The Aspen Institute

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.

Commitment to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

To achieve our mission of a more free, just, and equitable society, we commit to working proactively to advance the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion across our myriad endeavors such as the recruitment, compensation, training, and advancement of staff. The best people-serving institutions make this commitment, and we seek to be a leader in the ways that we do so and learn from others. Visit our website to learn more about our commitment and recent actions taken toward building and nurturing a diverse and inclusive environment.

Program Description:

The Aspen Tech Policy Hub is a West Coast policy incubator, training a new generation of science and tech policy entrepreneurs. We take experts from technology, climate, science, and related fields, teach them the policy process through fellowship and training programs, and encourage them to develop outside-the-box solutions to society’s problems. We model ourselves after tech incubators like Y Combinator, but train new policy thinkers and focus the impact of their ideas.

To date, we have trained over 200 scientists and technologists through our fellowship and training programs. Our trainees have already made a considerable impact on STEM policy, from advising county governments of coastal communities on mitigating the effects of sea-level rise, to proposing amendments to the California Consumer Privacy Act, to advising the City of New York on improving the provision of broadband services to help close the digital divide. 

The Aspen Tech Policy Hub is a part of Aspen Digital, an Institute program that empowers policy-makers, civic organizations, companies, and the public to be responsible stewards of technology and media in the service of an informed, just, and equitable world.

Basic Function:

We are looking for a mid-career Strategy & Operations Manager who has strong management and administrative skills to lead operational excellence for our expanding team at the Aspen Tech Policy Hub. In partnership with the Director and Hub leadership team, this person will work to advance the Hub’s strategic direction; ensure alignment between the Hub’s mission, finances, organizational goals, and programmatic operations; strengthen our collaborative and outcomes-oriented organizational culture; support the growth and professional development of our staff; and manage our development of internal processes around Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion work.

This position will be responsible for overseeing staffing, administration, hiring, and finances of Hub programs, and managing 1-2 other team members. The Strategy & Operations Manager will work closely with the Hub’s leadership team, executing special projects for the Director and to-be-hired Associate Director of Programs. They will also work closely with a strong and diverse existing team in a collaborative, non-hierarchical work environment. 

The Strategy & Operations Manager will have the opportunity to help build a nonprofit program from the ground up, so this position is perfect for candidates who hope to someday direct a nonprofit or government agency. The successful candidate will also get exposure to critical skills in policy advocacy and policymaking, and the opportunity to hear from exciting guest speakers and policy leaders.

This position reports to the Director. The salary range for this position is $90,000 - $115,000. Bay Area based candidates are preferred. Remote candidates must reside in the United States, and must be willing to relocate to the Bay Area for up to a month annually every summer, including June 2024, to run our annual in-person fellowship program.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Operational Management (25%) 

• Manage 1-2 full-time operations staff and several part-time staff, overseeing their work and providing them with constructive feedback and professional growth opportunities;

• Work with our programs and operations staff to ensure that project planning and implementation are on track across the program;

• Develop and implement streamlined structures and processes – including hiring, new staff onboarding and offboarding processes, professional development, communications, data management, contracts and vendor relationships, and other operations processes – that facilitate program-wide and extra-program collaboration; and

• Serve as lead Hub liaison for Aspen Digital and other Aspen Institute operational relationships.

Finance and Fundraising (25%)

• Create and oversee the Hub’s annual budget, ensuring that Hub spending is in line with budget estimates;

• Serve as lead on fundraising reporting, drafting grant reports and financial reports as needed; and

• Oversee the Hub’s payment operations and financial approvals.

Communications and Events Management (up to 20%)

• (For applicants with strong communications backgrounds) Work with our Events and Communications Assistant to approve all day-to-day Hub communication, including social media, newsletters, and significant communications to speakers and alumni;

• (For applicants with strong communications backgrounds) Oversee the drafting of our annual report and impact reports; and

• Supervise Hub events and approve events materials.

Strategic Planning and Special Projects (20%)

• Support the Director and to-be-hired Associate Director of Programs in developing our strategic plan and ensuring we meet set milestones;

• Oversee the Hub’s diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, developing annual priorities every year in conjunction with other team members and ensuring the Hub is on track to meet milestones; and

• Complete special projects for the Director and Associate Director of Programs as needed.

Program and Project Management (10%)

• With the Associate Director of Programs and Program Specialist, manage our annual programming calendar and ensure that program milestones are accomplished; and

• With our Program Specialist and Program Coordinator, manage key elements of our program lifecycle, such as the editing and design of our policy projects and recruitment for Hub programs.

Policy Teaching and Advising (up to 15%) (only for candidates with policy experience)

• Co-teach policy sessions for our training programs that are focused on teaching experts the policy process. Sample teaching topics include: Scoping a Policy Problem, Stakeholder Mapping, Executive Branch 101, Legislative Branch 101, and Company Policy 101.

• Provide feedback on policy memos, public comments, pitch sessions, and other exercises trainees participate in as part of our program;

• Moderate panels with policy experts as part of training programs; and

• Support editing of policy curriculum, as needed.

Knowledge, Education and Experience:

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree.

• A minimum of 7 years of professional work experience, including experience managing operations independently.

• Experience managing direct reports or contractors.

• Experience with project and task management.

• Demonstrated aptitude with operations work, creative problem-solving skills, and strong attention to detail.

• Strong, demonstrable writing skills.

• Excellent computer skills, specifically, expertise with: Microsoft Office and Google Workspace products.

• Polished interpersonal skills.

• Interest in learning about policy and contributing to a policy non-profit.

• A desire to learn, sense of humor, flexibility, and resourcefulness.

Preferred:

• Strong demonstrable editing and proofreading skills.

• Experience tracking and managing nonprofit budgeting and finances.

• Experience with Airtable, customer relation management, and/or task management software.

• Experience with InDesign or Adobe Acrobat Pro.

• 1-2 years of experience in policy or government.

• 1-2 years of experience working on science and technology issues.

For various reasons, amazing talent hesitate to apply for positions for which they could potentially be a great fit. We strongly encourage you to apply for this position if it aligns with your career interests and skillset, even if you are not sure whether you meet all of the qualifications.

To Apply:

Applicants must submit a cover letter and resume to be considered. We also ask that applicants refrain from using ChatGPT or other generative writing tools when writing the cover letter. Our first review date for applications will be March 18th. Applicants who apply by that date will be given priority review.
 

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.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation regarding the accessibility of our website, a modification or adjustment of the job application or interview process due to a disability, contact HRSupport@aspeninstitute.org or call (202) 736-5800.