Lead Architect of the Emerging Young Leaders Program

aspeninstitute; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 113,000 - 125,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Benefits package

Job summary

Aspen Institute in Washington, DC seeks an Associate Director, Emerging Young Leaders Program to lead design, build, piloting, and launch of a new humanities-based program for emerging leaders aged 22–30.

The role runs a three-year term through 2029 with initial focus on 2028 launch, then expansion, evaluation, and refinement. It requires cross-functional leadership and strong operations experience.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of progressively responsible experience in program management, education, leadership development, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience building, launching, or expanding a new program, initiative, or organizational function.
• Experience leading cross-functional work involving multiple stakeholders and competing priorities.
• Strong financial and operational management experience, including budgeting, reporting, and resource stewardship.
• Excellent organizational, communication, and relationship management skills.
• Experience working in mission-driven educational environments, including but not limited to leadership development, higher education, K-12 education, nonprofit education, civic education, museums, or other organizations dedicated to learning and human development.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end program lifecycle: Design, pilot, launch, and scale the Emerging Young Leaders program, building a sustainable operational foundation from the ground up.
• Turn vision into strategy: Build the workflows, systems, and implementation plans needed to bring the program's strategic goals to life.
• Oversee the design of the seminar experience: Oversee curriculum alignment, moderator preparation, participant onboarding, and logistics for a seamless seminar experience.
• Collaborate across leadership: Partner with leadership across Aspen Leadership Seminars, the Center for Leadership, and the Center for Rising Generations to align on strategic growth and program evolution.
• Drive iteration & impact: Design an evaluation framework to measure participant outcomes and apply pilot feedback for continuous program improvement.
• Build alumni engagement: Create a long-term engagement strategy that connects program alumni to broader leadership opportunities across the Institute.

Job description

Aspen Institute in Washington, DC seeks an Associate Director, Emerging Young Leaders Program to lead design, build, piloting, and launch of a new humanities-based program for emerging leaders aged 22–30.

The role runs a three-year term through 2029 with initial focus on 2028 launch, then expansion, evaluation, and refinement. It requires cross-functional leadership and strong operations experience.