Director, Intentional Design for an Equitable Academy (IDEA)

American Council of Learned Societies; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 175,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Retirement plan

Generous PTO

Professional development support

Job summary

ACLS in New York City seeks a collaborative leader to direct the IDEA program, shaping strategy and leading seven staff to advance inclusive humanities and social sciences across higher education and philanthropy.

The Director will implement ambitious initiatives, develop partnerships, oversee budget and operations, and coordinate with Communications, Development, and Finance while reporting to the President; this role requires deep knowledge of academic policy, fundraising, and organizational

Qualifications

• PhD in the humanities or social sciences.
• 6+ years of management/administrative experience in a nonprofit or higher ed setting.
• Expertise in academic policy, hiring/tenure processes, and education reform.

Responsibilities

• Design and lead IDEA program initiatives with meaningful impact for scholars, learned societies, and higher education institutions.
• Manage and mentor direct reports and unit members; provide strategic counsel.
• Oversee IDEA budget and operations and coordinate with ACLS units (Communications, Development, Finance).
• Work with President and Development Officer to secure funding and maintain funder relations.

Skills

Leadership

Fundraising

Policy expertise

Diversity, equity, inclusion

Project management

Stakeholder engagement

Education

PhD in humanities or social sciences

Tools

MS Office (Word, Excel)

Microsoft Dynamics CRM

Job description

The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) is seeking a collaborative leader to serve as Director, Intentional Design for an Equitable Academy (IDEA).Since 1919, ACLS has advanced humanistic knowledge through service to member societies and member institutions, through competitive fellowship and grant programs now disbursing $20-25 million annually, and through infrastructural initiatives such as the blue-ribbon commission that convinced Congress to establish the National Endowment for the Humanities in 1965.

Set up in 2023, IDEA houses ACLS programs that seek to broaden the range of perspectives in American academia; encourage forward-looking academic policies and practices; help scholars navigate current systems; and support underinvested scholarly communities, projects, and fields of study. This Directorship is a unique opportunity to shape ACLS’s next phase of work in these areas.

Reporting to the President, the Director will lead the design, development, and implementation of new initiatives while managing a high-performing team of seven staff and cultivating new partnerships in philanthropy and academia. The ideal candidate will be familiar with American academic culture and institutional policy from deep experience in a college, university, learned society, or non-profit organization.

IDEA Unit Scope

Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship and Mellon Mays Graduate Programs

Emphasizing mentoring, research support, and student cohort building, the Mellon Mays programs partner with member colleges and universities to identify and support students of great promise and to help them become scholars and professionals of the highest distinction.

Intention Foundry

The Intention Foundry brings together emerging scholars, member society leadership, and college/university interlocutors to advance equity within and across fields via microgrants (2024-2026) and innovative convenings.

Digital JusticeGrant Program

This program promotes and provides resources for projects at various stages of development that strengthen the intellectual domain of digital humanities, with particular attention to improving accessibility and to ensuring the co-creation and preservation of an expansive and inclusive landscape of materials and stories.

CEDLife

Funded by the Henry Luce Foundation, the ACLS Civic Education for a Democratic Life (CEDLife) grant program will boost higher education's contribution to civic thriving by strengthening community-engaged projects hosted by colleges and universities across the U.S.

Doctoral Futures

Funded by the Mellon Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities, Doctoral Futures reimagines humanities doctoral education to be more equitable, resilient, and connected to the world humanistic knowledge is meant to serve.

Research Integrity

In partnership with the Lincoln Center for Applied Ethics at Arizona State University, ACLS is conducting a publicly-oriented project to articulate an understanding of research integrity principles spanning all academic fields.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

IDEA Program Strategy and Leadership

• Design and lead initiatives with meaningful impact for our constituencies (including scholars inside and outside the academy, learned societies, institutions of higher education, and thought leaders) that work towards a more inclusive and vibrant ecosystem for the humanities and social sciences;
• Manage and mentor direct reports and other unit members; provide guidance and strategic counsel to help advance their work;
• Oversee the IDEA budget and operations; and
• Coordinate activities with other ACLS units as necessary, including Communications, Development, and Finance.

Developmentand Outreach

• Work with the President and the Chief Development Officer to secure funding for initiatives and programs, maintain effective relations with foundation partners and funders, and propose and conduct travel for the purpose of relationship cultivation; and
• Represent IDEA to the ACLS Board, constituencies, funders, and other groups by authoring or co-authoring reports, speaking in external settings, and presenting at select convenings and conferences.

Qualifications:

• PhD in the humanities or social sciences
• At least 6 years of management/administrative experience, e.g. as department or program chair, center director, associate dean or dean, or in a comparable role of responsibility in a non-profit organization
• Expertise in academic policy and culture, e.g. hiring and tenure processes, undergraduate and/or graduate education reform, academic leadership cultivation, diversity initiatives
• Experience fundraising from philanthropic foundations or individual donors;
• Demonstrated commitment to collaboration, relationship-building, diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Ability to multi-task and prioritize long‑term projects and short‑term assignments in a deadline‑driven environment
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Analytical and creative problem‑solving capacity
• A grounded understanding of the American nonprofit environment and office culture
• Ability to take initiative and respond flexibly and rationally to rapidly evolving and unexpected conditions
• Proficiency in MS Office, particularly Word and Excel; experience with using relational databases, such as Microsoft Dynamics CRM preferred
• Experience with the Mellon Mays programs a plus
• Experience with grants management a plus
• Hybrid work schedule; must live within commuting distance of New York City
• Some travel required
• Serving faculty acceptable but must secure at least three years of unpaid leave with possibility of leave renewal

Compensation and Benefits

Base salary range: $175,000 - $200,000; Salary commensurate with experience.

ACLS offers a comprehensive benefits package; including medical, dental, vision, life, accidental death and disability insurance; generous time off benefits; a retirement savings plan, including employer contributions; and professional development support.