Director, Higher Education Reform Initiative

Summary:

The Director, Higher Education Reform Initiative will work with the Chief Policy Officer, Campaign Chair, Board of Academic Advisors, and the Campaign Advisory Board among other leaders of the Institute to develop AFPI’s strategic vision and operational plans and manage the execution of AFPI's policies.

Responsibilities and Duties:

• Clearly champion AFPI’s servant leadership culture.
• Develop policies that

• Reform the higher education accreditation process to promote competition and innovation,
• Reduce the role of bachelors degrees as prerequisite credentials for most white-collar jobs,
• Connect post-secondary education more closely to marketable skills,
• Protect free speech and promote intellectual diversity in higher education,
• Improve federal grantmaking to institutes of higher education,
• Combat racialist ideologies and racially hostile learning environments in higher education.
• Lead the Initiative’s work, including strategic planning and execution, research and content development, management of staff and initiative-related contracts, collaborating with policymakers, building policy coalitions and effective marketing efforts, and representing the Initiative’s work at policy forums and in the media.
• Oversee strategic development of all policy campaign research and policy goals, planning, and related work in coordination with the Campaign Chair.
• Develop a campaign research agenda with the Research Director that anticipates future legislative and regulatory action, news coverage, and trends; establish appropriate timelines and lines of effort; and build AFPI’s research profile among counterparts at other research institutes and policy stakeholders.
• Oversee the production and quality control of all campaign research output, including planning, scheduling, and editing. Ensure that research and related output reflect the principles of AFPI and, with the assistance and guidance of the Research Director, uphold rigorous standards of research and analysis. Potential output may include but is not limited to white papers/research papers, blog posts for the AFPI website, and op-eds for major media sources. Work products must be of a high quality and relevance.
• Identify external scholars and subject matter experts to contribute to specific research priorities, formal public comments, litigation, etc., on a contractual basis and/or as a Senior Fellow, in coordination with the Executive Director, Chief Policy Officer, and Research Director.
• Work under the direction of the Chief Policy Officer to manage the day-to-day operations of the campaign team, including supervising policy analysts, coordinating with the Campaign Chair, creating job descriptions, directing work assignments, providing training, monitoring progress, and giving performance reviews.
• Collaborate with other campaigns where relevant, identifying potential areas for collaboration and serving as a resource on the campaign’s areas of expertise for other campaigns.
• Consult with AFPI leadership and Communications to align campaign activities with AFPI priorities.
• Explore and, in consultation with the Campaign Chair, propose new initiatives and programs to broaden the reach of the campaign’s content through an array of platforms.
• Participate actively in the peer-review process, editing papers and providing helpful feedback for colleagues to ensure consistent, quality work products; take ownership of shepherding work through the process in collaborative manner.
• Identify key stakeholders and coordinate with AFPI leadership, including engagement and development teams, to ensure targeted, effective outreach and collaboration on key policy priorities to maximize impact; work with the communications team to amplify key messages.
• Effectively collaborate with various stakeholders, including those on Capitol Hill, in the executive branch, and in state/local/tribal government leadership as appropriate, and other experts.
• Effectively advocate for AFPI’s principles and recommendations in public settings, and in coordination with Communications, in the media.

Qualifications:

• Supportive leadership that promotes a positive team culture and encourages the growth and success of the campaign’s staff. Demonstrated servant leader.

• Completion of an educational level that, in conjunction with relevant job experience, demonstrates a level of competence in the areas necessary to fulfill the responsibilities and duties of the position. Advanced degree or equivalent training and experience requirements vary depending on the campaign’s focus area, but a minimum of a master’s degree or equivalent is expected, unless unique circumstances warrant.

• A significant level of relevant legislative and/or executive policy experience in the campaign’s focus area with a consistently high level of performance, including knowledge of the intersection of domestic and international energy markets, and Federal and state legislative and regulatory issues and processes.

• Demonstrated support of free market principles that support American citizens and American rights and liberties and a willingness to combine these with personal integrity in the making of all campaign and Institute decisions.

• Excellent managerial skills, including the ability to organize and manage the day-to-day activities of the campaign’s team and coordinate effectively with the Policy and Research teams.

• An entrepreneurial mindset that seeks out new opportunities to grow and advance the mission of AFPI and the campaign.

• Excellent writing, research, editing, and public speaking/testimony skills.

• A willingness to extend beyond conventional thinking within the campaign’s focus area, and to apply rigorous research and analysis to demonstrate the merits of alternative approaches.

• Ability to comprehend/analyze complex legislative and regulatory issues, develop detailed, practical, free-market recommendations, provide quality research, and assist staff in doing the same.

• Demonstrated ability to translate research recommendations into public policy at the Federal, State, and local level.

• The ability to maintain productive, collaborative, and collegial relationships with staff and external stakeholders and uphold the public reputation of the Institute.

Salaries for positions will be commensurate with the experience, expertise, and skills of the individual. Please send a cover letter, resume, salary requirement, writing samples, and references.

AFPI is a non-profit, non-partisan research institute offering competitive salaries and benefits to qualified candidates.