The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) is seeking a collaborative leader to serve as Director, Intentional Design for an Equitable Academy (IDEA). Since 1919, ACLS has advanced humanistic knowledge through service to member societies and member institutions through competitive fellowship and grant programs, now disbursing $20-25 million annually, and through infrastructural initiatives such as the blue-ribbon commission that convinced Congress to establish the National Endowment for the Humanities in 1965.

Set up in 2023, IDEA houses ACLS programs that seek to broaden the range of perspectives in American academia; encourage forward-looking academic policies and practices; help scholars navigate current systems; and support underinvested scholarly communities, projects, and fields of study. This Directorship is a unique opportunity to shape ACLS’s next phase of work in these areas.

Reporting to the President, the Director will lead the design, development, and implementation of new initiatives while managing a high-performing team of seven staff and cultivating new partnerships in philanthropy and academia. The ideal candidate will be familiar with American academic culture and institutional policy from deep experience in a college, university, learned society, or non-profit organization.

IDEA Unit Scope

Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship and Mellon Mays Graduate Programs

Emphasizing mentoring, research support, and student cohort building, the Mellon Mays programs partner with member colleges and universities to identify and support students of great promise and help them become scholars and professionals of the highest distinction.

Intention Foundry

The Intention Foundry brings together emerging scholars, member society leadership, and college/university interlocutors to advance equity within and across fields via microgrants (2024-2026) and innovative convenings.

Digital Justice Grant Program

This program promotes and provides resources for projects at various stages of development that strengthen the intellectual domain of digital humanities, with particular attention to improving accessibility and to ensuring the co-creation and preservation of an expansive and inclusive landscape of materials and stories.

CEDLife

Funded by the Henry Luce Foundation, the ACLS Civic Education for a Democratic Life (CEDLife) grant program will boost higher education's contribution to civic thriving by strengthening community-engaged projects hosted by colleges and universities across the U.S.

Doctoral Futures

Funded by the Mellon Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities, Doctoral Futures reimagines humanities doctoral education to be more equitable, resilient, and connected to the world humanistic knowledge is meant to serve.

Research Integrity

In partnership with the Lincoln Center for Applied Ethics at Arizona State University, ACLS is conducting a publicly-oriented project to articulate an understanding of research integrity principles spanning all academic fields.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

IDEA Program Strategy and Leadership

Design and lead initiatives with meaningful impact for our constituencies (including scholars inside and outside the academy, learned societies, institutions of higher education, and thought leaders) that work towards a more inclusive and vibrant ecosystem for the humanities and social sciences;

Manage and mentor direct reports and other unit members; provide guidance and strategic counsel to help advance their work;

Oversee the IDEA budget and operations; and

Coordinate activities with other ACLS units as necessary, including Communications, Development, and Finance.

Development and Outreach

Work with the President and the Chief Development Officer to secure funding for initiatives and programs, maintain effective relations with foundation partners and funders, and propose and conduct travel for the purpose of relationship cultivation; and

Represent IDEA to the ACLS Board, constituencies, funders, and other groups by authoring or co-authoring reports, speaking in external settings, and presenting at select convenings and conferences.

Qualifications :

PhD in the humanities or social sciences

At least 6 years of management/administrative experience, e.g. as department or program chair, center director, associate dean or dean, or in a comparable role of responsibility in a non-profit organization

Expertise in academic policy and culture, e.g. hiring and tenure processes, undergraduate and/or graduate education reform, academic leadership cultivation, diversity initiatives, etc.

Experience fundraising from philanthropic foundations or individual donors

Demonstrated commitment to collaboration, relationship-building, diversity, equity, and inclusion

Ability to multi-task and prioritize long-term projects and short-term assignments in a deadline-driven environment

Excellent interpersonal skills

Analytical and creative problem-solving capacity

Understanding of the relationship between strategy and operations and respect for operational expertise

Willingness to adapt as needed to nonprofit office norms

Ability to take initiative, respond nimbly, and maintain adaptive leadership in a fast-changing policy and funding landscape

Proficiency in MS Office, particularly Word and Excel; experience with using relational databases, such as Microsoft Dynamics CRM preferred

Experience with the Mellon Mays programs a plus

Experience with grants management a plus

Hybrid work schedule; must live within commuting distance of New York City

Some travel required

Serving faculty acceptable but must secure at least three years of unpaid leave with possibility of leave renewal

Compensation and Benefits

Base salary range: $175,000 - $200,000; Salary commensurate with experience.

ACLS offers a comprehensive benefits package; including medical, dental, vision, life, accidental death and disability insurance; generous time off benefits; a retirement savings plan, including employer contributions; and professional development support.