Executive Director (Academic Program Professional 3)

Executive Director

The School of Humanities and Sciences (H&S) is the foundation of a liberal arts education at Stanford. The school encompasses 24 departments and 24 interdisciplinary programs. H&S is home to fundamental and applied research, where free, open, and critical inquiry is pursued across disciplines. As the university’s largest school, H&S serves as the foundation of a Stanford undergraduate education no matter which discipline students pursue as a major. Graduate students work alongside world-renowned faculty to pursue and shape foundational research that leads to breakthroughs and discoveries that shed new light on the past, influence the present, and shape the future. Together, faculty and students in H&S engage in inspirational teaching, learning, and research every day.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: Critical inquiry, open and inclusive discourse within and across groups, and a civic culture that sustains liberal democracy are central to the mission set out in Stanford’s Founding Grant.

Stanford’s new Provostial and Presidential Initiative seeks to expand and amplify a shared commitment to these goals. A centerpiece of the initiative is teaching the constitutive skills for critical inquiry, constructive engagement, and effective bridgebuilding and leadership in intellectual and civic life. Drawing on expertise from across the University’s multiple existing programs, and building innovative, new programming to supplement these efforts, the new initiative will function as a center of gravity at all levels of academic life (curricular, co-curricular, research, and residential). Core activities of the initiative include:

• Designing and amplifying constructive discourse skill-building programs and integrating them throughout the campus community through both existing and new channels.
• Creating and sustaining a vibrant community of practice at Stanford University, and across institutions of higher education, to elevate expert knowledge, research, collaboration, and programming that advances critical inquiry, free and inclusive discourse, and civic engagement.
• Developing strategic partnerships and strategic communication to connect this foundational work to what it means to be a responsible citizen in the world, sustain liberal democratic norms, and effectively address collective action and policy challenges.
• Designing and conducting assessments to support further innovation and maintain Stanford’s role as a leader in this space.

POSITION SUMMARY: The new initiative on critical, inclusive discourse seeks an experienced leader of proven effectiveness to serve as Executive Director of the initiative. The Executive Director should have a demonstrated commitment to upholding and embodying the values of the initiative. Working under the direction of the initiative Faculty Co-Directors, the Executive Director has management and oversight responsibility for all the initiative’s programs, creating and sustaining a vibrant community of practice, designing innovative new programs, and ensuring effective coordination, execution, and assessment of all activities. The Executive Director also plays a key role in helping to set strategy to achieve the initiative’s purpose. In this leadership capacity, the Executive Director will work closely and have considerable interaction and engagement with key stakeholders, including campus leaders as well as leaders across institutions of higher education and civil society, and will also directly supervise program staff and fellows as the program expands.

The Executive Director reports to the initiative’s Faculty Directors and the Dean’s Office for the School of Humanities and Sciences. The Executive Director’s duties will focus on the following:

·       Coordinate closely with Faculty Directors and university leadership to generate and implement the overall design and implementation of the initiative vision, strategy, goals, and work plan.

·       Anticipate and meet initiative needs, from high level strategic priorities to operational details; exercise appropriate discretion and leadership in delegated areas of responsibility; provide innovative and strategic advice on programmatic needs.

·       Build and maintain vibrant communities of practice with related university programs including developing and maintaining robust communication with supervising faculty, administrators, and staff; and developing appropriate opportunities for collaboration among related programs, as well as between programs and the university initiative.

·       Relatedly, continue to grow and strengthen Stanford’s new Democracy Hub as a core university resource that serves as the connective tissue to strengthen our campus culture and democratic societies.

·       Advance Stanford’s leadership in contributing to the broader community of practice beyond campus with other institutions of higher education and civil society.

·       Manage operations, including developing, tracking, and reporting progress on work plans for elements of the university initiative.

·       Liaise with key staff in the President and Provost’s Office and Dean’s Office for the School of Humanities and Sciences (e.g. Programs, Finance, Communications) and manage the overall coordination of contributing staff members to the university initiative.

·       Co-design and implement core programming, including a signature fellowship program, providing direct support to fellows and contributing to community building.

·       Lead coordination of co-curricular programs (e.g. conferences, workshops).

·       Lead strategic assessment of comparable initiatives at other universities, and stay abreast of contributing scholarship, media, and new initiatives in the field.

·       Design and implement assessment frameworks to measure effectiveness of initiative and report progress.

This is a 100% FTE, continuing position, exempt position. This position will be based on the Stanford campus and will be considered for an option of telecommuting (hybrid of working on-site and off-site), subject to operational need.

If you believe that this opportunity is a match for your knowledge, skills and abilities, we encourage you to apply. Thank you for considering employment opportunities with the School of Humanities and Sciences.

CORE DUTIES:

• Lead and oversee development, implementation, administration, and evaluation of programs. Oversee analysis, reporting, and program improvements. Oversee the development, adherence to, and implementation of program policies and procedures.
• Lead strategic planning for the program/entity.
• Represent the entity or program to the broader university, external community, and other stakeholders. Provide expert consultation related to program development, funding opportunities, or other specialty area.
• Develop outreach strategy related to program communications, development, partnerships and fundraising/funding. Identify external funding opportunities and write proposals and research grants. Develop and oversee strategic financial planning and sustainability for the program/entity, as needed; monitor performance and ensure appropriate controls.
• Teach or co-teach courses; oversee the administration of courses; create and/or advise in the development of curriculum; and/or advise students, coach and mentor clients and program staff.
• Coach and mentor program staff.

* Other duties may also be assigned.