Brandeis University

Dean, School of Business & Economics

Position Summary

Brandeis University is seeking an entrepreneurial Dean to lead its newly rebranded School of Business and Economics, established in 2025 as part of a broader effort to modernize liberal arts education. The School combines STEM-focused business and economics training with critical thinking and social impact, preparing students for a technology-driven, data-informed global economy.

The Dean will play a central role in shaping the School’s strategy, advancing innovative teaching and research, and strengthening partnerships across industries and disciplines. This leader will also guide growth, enhance academic and research excellence, steward financial sustainability, and expand flexible, tech-enabled program offerings.

At a pivotal moment for the University, the Dean will foster collaboration across Brandeis, support interdisciplinary initiatives, and elevate the school’s role in developing impactful, forward-thinking leaders aligned with the institution’s mission of access, inclusion, and service to the common good.

Key Responsibilities

The Dean serves as the School’s chief academic and administrative leader, charged with advancing its distinctive strengths while shaping its long-term sustainability and global impact. In close partnership with University leadership and faculty, the Dean will:

• Articulate and execute a forward-looking strategy that distinctly positions the School within a highly competitive business and economics educational landscape.
• Advance research excellence by attracting and supporting world-class faculty, promoting interdisciplinary collaboration, and enhancing the School’s prominence and visibility among academic and industry communities.
• Drive continuous innovation and academic rigor across degree, executive, and lifelong learning offerings, evolving program delivery to meet emerging market needs.
• Ensure strategic priorities are supported by the necessary talent, expertise, and organizational infrastructure to drive effective execution across all academic and administrative domains.
• Expand the scale and impact of faculty research while strengthening its visibility across academic and industry communities
• Forge stronger links between scholarship and practice, positioning the School as a leading voice in business, policy, research, and the global enterprise landscape.
• Drive initiatives that grow research funding, enhance research centers, and promote collaboration across schools and disciplines.
• Promote an entrepreneurial mindset across programs, research, and partnerships to drive innovation and impact.
• Serve as the School’s chief ambassador and spokesperson, advancing and sustaining high-impact relationships with alumni, corporate partners, board members, foundations, and other key stakeholders to elevate the School’s global reach and influence.
• Work in close partnership with Institutional Advancement to align fundraising efforts aimed at advancing the School’s strategic priorities.
• Champion transformative fundraising efforts that advance faculty excellence, expand scholarship support, strengthen research and facilities, and enable long-term institutional growth.
• Deepen corporate engagement and executive education partnerships to elevate the School’s reputation while driving sustainable revenue growth and diversification.
• Effectively steward a resilient and diversified financial model that underpins the School’s long-term sustainability and strategic growth.
• Lead the pursuit of innovative revenue opportunities across executive education, global initiatives, specialty programs, and strategic partnerships to support institutional growth.
• Lead and inspire a thriving, high-performing culture grounded in collaboration among faculty, staff, and students.
• Cultivate stronger partnerships across the School and University to advance interdisciplinary collaboration and broader institutional priorities.
• Elevate the School’s brand, extend its influence across national and global audiences, and increase the overall academic prestige.

Professional Qualifications, Skills and Competencies

The Dean will be a senior academic and administrative leader with strong business acumen, leadership experience, and a track record of achievement in complex environments. They will need the executive presence, management skills, and judgment to effectively lead a multifaceted academic unit.

Equally important, the Dean will be a collaborative and inclusive leader who can engage diverse stakeholders, foster a values-driven community, and unite individuals around a shared mission. Success will depend on the ability to lead a diverse, global academic enterprise and cultivate a culture of innovation, excellence, and shared purpose.

The ideal candidate will bring many of the following professional and personal attributes:

• A proven track record of scholarly and administrative accomplishments necessary to provide strategic thought leadership to a complex organization.
• Significant leadership experience pertinent to business and economics along with an unwavering commitment to academic and research excellence.
• A proven track record of leading complex enterprises, including experience advancing strategic priorities, driving program innovation, and ensuring effective operational and fiscal oversight.
• Demonstrated financial acumen, with the ability to manage complex budgets and align resources to advance strategic priorities.
• A keen appreciation for shared governance and faculty entrepreneurship in teaching, research, and service coupled with a passion for engaging with undergraduate and graduate students.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to effectively engage with a broad set of internal and external stakeholders including leadership, faculty, alumni, advisory boards, and institutional and corporate partners.
• An aptitude and eagerness to fundraise and secure significant resources in support of the School and University.
• A proven ability to represent the School as a compelling ambassador, cultivating high-impact relationships with alumni, corporate partners, policymakers, and global stakeholders.
• Experience forging and sustaining productive external relations with corporate and academic partners nationally and internationally.
• Demonstrated track record of advancing innovation, cultivating entrepreneurship, and driving sustained programmatic growth.
• Proven experience growing and diversifying revenue streams and expanding executive, lifelong learning, or global initiatives.
• Exceptional judgment and professional integrity, with a proven ability to lead with clarity and effectiveness in complex, evolving environments

Education

The required educational credentials will depend on the candidate’s professional background. For academic candidates, a distinguished track record in teaching and scholarly achievement commensurate with appointment as a full professor at Brandeis University; an earned terminal degree is required.

For non-academic candidates, the role requires an appreciation for and understanding of academic scholarship and research, as well as demonstrated senior executive leadership experience in a complex organization. Such experience may include significant leadership roles in higher education, professional associations, public or private educational settings, or government agencies.

Procedure for Inquiries 

Applications should include a detailed curriculum vitae and a letter of interest highlighting the applicant’s personal interest, relevant leadership experience, and alignment with the Qualifications section of this document. For priority consideration, inquiries, nominations, and applications should be submitted electronically in confidence by Friday, July 17, 2026, to: Brandeis-SBEDean@KornFerry.com.

******

Korn Ferry shall provide equal employment opportunity to all qualified candidates, and will refer candidates without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, veteran status or any other legally protected basis. Artificial Intelligence tools may be used in connection with the recruitment process for this position.