Associate Director

The Aspen Institute; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 135,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Dental benefits

Vision benefits

Retirement benefits

Paid leave

Job summary

The Aspen Institute is seeking an Associate Director for the College Excellence Program in Washington, DC, with a strong background in higher education reform and leadership development. This role focuses on integrating character development across Aspen’s portfolio and leading major program initiatives and partnerships.

The position requires 7+ years in education, a bachelor’s degree, and prefers advanced credentials.

Qualifications

• Minimum 7 years of relevant experience in education with college leaders and teams.
• Experience with higher education reform and teaching/learning initiatives.
• Strong communications and external credibility with executives and funders.
• Ability to manage complex grants and multi-stakeholder projects.

Responsibilities

• Co-create and implement character development projects to improve post-completion student outcomes.
• Translate evidence into actionable frameworks, publications, and scaled strategies.
• Design learning communities and peer-exchange networks for college leaders.
• Lead national strategy to integrate character development into presidential search and onboarding.
• Oversee field publications and reporting to align with funding objectives.
• Maintain relationships with foundation program officers and partners.
• Lead grant reporting, proposals, and stewardship activities.
• Direct projects from concept to completion within budget.
• Mentor project staff and foster professional growth.

Skills

Experience in education sector

Working with college leaders

Cross-stakeholder collaboration

Grant management

Education

Bachelor's degree

Advanced degree in higher education/public policy/organizational leadership

Job description

The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization whose purpose is to ignite human potential to build understanding and create new possibilities for a better world. Founded in 1949, the Institute drives change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve society’s greatest challenges. It is headquartered in Washington, DC, and has a campus in Aspen, CO, as well as an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org .

COLLEGE EXCELLENCE PROGRAM

The Aspen Institute College Excellence Program aims to strengthen higher education leadership and practice to improve student outcomes—with the ultimate goal of advancing economic mobility and developing talent for the good of each individual and society as a whole. We support this mission through multiple programs, including the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, the American Talent Initiative, the Aspen Presidents and Rising Presidents Fellowships, Unlocking Opportunity, and a range of transfer initiatives designed to improve bachelor’s attainment for students who start in community college. Each year, Aspen works closely with hundreds of presidents, board members, senior leaders, and cross-functional teams at community colleges and universities that educate millions of students nationwide. For more information, visit highered.aspeninstitute.org or find us on LinkedIn .

ABOUT THIS ROLE

Community colleges are one of America's greatest engines of opportunity. They enroll nearly six million undergraduates—roughly 40 percent of all U.S. college students—with nearly two-thirds coming from low- and middle-income backgrounds. They act as a primary backbone for workforce preparation and provide the most affordable, accessible on-ramp to bachelor’s degrees that lead to sustained economic mobility. Their impact is pronounced across urban, suburban, and rural communities where they operate as anchor institutions for local economies.

For 16 years, the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program (Aspen) has worked to ensure that community colleges improve student outcomes, including by strengthening what happens after graduation: securing jobs with family-sustaining wages, either directly after community college or after transferring and earning a bachelor's degree. With a staff of nearly 40, Aspen has built its impact and credibility through four means: identifying and elevating community colleges that achieve excellent student outcomes, researching and publishing the practices that achieve those outcomes, developing presidents and senior leaders capable of driving scaled student-outcome reforms, and working with college teams to advance transformational change. Through this work, Aspen engages hundreds of college leaders and practitioners each year at colleges that educate millions of students nationwide.

To advance our mission, Aspen is seeking an Associate Director to help strengthen community college leadership and improve student outcomes—both during college (learning and completion) and after graduation (bachelor’s degree attainment and employment in jobs with sustaining wages). Candidates must possess content expertise in higher education teaching and learning, with a proven track record of working directly with college presidents, senior teams, faculty leaders, and faculty to strengthen what students learn and how they learn it, connecting course and program experiences to success in work, transfer, and life. This includes helping colleges build the leadership commitment, faculty support, and institutional systems needed to scale effective practices beyond individual courses. Qualified candidates will demonstrate experience in evidence-based instruction, curriculum design, advising, or faculty development, with a focus on designing, implementing, and evaluating initiatives that measurably improve student success.

As a first assignment, the Associate Director will manage a body of work to integrate character development across Aspen’s portfolio. Because this work cuts across multiple projects, the role requires a deep understanding of both community college reform and character development (or character education). The Associate Director will collaborate closely with Aspen’s senior team, staff, and external partners—including researchers, community college presidents, boards of trustees, and national association and nonprofit leaders—in this role and on the following project priorities:

Framework Development:Supporting the creation of two framework papers that examine how character informs institutional leadership—including presidential hiring, executive development, and reform priorities—and the support structures needed to achieve high and improving student success across onboarding, advising, workforce preparation, and transfer to a bachelor's degree.

Teaching and Learning Cohort: Launching and managing a new cohort of approximately 10 community colleges committed to scaling effective teaching and learning strategies that improve post-completion outcomes. This includes partnering with senior Aspen leaders and content experts to design college selection processes, delivering a research-aligned curriculum on how excellent colleges advance effective teaching and learning practices at scale, guiding cohort institutions to align reforms with those standards, and supporting colleges in implementation.

Beyond this first assignment, the Associate Director will apply their teaching and learning expertise across Aspen’s broader portfolio, including Unlocking Opportunity, transfer intensives, and the presidential fellowships. In these efforts, the Associate Director will help Aspen advance actionable strategies for experiential, career-connected, and work-based learning that strengthen program quality and student success. This will reinforce instructional excellence within Aspen’s mission, advancing talent development and economic mobility nationwide.

There is a strong preference for this position to be based in Aspen's Washington, DC office with a minimum two days per week on-site and approximately 8–12 weeks of travel per year. The position reports to CEP’s Director of Leadership and Field Engagement and has a salary range of $135,000 to $160,000.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

Project Strategy, Implementation, and Field Communications

Co-create and implement projects related to character development to advance post-completion student outcomes across a portfolio focused on leadership, institutional reform, and student success.

Partner with Aspen’s research staff to translate qualitative evidence and field insights into actionable frameworks, publications, and scaled strategies—including those related to character development—drive student success during and after college.

Collaborate with senior team members, content experts, and project staff to design and manage learning communities, convenings, and peer-exchange networks for community college leaders and teams.

Partner with senior Aspen leaders on a national strategy that integrates character development into community college presidential search, hiring, and onboarding.

Facilitate strategy sessions and preparatory workshops for community college presidents, senior executives, and/or faculty participating in cohort engagement to set teaching and learning priorities, align resources and accountability, and create the conditions for faculty‑led improvement across courses and programs.

Oversee and contribute to the writing, preparation, and dissemination of field‑facing publications, case studies, research reports, and executive presentations that expand awareness of project outcomes.

Maintain strong, trust‑based relationships with foundation program officers, partners, and field stakeholders.

Lead grant reporting, proposal development, and stewardship activities to ensure full alignment with funding objectives.

Project and People Management

Direct projects and convenings from concept through completion, ensuring all deliverables meet organizational standards for high‑quality products and programs.

Coordinate cross‑functional activities across internal Aspen teams and external partners to achieve project milestones on time and within budget.

Manage a complex grant budget up to $10 million, including cost accounting, budget versus actual reconciliation, dynamic forecasting, and rigorous cost control.

Supervise, mentor, and evaluate project staff, fostering a culture of accountability, high‑quality, and professional growth.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO THRIVE

• Minimum 7 years of relevant experience in education—either at an educational institution, association, nonprofit, or education provider—including direct work with college leaders and teams.

Mission Alignment: A deep commitment to postsecondary student success and a firm conviction that institutional outcomes can improve at scale when leaders enact proven practices.

Domain Expertise:Extensive experience in higher education reform—specifically in teaching and learning—with a track record of working with faculty on instruction, curriculum, and program design and with college leaders to scale those reforms to measurably improve student outcomes. Experience aligning teaching and learning strategies with workforce preparation, work‑based learning, or transfer to a bachelor’s degree is a plus.

Communications and External Credibility:Strong executive presence with the written and oral communication skills required to represent the depth, rigor, and credibility of Aspen’s work to college presidents, system leaders, and philanthropic funders.

Project and Program Leadership: A track record of managing complex, high‑stakes initiatives, tracking grant milestones, overseeing in‑person events, and delivering high‑quality work on demanding timelines with diverse stakeholders.

Collaborative Management: Demonstrated capacity to mentor program staff and hold them accountable, work productively across Aspen divisions and project teams, and coordinate effectively with external consultants and partners.

Operational Execution: Close attention to detail, sound judgment in managing project and event logistics, and a problem‑solving approach grounded in patience, resourcefulness, and quality execution.

Analytical Capacity: Demonstrated ability to synthesize quantitative data and qualitative field evidence into actionable institutional strategies and field‑facing tools.

Adaptability and Resilience: Comfort incorporating feedback across organizational layers, navigating ambiguity, and adjusting priorities to meet shifting demands.

Educational Background:A bachelor’s degree is required; an advanced degree in higher education, public policy, organizational leadership, or a related field preferred.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The Aspen Institute offers a generous benefits package including health, dental, vision, and prescription benefits, retirement benefits, and paid leave.

The Aspen Institute is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all District and federal laws. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or protected veteran or disabled status and will not be discriminated against.

The Aspen Institute welcomes individuals with disabilities to participate in its programs, including the interview process. If you would like to request accommodations or have questions about accessibility, please email [e-mail] or call 202-736-2127 in advance of your visit. Requests for ASL or CART services should be made at least two weeks in advance when possible. We will make every effort to fulfill requests, subject to availability.