ABOUT US

The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization committed to realizing a free, just, and equitable society. Since its founding in 1949, the Institute has been driving change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve the most critical challenges facing communities in the United States and around the world. Headquartered in Washington, DC, the Institute has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, and an international network of partners.


ASPEN LEADERSHIP SEMINARS (SEMINARS)

Aspen Leadership Seminars (Seminars) sits at the heart of The Aspen Institute’s founding mission: to foster values-based leadership that inspires individuals to think more deeply, act more courageously, and serve more selflessly. Since 1950, the Seminars have brought together leaders from every sector and region of the world to explore the moral and ethical dimensions of leadership through moderated text-based dialogue. Guided by the belief that the greatest challenges facing society are moral, not technical, these seminars create space for leaders to reflect on the values that guide their choices and shape their organizations.

In support of its mission to develop values-driven leaders, the department offers both tuition-based and fee-for-service seminars to individuals and organizations. Seminars annually delivers 35+ seminars, including the flagship Aspen Executive Seminar on Leadership, Values, and the Good Society, as well as a growing portfolio of Custom Leadership Seminars designed in partnership with client organizations in the corporate, government, and not-for-profit sectors. The portfolio has experienced significant growth in recent years and is poised to expand in both scope and scale in the years ahead.

ABOUT THIS ROLE

The Director of Seminars will serve as the architect and steward of the Aspen Leadership Seminars’ overall operations and organizational health, building and maintaining the structures that allow the department to thrive. Reporting to the Executive Director, this senior-level role ensures that the department has the processes, systems, and operational discipline needed to operate with clarity, cohesion, and impact.

The Seminars portfolio of programs is both mission-driven and revenue-generating. Through tuition-based and fee-for-service programs for individuals and organizations, the department advances the Institute’s commitment to values-based leadership while operating with the discipline of a business inside a nonprofit framework. With recent growth in seminars, staff, and increasing complexity across the portfolio, this role is critical to ensuring the expansion is supported by strong, scalable operational foundations.

This role provides operational leadership and integrative support that enables the department to run smoothly and sustainably, in close partnership with the Executive Director’s focus on vision, strategy, and program quality. The Director works collaboratively with the heads of Business Development, Marketing & Communications, and Program Delivery, and interfaces regularly with colleagues across the Center for Leadership, Aspen Global Leadership Network, and the wider Institute. They provide partial management for the Senior Finance Manager and serve as a trusted thought partner to the Executive Director, bringing forward insights, surfacing risks and opportunities, and ensuring priorities are translated into coordinated execution across the department.

The Salary range for this position is $141,000-$151,000. In accordance with our Reimagining Work policy, the Director should be willing to be in-person with colleagues a minimum of 40% of the time while having the flexibility to work remotely for the balance.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

Departmental Operations

• Oversee the overall operational health of the Seminars department, ensuring clarity, cohesion, and effective day-to-day functioning across all areas of work.
• Act as a trusted advisor to the Executive Director, translating vision and priorities into operational plans and ensuring day-to-day practices align with long-term strategy.
• Maintain deep working knowledge of departmental operations, systems, finances, and workflows, allowing the Executive Director to remain focused on strategic priorities.
• Serve as the primary point of coordination between the Seminars Department, the Center for Leadership, and central Institute functions (Finance, HR, IT), ensuring alignment, clarity, and follow-through.
• Design, implement, and steward department-wide systems, processes, tools, and standards that support accountability, consistency, scalability, and aligned execution across teams.
• Translate Institute-wide systems, policies, and initiatives into operational practices that support the Seminars department’s effectiveness, efficiency, and growth.
• Maintain visibility into the full departmental calendar and proactively flag conflicts, capacity constraints, or timing risks.
• Track and manage monthly, quarterly, and annual operational deadlines across finance, HR, and program delivery cycles.

Financial Management and Oversight

• Provide financial leadership for the Seminars department, overseeing budgeting, forecasting, reporting, and resource allocation in partnership with the Executive Director, Design and Delivery team lead, and Senior Finance Manager.
• Ensure financial discipline and visibility, aligning spending with approved budgets, delivery timelines, and strategic priorities, and maintaining accurate, timely insight into financial performance.
• Maintain a clear understanding of the relationship between program activity, staffing levels, and costs, advising on feasibility and constraints to support responsible scaling.
• Serve as the primary operational partner to central Finance, managing budget development, reporting cycles, and compliance requirements while translating Institute expectations into workable departmental practices and strengthening long-term financial sustainability.

Cross-Team Alignment & Cohesion

• Serve as the connective tissue across area leads (Design and Delivery, Business Development, and MarComms) ensuring departmental strategy is consistently translated into execution.
• Strengthen operational cohesion across areas by aligning workstreams and minimizing duplication of effort.
• Support workstream leads by clarifying roles, processes, and decision pathways that enable them to focus on leading their teams effectively.
• Establish and steward shared operating cadences (e.g., planning rhythms, cross-team check-ins, information flows) that keep the team coordinated and aligned.
• Support a close-knit team culture by creating clarity and structure while enabling continued trust, innovation, and collaboration.

Planning & Special Projects

• Maintain awareness of the department’s annual rhythm and planning cycles, ensuring major initiatives, deliverables, and operational commitments are sequenced realistically across the year.
• Support priority initiatives and moments of change (e.g., new programs, growth opportunities, organizational shifts) by coordinating planning, timelines, and internal readiness across teams.
• Lead or oversee time-bound special projects assigned by the Executive Director that require senior judgment, discretion, and cross-team coordination.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO THRIVE

• At least 10 years of progressive experience in operations, systems design, or organizational management, ideally within a revenue generating program.
• Demonstrated ability to build, implement, and manage complex systems that support growth and cohesion in a multi-faceted organization.
• Experience with project management systems (Airtable strongly preferred) and the ability to create clarity and efficiency through thoughtful use of tools.
• Strong financial acumen, with experience in revenue-generating operations (not grant-funded models), including budget forecasting, cash-flow awareness, and financial sustainability planning.
• Ability to zoom in and out between big-picture strategy and minute details, maintaining accuracy without losing sight of context.
• Capable of stewarding new processes and holding the team to shared standards in a way that builds trust and reinforces cohesion.
• Adaptability and resilience in the face of change, with a proactive approach to problem-solving and continuous improvement.
• Strong emotional intelligence, integrity, and discretion, with the judgment to navigate complex relationships and competing priorities.
• Customer service orientation and excellent interpersonal skills, ensuring responsiveness and clear communication across internal and external stakeholders.
• An interest or background in the humanities, culture, the arts, and education preferred. Curiosity and a desire for continuous learning required.

TO APPLY

Please submit a cover letter outlining your experience relevant to this role, along with an updated résumé. Applications that do not include a cover letter will not be considered.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The Aspen Institute offers a generous benefits package including health, dental, vision, and prescription benefits, retirement benefits, and paid leave.

The Aspen Institute is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all District and federal laws. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or protected veteran or disabled status and will not be discriminated against.

The Aspen Institute welcomes individuals with disabilities to participate in its programs, including the interview process. If you would like to request accommodations or have questions about accessibility, please email hrsupport@aspeninstitute.org or call 202-736-2127 in advance of your visit. Requests for ASL or CART services should be made at least two weeks in advance when possible. We will make every effort to fulfill requests, subject to availability.