structures at Hope College and meets with relevant Hope leaders.

Compensation:
Competitive salary; full benefits provided through the Diocese of Grand Rapids.

Review of applications begins October 1. Start date will be July 1, 2027.

For more information, visit: https://www.saintbenedictinstitute.org/executive-director

About the Employer

The Saint Benedict Institute was founded by Catholic scholars at Hope College to engage the academy from an explicitly Catholic perspective and offer spiritual and intellectual formation to Catholic students. Through a variety of initiatives and with the cooperation of Hope College's Campus Ministries, the Hope Catholics student group, and the Diocese of Grand Rapids, the Saint Benedict Institute provides an integral Catholic witness and seeks to strengthen Catholic identity amongst the Catholic students as well as encourage all Christians in their faith on the Hope College campus.