Director, Program ​/ Project Manager, Management

American Association of University Professors (AAUP), a fast‑growing union of higher education workers, invites applications for the Director of the Department of Organizing and Services from experienced organizing leaders committed to building a powerful and democratic union. AAUP is uniting and mobilizing the higher‑ed sector against increasing partisan attacks that undermine academic freedom in principle and practice. We aim to protect college and university teaching and research by protecting the jobs of instructors and researchers, strengthen the higher education labor movement by forging cross‑sector solidarity, and defend democracy itself against authoritarian encroachment.

The Director will lead AAUP’s efforts to unite and mobilize higher education workers nationwide to meet these challenges. This is an opportunity for an experienced organizing leader to shape the future of U.S. higher education and strengthen the labor movement at a pivotal time. The Director will build power with and for academic workers, defend democracy and academic freedom, and ensure that the voices of those who teach and research are at the forefront of the fight for a just, democratic, and inclusive future.

The Director leads the Department of Organizing and Services and plays a pivotal role in advancing AAUP’s mission and strategic direction. The Director develops and executes national organizing programs—internal, external, and member‑led—to expand AAUP’s reach, strengthen chapters, and build sustainable worker power.

This is a managerial position requiring a combination of visionary leadership, strategic planning, campaign execution, and staff supervision. The Director works under the direction of the Executive Director; collaborates closely with elected leadership, AFT counterparts, and coalition partners; and represents AAUP publicly and within the broader labor movement.

This position requires a deep commitment to racial and social equity, extensive travel, and a readiness to work with faculty, graduate workers, and academic professionals across diverse institutional settings.

The AAUP is committed to a diverse workforce and strives to achieve a workplace environment respectful of the many cultures of our own employees and the higher education workers we represent, including a significant number of African‑American, Asian‑Pacific‑Islander, and Latinx employees, as well as LGBTQI‑identified employees and those who have immigrated from various countries. We seek applicants whose experience and perspective will contribute to strong representation of our diverse members.

The position will include the following responsibilities:

• In consultation with AAUP’s national officers and Executive Director, lead AAUP’s national organizing strategy.
• Design and implement comprehensive, focused, and disciplined organizing campaigns in both collective bargaining and non‑collective bargaining contexts that increase membership, strengthen local AAUP chapters, and build sustainable power for higher education workers.
• Carry out the decisions of AAUP’s elected leaders.
• Align department with AAUP’s strategic priorities, including the AFT affiliation and AAUP’s racial equity initiative.
• Develop annual organizing plans, goals, and budgets in coordination with the Executive Director and national officers.
• Allocate resources and manage staff assignments to achieve measurable and concrete goals in both internal and external organizing campaigns.
• Create systems to track campaign, member, and staff progress.
• Build coordination and shared planning capacity between AAUP’s national office, state conferences, and local chapters.
• Foster collaboration across AAUP departments, integrating communications, research, political, and legal strategies to achieve campaign objectives, and instilling an organizing ethos throughout the union.
• Collaborate with AFT counterparts and other coalition partners to align resources, campaign strategies, and national objectives.
• Represent AAUP at conferences, meetings, and other convenings, and to other unions, higher education organizations, and public bodies.
• Engage AAUP chapters, state…