Director of Policy

Director of Policy

Heterodox Academy

NY, NY or Virtual Office

https://talentmarket.org/directorpolicyhxa/ 

About Heterodox Academy

Heterodox Academy (HxA) is a non-partisan, non-profit organization that promotes open inquiry, viewpoint diversity, and constructive disagreement to improve higher education and academic research. With a growing membership of over 6,800 faculty, administrators, and students, and a growing network of 50+ campus communities, HxA helps colleges and universities uphold their highest ideals and resist groupthink and tribalism.

Position Summary

Heterodox Academy seeks its first Director of Policy to lead the development of principled and practical resources for advancing HxA values – open inquiry, viewpoint diversity, and constructive disagreement – through policy leadership at the college/university, state, and federal levels.

As higher education systems grapple with fundamental questions about their purpose, character, and culture, HxA has a unique opportunity to craft thoughtful and effective policy approaches. The Director of Policy will make sure we seize this opportunity, working within the unique structures and dynamics of public and private universities themselves, as well as the state and federal authorities that fund and regulate them. He or she will work closely with HxA leadership and staff, and will take full advantage of HxA’s greatest resource: the savvy academic insiders who are our members, volunteer leaders, and allies.

The Director of Policy will also participate in the life and activities of  HxA’s research center, the Mike & Sofia Segal Center for Academic Pluralism (Segal Center), including its weekly research seminar and other Center events.

This role requires strong analytical, writing, communication, and project management skills. The Director of Policy will work closely with HxA’s research team and other colleagues across the organization, and will supervise at least one full-time direct report in the future. This role will report to the Executive Director during an initial transition period, and then may report to another member of the HxA leadership team.

The position requires deep expertise, but is also wide-ranging, flexible, and collaborative. HxA understands not every candidate will be equally skilled or experienced in every area of responsibility. If you feel qualified but your skills and experience do not match every detail below exactly, we encourage you to apply anyway!

Specific duties include:

Policy Analysis and Development

• Monitoring and analyzing developments in institutional policy and leadership, and state and federal legislation and regulation
• Consulting and collaborating with HxA members and chapter leaders about emerging issues, dilemmas, and opportunities
• Developing original, signature agendas, frameworks, and models for applying HxA values to pressing questions of institutional and public policy in higher education
• Developing policy proposals for specific institutions, states, and regulatory contexts
• Collaborating with our research team to ensure policy positions are supported by strong evidence

Policy Advocacy

• Interfacing with higher education policy makers, including university leaders, legislators, regulatory agencies, accreditors, and others
• Consulting with HxA members and volunteer leaders about selected opportunities for policy impact on campus and in academic disciplinary organizations
• Monitoring and learning from existing advocacy efforts by HxA members and groups.

Communicating Policy Ideas to Wide Audiences

• Developing white papers, briefs, op-eds, email content, resource kits, and other written materials that communicate HxA’s perspective and recommendations to members, policymakers, journalists, and the public
• Providing expert commentary to the media on higher education policy issues and serving as a spokesperson for Heterodox Academy
• Building relationships with policymakers, legislative staff, and other key stakeholders to educate them about our work and priorities
• Contributing to HxA communications channels such as publications, emails, social media, podcasts, web content, workshops, trainings, and courses
• Representing Heterodox Academy at conferences, on panels, and in meetings with external groups

Participating in the Life and Activities of the Segal Center

• Attend the Segal Center’s weekly research seminar for visiting faculty and postdoctoral research fellows
• Present ongoing research to the Segal Center’s weekly seminar
• Advise and assist Segal Center fellows on their research projects when possible

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required, graduate degree strongly preferred, in a field relevant to public policy, such as economics, political science, sociology, history, philosophy, or government
• At least 3 years of relevant professional experience working on policy issues, ideally with some experience related to higher education policy; experience could include roles in government, think tanks, advocacy organizations, or universities
• Close familiarity with higher education policy issues, debates, and contexts, including the details of shared governance and faculty leadership structures inside of colleges and universities
• Exceptional writing and verbal communication skills, with a proven ability to communicate complex ideas to both expert and general audiences
• Strong research, analytical and problem-solving skills
• Intellectual and philosophical dexterity, including the ability to anticipate and consider conflicting principles and diverse ideological and philosophical perspectives
• Alignment with the mission and values of Heterodox Academy and a commitment to advancing open inquiry, viewpoint diversity, and constructive disagreement
• Familiarity with office equipment, including computers, business software, and online business management tools
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment
• Willingness to travel occasionally for conferences and meetings.

Knowledge, Skills, and Dispositions: You would be a good fit on our team if the following attributes describe you:

• Team player. We are a small team that values collaboration, supporting each other, and engaging with each other. You enjoy being a team player, display a positive and optimistic attitude, have the ability to recognize and celebrate successes of all sizes, are open to constructive and supportive feedback, and demonstrate a commitment to consistently improving both your own performance and that of your team.
• Ideological tolerance and flexibility. We don’t care what your ideological commitments are, but you must be able to respect and advocate for the inclusion of diverse people with diverse perspectives, including but not limited to progressive, conservative, or libertarian thinkers and perspectives.
• Strong organizational and process skills. Especially important is the ability to effectively track the status of ongoing projects and find needed documents and information quickly is especially important. You should be willing to take direction, receive feedback and constructive criticism, and share constructive feedback with colleagues. You can independently organize, plan, prioritize, and carry out responsibilities, establish processes for yourself and others, and finish tasks by established deadlines.
• Virtues of mind and intellect. Researchers at HxA should strive to embody the virtues of the HxA way, especially carefulness, intellectual humility, open-mindedness, intellectual courage, and intellectual hospitality.
• Virtues of interpersonal interaction. In particular, we have in mind personal integrity, professionalism, empathy, resourcefulness, partnership, tact, proactive communication, a sense of humor, willingness to seek and receive feedback, and a commitment to high work quality and confidentiality.
• High flexibility and adaptability. The higher education world is constantly changing, sometimes rapidly. HxA may change priorities to exploit emerging opportunities. You are able to set aside work at a moment’s notice and switch focus to something completely different.
• Persistent and creative problem-solver and opportunity-seeker. We are a young organization with potential to create positive change on college campuses. We seek an entrepreneurial colleague to help us realize our potential. You should be willing and able to anticipate problems, seek out information, and persevere in finding solutions.
• Strong written and oral communication skills. You can write clearly and powerfully; communicate internally with your colleagues and externally; edit and proofread; and ensure high-quality outputs.

Location:

• Ideally this candidate will be in-person at least two days a week in HxA’s NYC office 
• Remote work is possible and remote candidates will be required to be in the office twice a month at minimum
• Location in the Northeast Corridor of the US, defined as anywhere between Washington, DC and Boston, MA, strongly preferred
• Travel within the US and Canada at least once a month is possible

Position Type: Regular, full-time, non-exempt

This full-time, at-will position starts as soon as possible. Occasional evening or weekend hours may be needed for special events or programs. HxA offers a flexible work schedule, but full-time employees must work 40 hours per week.

Salary: $100,000 to $130,000, depending on qualifications and experience

To Apply:

Qualified candidates should submit the following application materials (in order) in one PDF document:

• Your resume, including your relevant professional experience
• A cover letter explaining why you're interested in and aligned with HxA, why you are a fit for this role in particular, and your salary requirements

Applications should be submitted to Talent Market via this link: talentmarket.org/apply-for-your-dream-job/.

Questions can be directed to Katy Gambella, Director of Outreach at Talent Market, who is assisting with the search: [email protected].

There is no application deadline for this position. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. This job will remain posted on our site until it is filled.

While we thank all applicants in advance for their interest in this position, we are only able to contact those to whom we can offer an interview. Only direct applications will be considered. No phone calls, please.

Talent Market is a nonprofit entity dedicated to promoting liberty by helping free-market nonprofits identify talent for critical roles. We provide consulting and recruiting services at no cost to 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations that clearly and directly focus on advancing the principles of economic freedom, free enterprise, free trade, free speech, property rights, rule of law, and limited regulation.