Executive Director, Harris Social Impact Fellowship

Department

Harris School Social Impact Fellowship

About the Department

Policy with real impact doesn’t evolve from ideology or intuition, or even experience. At the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, developing effective public policy is a science, based on data and measurable impact .Addressing today’s interconnected, global challenges requires rigorous inquiry. It also requires innovative people who will face the facts, gather data, and understand why current policies exist to improve them. For more than 30 years, the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy has been steadfastly committed to serving society by advancing analysis- and evidence-informed policy. Guided by this exacting mission, our community of faculty, students, and alumni from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors are taking on the world’s most important problems by using the latest tools of social science. Harris Public Policy offers a full range of degree and executive education programs and is the academic home to research centers, institutes, and labs that study and engage the public on areas such as conflict, democracy and effective government, economic and political development, education, energy and environment, health, municipal finance, public safety, social policy, and urban policy.

Job Summary

The Executive Director provides strategic, programmatic, financial, and operational leadership for the Harris Social Impact Fellowship (HSIF), a flagship initiative of the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy. Reporting to the Associate Dean of Executive Education and Partnerships and partnering closely with the Faculty Director, the Executive Director leads the Fellowship’s programmatic direction, growth strategy, partnership portfolio, and operations.

The Executive Director sets the multi-year growth trajectory of HSIF, including cohort scaling, geographic expansion of host placements, and new institutional partnerships. The role holds decision rights on selection, partnership scope, budget allocation, and staff hiring within the program team, and partners with the Alumni Relations and Development team on program-substance contributions to donor-facing work. The Executive Director represents the Fellowship to senior University leadership and external audiences, safeguarding its reputation while advancing Harris’ mission to develop evidence-based leaders committed to social impact.

Responsibilities

• Serves as strategic co-architect of the Fellowship curriculum and experience with the Faculty Director, leading annual design cycles, faculty engagement, integration of research centers across UChicago, and the strategic evolution of the Fellowship in alignment with School priorities, the multi-year growth strategy, and the academic and experiential standards that define the HSIF model.
• Owns the multi-year growth strategy: cohort size, geographic and sectoral scope of host placements, and sequencing of expansion moves, in alignment with School priorities.
• Leads external host site expansion, including sourcing strategy, the rigor floor and selection criteria for new sites, cost-share model design, and negotiation of foundational partnership terms.
• Explores sector-level platform infrastructure positioning HSIF as a bridge between STEM talent and social impact pathways, including peer-program relationships and applicant-pool engagement mechanisms.
• Owns senior-level relationships across Harris and the broader University, including the Dean and Associate Deans, faculty principals, research center directors (Urban Labs, BIP Lab, Mansueto Institute, and others), and counterparts in University advancement, finance, and academic affairs.
• Sources and manages individual and organizational contacts and partnerships that unlock program growth and enhance program quality, including identifying and managing engagement scope, timeline, and deliverables.
• Serves as the program-substance partner to ARD and Harris leadership on HSIF-related donor cultivation and reporting, including co-producing the program-substance materials to be used in donor conversations with ARD, such as impact reports, cohort narratives, programmatic updates, and briefing packets tailored to specific audiences.
• Sets the national recruitment strategy, including brand positioning, target applicant profile, priority feeder institutions, and yield targets, and reviews pipeline performance against the multi-year growth strategy.
• Sets the selection architecture, including the assessment framework, interview design, and evaluation rubrics, and holds final cohort formation decisions in partnership with the Faculty Director.
• Designs the alumni engagement platform as a strategic asset compounding across cohorts, including the convening model, leadership pathways, and mechanisms by which alumni contribute back to recruitment, mentorship, and host-site development. Day-to-day stewardship sits with the Program Director.
• Sets the post-fellowship career strategy, including the sectors, employer categories, and role types HSIF is equipping fellows for, and builds senior-level relationships with hiring organizations that position HSIF as a talent pipeline to the field.
• Oversees the HSIF Advisory Council as a body providing counsel and guidance on program direction, sets meeting agendas in consultation with the Faculty Director and the Harris leadership team, runs the meetings, and translates Council guidance into follow-up actions for the program team.
• Sets the governance protocols, decision rights, escalation pathways, and scalable operational infrastructure that support multi-cohort growth without compromising fellow experience quality.
• Owns risk management for the program: operational, reputational, and partnership risks; mitigation protocols; and judgment on when to escalate to the Associate Dean or Dean.
• Supervises program staff and external consultants, sets performance standards, and holds hiring authority within the program team in alignment with Harris HR processes. Manages 2 FTEs (Program Director and Assistant Director) plus rotating consultants and student staff.
• Holds fiscal accountability for the program budget, including multi-year financial planning, scenario modeling under alternative growth paths, and budget allocation decisions.
• Owns the impact measurement framework with the Faculty Director, including theory of change, outcome measures, and reporting cadence. Presents findings to senior Harris leadership, advisory stakeholders, and, in coordination with ARD, to donor audiences.
• Represents the Fellowship at external conferences, peer-program convenings, and academic and policy venues, enhancing Harris’ visibility in evidence-based social impact.

• Manages program operations and administrative functions which may include planning and scheduling, program evaluation, policy implementation, personnel administration, budget, marketing, fundraising and proposal development.

• Manages the dissemination, interpretation and application of program policies and recommends or makes exceptions.

• Contributes to design of program content, policies and strategic planning efforts.

• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Education:

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

Work Experience:

Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 7+ years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Certifications:

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Preferred Qualifications

Experience:

• 15+ years of professional experience in program leadership, higher education administration, public policy, or related fields with director-level scope.
• Proven track record in strategic planning, multi-year program development, and scaling complex initiatives across institutional boundaries.
• Demonstrated experience coordinating with senior academic leaders, executive directors, and research principals across on-campus institutions, off-campus think tanks, government entities, or non-profit organizations focused on research, evaluation, or policy.
• Experience supervising staff and managing consultant relationships, with demonstrated ability to build operational capacity as programs scale.

Preferred Competencies

• Conceptualizes, plans, and executes complex, multi-faceted programs with minimal oversight, exercising sound independent judgment on strategic and operational questions.
• Navigates complex stakeholder ecosystems with competing agendas, with strong instincts for sequencing, escalation, and de-confliction.
• Entrepreneurial orientation toward program-building, with capacity to design and operationalize new initiatives from concept through delivery.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, including the ability to brief senior leadership, represent the program externally, and produce program-substance materials of institutional quality.

Working Conditions

• Chicago-based role at the University of Chicago, with a hybrid work arrangement.
• Some evening and weekend work in connection with Fellowship programming and events.
• An estimated 10% overnight travel.

Application Documents

• Resume/CV (required)

• Cover Letter (required)

• Contact information for three references (required)

The University of Chicago uses AI-assisted tools to streamline and augment some recruitment processes; however, AI is not used to make hiring decisions.

When applying, the document(s) MUST be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.

Job Family

Administration & Management

Role Impact

People Manager

Scheduled Weekly Hours

37.5

Drug Test Required

No

Health Screen Required

No

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required

No

Pay Rate Type

Salary

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FLSA Status

Exempt

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Pay Range

$130,000.00 - $180,000.00

The included pay rate or range represents the University’s good faith estimate of the possible compensation offer for this role at the time of posting.

Benefits Eligible

Yes

The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in the Benefits Guidebook.

Posting Statement

The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

 

Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.

 

All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history.  A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment.  Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.

 

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