The Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University is a national leader in civic education and engagement that sets the standard for higher education’s role in advancing the greater good. The only university-wide college of its kind, the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life studies and promotes the civic and political engagement of young people at Tufts University, in our communities, and in our democracy.

CIRCLE (the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement) is a non-partisan, independent research organization focused on youth civic engagement in the United States. CIRCLE conducts extensive research on youth participation and leverages that research to improve opportunities for all young people to acquire and use the skills and knowledge they need to meaningfully participate in civic life. CIRCLE is especially concerned with understanding, addressing, and ultimately eliminating the systemic barriers that keep some young people marginalized from and underrepresented in civic life.

CIRCLE is interested in the academic, social, professional, and economic benefits to young people and to their communities when they engage in civic life. The Center seeks to understand and improve the contexts and conditions that shape youth civic and political engagement, which are too often inequitable, with special emphasis on civic education's role in preparing youth to participate in democracy. Based in a university and committed to rigor, CIRCLE generates research to inform policy and practice in order to drive substantive change–whether in the classroom, on a college campus, at the county clerk's office, or within a community organization–that promotes stronger youth development and a more inclusive society. An advisory board for CIRCLE provides strategic input.

What You'll Do

This is a hybrid position expected to be in the office 3 days a week in Medford/Somerville MA. 

The Director of Strategy and Culture at CIRCLE holds responsibility for ensuring CIRCLE’s impact strategies, internal culture, and resources are aligned. They oversee implementation of strategies, and overall capacities needed to do so. The Director plays a vital role in elevating the work of the organization, to attract investment in the work, and ensures that the team is equipped to implement strategic priorities according to organizational values. The Director represents CIRCLE in Tisch College and Tufts University meetings.

Responsibilities include:

• Directs team coaching, capacity, growth and team retention. Provides direct supervision to staff members, develops coaching/management skills and a staff learning agenda that supports continuous improvement and regular sharing of expertise. Meets regularly with supervisors on the team and the Sr. Director to facilitate learning on how to build culture
• Leads the process for creation and maintenance of CIRCLE’s overall strategy and impact. Ensures strategy implementation (research and non-research), including development of new revenue models. Conceptualizes and supports the intersection of organizational strategy, internal culture, and mass/strategic communication to ensure alignment
• Develops and manages budget and spending plans, and overall effectiveness at CIRCLE. Manages multiple relationships within the College related to administrative, budgeting, and HR matters; reviews and discusses work with external colleagues for projects or initiatives, and collaborates to co-create inclusive internal processes
• Oversees CIRCLE’s Communications staff, develops strategies to amplify external communication and brand identity, aligned with overall strategy, impact, and project goals in ways that forward the mission. Coordinates with internal and external stakeholders to develop and implement public communications strategies. May serve as final reviewer for public messages in consultation with the Sr. Director, CIRCLE and Tisch Leadership, when necessary
• Participates in a project team in one or more key domains of CIRCLE’s research and impact work, to be determined by their background within social impact and civic engagement spaces
• Plays a part in the civic life of Tisch College by being an active and engaged participant in the conversations and decisions made by Tisch college, including as a mentor to other Tisch staff

What We're Looking For

Application Instructions: To receive full consideration, interested individuals should apply online (Tufts Careers) and include: 1) a resume and 2) a letter of interest.

The letter of interest is a two-page cover letter detailing your key achievements related to this position and the field of civic education and engagement. As well as your experience leading strategy and managing diverse teams, and your thoughts on how you see yourself contributing to and advancing Tisch College’s North Star, including an example that amplifies your commitment. Letters should be addressed to the Search Committee. 

• Knowledge and experience typically acquired through completion of an advanced degree in a relevant discipline
• Minimum of 10 years of leadership and management experience
• Demonstrated experience leading strategy development for a mission-driven organization, and implementing that strategy in programmatic and operational realms
• Experience with leadership development, coaching, and assessment of internal processes and culture with an eye towards overall staff capacity and utilization
• Experience working in multi-layered institutional settings, with many decision makers and priorities

• Basic knowledge of how research can be impactful at the individual, organizational and field levels, and ways that stakeholder engagement and collaboration can deepen rigor
• Ability to see a broad strategic picture and identify opportunities for research and impact initiatives, including gaps in knowledge and support in a field
• Excellent project management and delegation skills, with the ability to assess capacity for project execution
• Experience within network and coalition spaces, ability to track/assess dynamics across a series of varied networks, and devise approaches for appropriate and constructive participation in varied spaces
• Experience with and ability to create, update and monitor organizational budgets and projections, and allocate resources in response
• Experience navigating intra-organizational and cross-organizational partnerships and other types of cross-organizational interactions and can guide team members on responsible partnership development, and ways to be supportive of other organizations through project and communications processes
• Understanding of how to translate data insights and/or research into accessible communication and an ability to identify communications opportunities within data and across the research process
• Proficiency and experience in social impact, movement or civic spaces
• Experience in a setting where research and evidence are used or produced as part of core operation

Pay Range

Minimum $103,950.00, Midpoint $129,950.00, Maximum $156,000.00

Salary is based on related experience, expertise, and internal equity; generally, new hires can expect pay between the minimum and midpoint of the range.