McGrath-Cavadini Director

McGrath-Cavadini Director

University of Notre Dame, McGrath Institute for Church Life

Notre Dame, IN

Where higher learning meets faithful service.

The University of Notre Dame, a leading global Catholic research university invites applications for the McGrath-Cavadini Director of the McGrath Institute for Church Life (MICL).

For nearly half a century, the dedicated faculty and staff of the McGrath Institute for Church Life have partnered with Catholic dioceses, parishes, and schools to address contemporary pastoral challenges with theological depth and rigor. By connecting Catholic intellectual life to the life of the Church, MICL endeavors to form and empower faithful Catholic leaders for service to the Church and the world. As a collaborative partner with clerical and lay Catholic leaders at all levels, MICL provides theological tools and spiritual formation directed towards confronting today’s most pressing challenges with urgency and impact. MICL proudly serves as a preeminent source of creative Catholic programming for evangelization and formation. Currently, MICL is home to 10 faculty members and 26 staff members; the Institute has an operating budget of approximately $9 million.

Reporting to the vice president and associate provost for faculty affairs, the director will lead an Institute at the forefront of scholarly and pastoral engagement with the Catholic Church. They will be entrusted with advancing MICL’s mission by supporting existing programs while envisioning innovative, interdisciplinary initiatives that anticipate the evolving needs of the Global Church – particularly in light of shifting demographics and emerging challenges. The director will be a strategic and collaborative leader capable of fostering deeper integration between MICL and the broader Notre Dame academic community, thereby enhancing the Institute’s capacity to convene rigorous theological dialogue and address critical social and pastoral issues. They will also be responsible for cultivating a culture of affiliation amid contemporary trends of disaffiliation, empowering faculty and staff through effective delegation and process improvement, and sustaining MICL’s unique role as a bridge between the academy and ecclesial leadership. As a leader committed to advancing the intellectual tradition of the Catholic Church within a research university setting, the director will contribute meaningfully to both the Church and society.

A search committee has been formed, and Isaacson, Miller, a global executive search firm, has been retained to support the search. Nominations, inquiries, and application materials (CVs and letters of interest) can be submitted electronically and in confidence to Phillip Petree, Partner, and Jonathan Sanchez, Senior Associate, at :

McGrath-Cavadini Director Search, McGrath Institute for Church Life

Isaacson, Miller

The University of Notre Dame is dedicated to equal employment opportunity and to the implementation of positive programs designed to ensure the prevention of any discriminatory practices, either intentional or inadvertent, with respect to race, color, national or ethnic origin, disability, veteran status, age, or sex.

GADVID : 705866