Assistant Director for Operations and Strategy, Center Analysis

Assistant Director for Operations and Strategy, Center for China Analysis

Title
:
Assistant Director for Operations and Strategy

Location
:
New York

Department
:
Asia Society Policy Institute’s Center for China Analysis

Reports to
:
Managing Director of Center for China Analysis

Type
:
Full-time

Schedule
: 40 hours/week

FLSA Status
:
Exempt

Salary Range
: $65,000 – $75,000, Benefits eligible

About the Center for China Analysis

The Center for China Analysis (CCA) is part of Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI), a think-and-do tank with a policy‑solving mandate that tackles major policy challenges confronting the Asia‑Pacific in security and diplomacy; trade, investment, and innovation; climate and energy; and society, technology, and public health.

Established in 2022, CCA is committed to decoding China’s complexities with an “inside‑out” approach by offering evidence‑based, independent, and policy‑relevant analyses with a balanced, holistic, and human‑centered focus, covering Chinese domestic politics; economy and technology; foreign policy and national security; climate, energy and the environment; society, public health, and education.

Summary

The Assistant Director for Operations and Strategy partners with senior leadership to turn strategic priorities into day‑to‑day execution. The role spans three core areas: budgeting (including financial planning and oversight); personnel (including contracting, onboarding and offboarding, supervising part‑time staff, and internal coordination); and programs (including event planning, logistical coordination and delivery across the organization’s work). Working across teams, the Assistant Director improves efficiency and advances strategic goals.

The ideal candidate pairs strong project management, excellent communication skills, and analytical abilities with sound judgment and discretion.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop, maintain, and enforce internal systems and procedures to ensure timely and efficient administrative operations of the Center.
• Prepare annual and reforecast budgets and salary allocations and ensure timely submission to senior management. Track expenses across grants and assist with grant budgets and financial reports.
• Track and manage all invoice payments, and coordinate with Asia Society’s finance department to set up new vendors in ERP/accounting systems such as Net Suite. Manage CCA’s corporate credit cards and reconcile reports in expense management software such as Concur.
• Prepare paperwork and coordinate with Asia Society’s HR department on the internal review process for hiring, promotions, and the onboarding and offboarding of full‑time and part‑time staff.
• Prepare contracts for non‑resident fellows, coordinate internal review processes, track deliverables, and ensure timely payments for completed work. Maintain internal records and track work progress and renewals.
• Take the lead in coordinating and running CCA’s public events and online webinars, including planning, execution, and promotion, and coordination with all relevant departments. Take the lead in event planning for major flagship events such as year‑end events, report launches, and policy‑facing, multi‑part conferences.
• Oversee CCA’s webpages including publication of reports, papers, events, and coordinate with Asia Society’s in‑house designer to prepare graphics and branding as needed.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in public administration, international affairs, East Asian/China studies, business, finance, or a related field, plus 5–7 years of relevant experience in operations, administration, or program management—ideally in a think tank, nonprofit, academic, or research setting.
• Demonstrated experience managing budgets, contracts, and financial processes, with strong attention to accuracy and deadlines.
• Excellent organizational and project management skills, with the ability to juggle multiple priorities and move between high‑level strategy and operational detail.
• Proficiency with financial and administrative software (e.g., accounting/expense systems such as Net Suite and Concur, and project management tools such as ); ability to learn new systems quickly.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills and the ability to coordinate across teams and departments.
• Sound judgment, discretion, and professionalism in handling confidential personnel and financial information.
• Experience supporting public events, webinars, or external communications.
• Familiarity with China, Asia, or international policy issues.
• Ability to multitask in a fast‑moving environment.

How to apply:

To be considered for this role, please email an application to: cca . An application must include:

• Resume (1‑page)
• Subject line: CCA Assistant Director for Operations and Strategy 2026.

Only those candidates considered for an interview will be contacted. Please regard your submission as received unless your email is bounced back.

Asia Society is an Equal Opportunity Employer.