Executive Director

Position Summary

The Executive Director is the most senior role at the Center for Law and the Economy after the Founding Directors.  The Executive Director oversees program management and strategy for the Center in conjunction with the Founding Directors; manages and provides day-to-day support for the Center’s senior staff; leads the design and delivery of the Center’s public economic law and policy research and oversees student training initiatives; cultivates and maintains a broad range of external stakeholder relationships; and works closely with Center staff to execute the Center’s mission. This position reports to the Founding Directors.

Responsibilities

1. Program Management:  Oversee, in conjunction with Founding Directors, the Center’s program and strategy, and manage the Center’s staff and programmatic priorities.
   • In coordination with the Founding Directors, participate in strategic planning and implementation to expand and improve the organization’s impact, transitioning it from a startup to a governance structure that will sustain the organization over the long term.
   • Recruit, manage, train, and support the Center’s staff to promote collaborative problem solving, improve skills and knowledge, increase student learning, and ensure overall quality of deliverables.
     • Design and oversee substantive and professional trainings as needed.
     • Facilitate regular staff meetings and oversee project management.
     • Conduct 1:1 coaching meetings.
     • Review and provide feedback on deliverables to ensure overall quality of products.
2. Student-Focused Programming: Support the Founding Directors in the design and delivery of student-focused programming, learning materials, and instruction.
   • Working closely with the Founding Directors, develop program scope and sequence.
   • Cultivate partnerships with established practitioners and academics; collaborate with partners on design and delivery of student training initiatives and other student programming elements.
   • Support Founding Directors in program design and content development as needed and as time allows.
   • Working closely with Founding Directors, provide students with feedback on performance across all aspects of the Center’s student programming.
3. Oversee Various Consulting Projects
   • Set up project management structures.
   • Oversee creation of project plan and allocation of activities/tasks.
   • Provide leadership opportunities for students within the team structure.
   • Ensure overall quality and timeliness of all deliverables.
   • Provide ongoing feedback about all aspects of project work.
4. Thought Leadership and Knowledge Management: Develop, refine, and formulate a dissemination strategy for knowledge products to establish the Center as a thought leader in public economy law and policy discourse.
   • Oversee and contribute to the generation of reports on public economic law and policy interventions.
   • Oversee the promotion and dissemination of the Center’s law and policy priorities and initiatives at relevant conferences and convenings.
5. External Relations: Support Founding Director in cultivating and maintaining relationships with university and professional school partners, civil society organizations, and policymakers as appropriate. (10%)

• • • Support Founding Directors in external relationship development and management.
    • Represent the Center with members of the public, the press, and other stakeholder groups.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and PhD or JD required, plus 8-10 years of significant experience – including partly in a leadership role – in project and/or project and implementation management, research, team-building and leadership, business analysis, development, and/or communications required.  
• Must be able to work with diverse constituencies and support an inclusive work environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated ability to conduct  research; to assist in organizing programs and meetings; and to work closely with project teams in public-sector agencies, non-profits, and graduate and professional students.
• Demonstrated ability to learn new areas of law and policy and engage in strategic planning and design.
• Experience in competition policy sector strongly preferred.
• Excellent interpersonal, organization and communication skills, as well as energy, initiative, high motivation, and ability to think strategically.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.