Program Manager, Coolidge Speech & Debate

Program Manager, Coolidge Speech & Debate

Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation

Washington, DC or Plymouth, VT

https://talentmarket.org/ccpfprgmmgr/

About the Coolidge Foundation

The Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation, formed in 1960, is the official foundation dedicated to preserving the legacy and advancing the values of America’s 30th president. The Foundation is headquartered at the President’s birthplace in Plymouth Notch, Vermont, and has a second office at Coolidge House in Washington, D.C.

The Foundation operates a number of programs on a national scale that seek to share Coolidge’s legacy and values, some of which include hard work, restrained government, thrift, bipartisanship, respect for free enterprise, federalism, the rule of law, and civility. Coolidge, a small-town attorney, devoted his life to the study of Constitutional law. The quality of his speeches on the Constitution has earned him the nickname “Modern Bridge to the Founders.” The Foundation is not a federally funded presidential library and depends on private fundraising for its operations. An overview of the Foundation’s work is available via its most recent Foundation Report, available here: https://coolidgefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/2023-Annual-Report-Web-File.pdf.

About the Coolidge Speech & Debate Program

It is the ferment of ideas, the clash of disagreeing judgments, the privilege of the individual to develop his own thoughts and shape his own character, that makes progress possible.

- Calvin Coolidge, 1925

The Coolidge Foundation’s national high school speech and debate program advances President Coolidge’s commitment to informed citizenship, freedom of thought and civil dialogue – all critical, Coolidge believed, to self-government. Coolidge Debate provides students with strong instruction in economics and public policy, critical thinking, and persuasive reasoning. Our program emphasizes mastery of content and requires that students open their minds and give serious consideration to all viewpoints. For this serious and near academic approach, and our insistence on maintenance of high standards, we have been called “the gold standard” of new debate.

We insist on a traditional, logical, nonpartisan, and evidence-based approach to debate. Lately high school debaters have been rewarded for drifting off topic, speaking at unreasonably fast speeds, and expanding arguments to include political philosophies far afield from the specific proposition being debated. Coolidge debate honors the tradition of staying within the bounds of the proposition. “Citizen judges,” rather than specialized debate insiders, judge our debate rounds. For every debate, the Coolidge Foundation prepares a detailed research brief for the students and brings in star speakers to teach. Recent debate topics include, among others: inflation, taxes, the national debt, healthcare, student loan forgiveness, and immigration.

Over the past decade, the Coolidge Foundation has built an alternative debate model that emphasizes good practices. We now aim to scale and build up a national league to chart a new course for secondary school debate in America.

About the Role

The Program Manager will report to the Director of Speech & Debate to help execute a national expansion of the Coolidge Speech and Debate Program. The Program Manager will assist with planning and operating numerous debate tournaments annually, including two major national championship tournaments. The Program Manager will also work on outreach efforts to generate new grassroots interest and substantially grow the number of students participating in the program.

This is a full-time, in-office, position based at the Foundation’s headquarters in Plymouth, Vermont, or at Coolidge House in Washington, D.C. Compensation is commensurate with experience. Benefits include 100% of employee healthcare and dental insurance premiums and an employer matching contribution (up to 5%) to an employee 401k account, with step vesting.

Job Responsibilities

• Work with the Director of Speech and Debate and Foundation management to expand the Coolidge Speech & Debate program nationally.
• Help plan, attend and execute 10-12 high-quality in-person high school debate tournaments annually in cities across America. These include two national championship-level tournaments – the Coolidge Cup in Plymouth Notch, Vermont and the Coolidge Presidents’ Cup in Washington, D.C. – along with regional tournaments throughout the year. Tournaments take place on weekends and travel is required.
• Cultivate grassroots growth of the Coolidge Debate model among interested students, coaches, and parents across the country. Assist in creating and distributing Coolidge Speech and Debate instructional and marketing materials, advising new partners, and helping launch new regional hubs of Coolidge Debate.
• Maintain strong relations with important program constituencies, including members of the 1890 Society (the Foundation’s honor society for young alumni of the speech and debate program), debate coaches, parents, students, and Foundation donors. Recruit, train, and steward a volunteer network of citizen judges across the country.
• Work with the Director of Speech and Debate and Foundation management to select debate topics. The Program Manager will play a key role in researching, drafting, and editing the content-rich briefs published for each Coolidge debate topic. 
• Assist in managing all phases of the registration process for tournaments, from drafting and posting tournament information, to corresponding with attendees, to accurately maintaining pre-tournament data in Tabroom.com (tournament administration software).
• Enthusiasm for contributing to the overall work and success of all the initiatives of the Coolidge Foundation. We are a small team, and all staff members contribute across program areas.

Qualifications

• 0+ years of experience is required; the ideal candidate will have experience in the administration of student contests and show dedication to building a new institution for civil debate in America
• A passion for President Coolidge and the values he promoted
• Strong organizational skills and first-rate attention to detail; overall, an ability to plan and run complex debate tournaments around the country
• Experience with high school debate is a significant plus, but not a requirement; similar experience in operations of academically-oriented or sports competitions is a viable substitute
• Experience with the fast pace, high stakes, and seriousness of tallying and structuring a tournament is key
• A high level of professionalism, integrity, sound judgment, discretion and confidentiality; ability to interact with Foundation partners of all levels
• Superior verbal and written communication skills; research and writing experience, especially related to economics/public policy/history, is a strong plus
• Experience recruiting, training, and managing volunteers. Ability to build a community of judges is valuable
• Ability to travel 25% or more, especially on weekends, to run debate tournaments across the country
• A proven ability to troubleshoot; ability to take initiative, “figure it out” and solve problems independently and effectively as they arise
• A team player with a make-it-happen spirit and collaborative style

Application Instructions

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

• A cover letter detailing your interest in the position, what draws you to the Foundation's mission, and your salary requirements
• Resume

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 managing the search process: [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.