Senior Director of Global Programs and Strategic Initiatives

Department: Buffett Inst Global Affairs

Salary/Grade: EXS/13

Salary Statement: The expected salary for this position is up to $125,000 per year, in alignment with departmental equity and market data.

The Senior Director of Programs and Strategic Initiatives at the Roberta Buffett Institute for Global Affairs is responsible for strategic oversight of Buffett’s full programs in partnership with the Faculty Director. The Senior Director is responsible for implementing the strategic planning and management of major programmatic initiatives and staffing. Reporting to the Faculty Director, the Senior Director of Programs and Strategic Initiatives plays a lead role in the growth and positioning of the Roberta Buffett Institute as both a world‑class research institute and a powerhouse for undergraduate education at the intersection of academic study and real‑world application.

Further, the Senior Director helps to coordinate all programs and administrative units within Buffett, including the Keyman Program in Modern Turkish Studies; the Northwestern Security & AI Lab; the Equality, Development, and Globalization Studies (EDGS) initiative; and the Lal Global Entrepreneurship initiative.

The Senior Director leads coordination on all programs within Buffett across teams, with particular responsibility for complex programs such as the Scholars at Risk Program. The Senior Director is also the Institute’s liaison to the Office of the Provost on policy implementation and other organizational issues as well as to the Office of Alumni Relations and Development, the Vice President for International Relations, and the Office for Research.

The Senior Director is responsible for building strong relations and working collaboratively with Northwestern’s Schools and units including the Weinberg College Center for International and Area Studies, the Roberta Buffett International Studies Program, the Havey Institute for Global Health, the Law School’s Center for International Human Rights, and the Global Poverty Research Lab. The Senior Director of Programs and Strategic Initiatives also staffs the Buffett Board of Advisors, Global Council and Faculty Advisory Council and coordinates Buffett’s leadership team of directors.

The Senior Director works with the Faculty Director to benchmark Buffett’s programs against those of our peer global affairs institutes and Schools in North America and worldwide.

The Senior Director’s responsibilities will include the strategic expansion of Buffett’s undergraduate initiative, with the aim of fostering new internationally‑oriented courses in Northwestern’s six undergraduate Schools; coordinating new opportunities for “Global Lab” courses; evaluating (in conjunction with the Director of Undergraduate Programs) new post‑baccalaureate placement sites; and generally ensuring that the Buffett is offering students a set of unparalleled undergraduate experiences.

The Senior Director will work with the Office of Admissions and Recruitment to ensure that the Buffett Institute is pitched to prospective students, and will coordinate strategy for reaching students early in their Northwestern careers. As Faculty Directors rotate in and out, the Senior Director will serve as the continuity figure, to ensure that students remain at the heart of Buffett’s mission, according to Roberta Buffett Elliott’s founding conception of the Institute.

• Available for occasional evening and/or weekend events and/or meetings.
• Potential for infrequent domestic and/or international travel with advanced notice. Availability to participate periodically in programs and events outside of normal business hours.

• Serves as member of the Buffett Institute’s senior leadership team, alongside Faculty Director and Deputy Director responsible for establishing strategic priorities. Provides continuity between Faculty Director appointments.
• Provides strategic oversight of all programs within Buffett
  • Advances the strategic vision of the Faculty Director and Faculty Advisory Council by developing and overseeing programs and new initiatives while…