Executive Director of Democratic Innovations Program

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Salary Range

$ - $

Overview

The Democratic Innovations Program at Yale's Institution for Social and Policy Studies (ISPS) seeks an Executive Director (ED) to lead Democratic Innovations' operational management and to partner with the faculty Director, Professor Alan Gerber, in developing and implementing strategic initiatives.

Democratic Innovations was established in 2021 to identify and test innovative ideas for improving representation and government effectiveness. The Program advances this mission through sponsorship of faculty research, conferences, events, visitors, post-doctoral fellows in residence, teaching, and student projects and working groups. Democratic Innovations is launching a major new project, Political Design for Effective Government. This new project aims to understand, empirically and theoretically, the institutions, rules, and norms that promote honest, competent, and effective government.

The project's mission is to advance knowledge about political design and government problem-solving by sponsoring and conducting research, sharing key findings, supporting teaching and student engagement, and building datasets and research networks. The Political Design project aims to foster the development of a community of researchers and promote political design as a significant field of study. To further the mission of Democratic Innovations during this expansion, the Democratic Innovations Program seeks an Executive Director with a track-record of exceptional initiative and a strong desire to build an outstanding Program.

In addition to working with the Faculty Director on the Program's strategic direction, the Executive Director would play a key role in setting and refining procedures and guidelines for Democratic Innovation's operations and governance.

Under the direction of the Faculty Director, the ED would oversee the Program's finances and budgets. The individual would play a central role in strategic financial planning, including long-term financial planning and resource allocation, for the program as a whole and specific initiatives.

The ED would, under the direction of the Faculty Director, lead efforts to develop the Program's public profile, including developing the focus and funding of new initiatives, and including through the program's communications strategy, faculty engagement, partnership development, grant proposal leadership, alumni engagement, and strategic outreach.

As the day-to-day supervisor of Democratic Innovations initiatives and activities, the Executive Director's responsibilities will also include, but not be limited to:

1. Administer Democratic Innovations' initiatives and research programs
2. Build and maintain the Program's community of resident fellows, visitors, affiliated external fellows, and student fellows, including recruitment of new post-docs and other fellows.
3. Oversee the Program's scholarly publication strategy.

4. Organize and supervise events, including developing and managing academic events, including speaker series, workshops, and conferences.
5. Build relations with program alumni and work with ISPS staff on publishing a newsletter and managing the Program's website content.
6. Oversee institutional growth and finances, including developing budgets, preparing review monthly financials for the Director.
7. Fundraise for the Program, including identifying grant opportunities.

This is a three-year fixed-term position with renewal contingent on performance and funding. The Executive Director must begin the appointment in the summer of 2026 or earlier and will receive a competitive salary plus Yale University benefits.

Required

Skills and Abilities

1. Demonstrated understanding of the subject matter, needs and constraints of social science research or university-based research, including data-intensive research and data management. This should include relevant knowledge of political science, economics, or other areas related to government, politics, and organizational design.

2. Demonstrated operational management skills, including organizing complicated events, oversight and management of projects and programs, budget management, allocation of resources, supervision of organizational operations and development. Demonstrated ability to manage financial resources and balance budgets for projects, programs and larger entities, including budget planning experience and expertise.

3. Demonstrated ability and understanding of social science research and its implications; ability to translate research findings for a general audience and into the policy sphere. Demonstrated written and oral communication skills; proven ability to…