About AEI
The American Enterprise Institute (AEI) is a public policy think tank dedicated to defending human dignity, expanding human potential, and building a freer and safer world.
AEI’s Academic Programs team aims to renew healthy civic engagement on college campuses—and in America’s public square—by informing, equipping, and developing thoughtful and principled student leaders who will elevate the tone and substance of policy discourse with AEI’s ideas and scholarship.
The team facilitates educational and professional opportunities that provide students with the skills of civil and substantive discourse, strengthen their commitment to classical liberal ideas and institutions, and motivate them with AEI scholarship and principles. Reflected in all its programs and resources are AEI’s beliefs in democracy, free enterprise, American strength and global leadership, solidarity with those at the periphery of our society, and a pluralistic, entrepreneurial culture.
Role Overview
The Academic Programs Manager will be primarily responsible for managing AEI’s Summer Honors Program (SHP), student seminars, and outreach to university leadership. Responsibilities include driving the strategy, goal setting, and evaluation of these programs, managing relationships with instructors and other external partners, developing program schedules, and coordinating participant recruitment.
This role is ideal for someone with significant program management experience, including a demonstrated ability to lead a team effectively and execute strategic plans. Successful candidates will be familiar with AEI’s scholarship, entrepreneurial, and highly organized.
This is a full-time role based in AEI’s Washington, DC office. This position requires semi-regular travel for campus events, major programs, and participation in partner conferences. Some local work on evenings and weekends is expected during student conferences and major programs in DC
Primary Responsibilities
Summer Honors Program (40%)
- Develop SHP’s annual goals and a strategy to further integrate the program with the broader mission of Academic Programs and AEI
- Manage SHP instructors, keynote speakers, and other partners, working with the director to set course topics, keynote themes, and additional program details
- Develop the weekly schedule and staffing structure for program preparation and execution, assigning a course contact from the student programs staff to work directly with the instructor and student cohort for each course
- Coordinate marketing and SHP applicant recruitment, delegating tasks to team members and interns, and work with each course contact to build out their student cohort
- Coordinate a review of each program year measured against the annual goals and strategy, and coordinate the onboarding process into AEI’s network for each SHP class
Student Seminars (30%)
- Develop an annual plan for seminars that align with AEI scholar and supporter interests, and support campus and student recruitment for AEI programs
- Manage seminar partnerships, working with the director to set program themes
- Develop schedules and staffing structures for seminar preparation and execution, assigning a team lead from the student programs staff to work directly with instructors for each seminar
- Coordinate marketing and applicant recruitment for each seminar, delegating tasks to team leads and engaging across departments
- Coordinate reviews of each seminar measured against the annual plan, and execute the onboarding process into AEI’s network for all seminar participants
University Leadership Outreach (30%)
- Develop a strategy to cultivate networks of faculty, administrators, and the people of AEI through professionally enriching opportunities in DC, regionally, and online
- Serve as the primary connection between AEI-aligned university campus centers and DC programs.
- Regularly provide AEI resources for faculty, administrators, and campus centers, including editing a faculty newsletter with the director and related AEI scholars
- Serve as team lead to plan and execute AEI conferences for faculty and administrators in person and online, working with student programs staff in relevant disciplines and engaging across AEI departments
General Team Responsibilities
- Supervise one intern each semester, and seasonally supervise full-time staff for program execution, providing management expectations and guidance for both
- Regularly read and engage with AEI scholarship to develop new and creative ways to communicate AEI’s mission and research to students and the broader higher education community
- Perform regular financial tasks such as itemizing event honoraria, travel, and other department expenses
- Maintain and navigate databases to track AEI constituents and partners
- Assist with producing content for the team website, newsletters, and podcast
Qualifications
- 2+ years of program management experience, including a demonstrated ability to lead a team effectively and execute strategic plans
- A bachelor’s degree at the start date is required
- Familiarity with AEI scholarship, think tanks, public policy, and academia, specifically current debates related to at least one of AEI’s major policy areas (Economic Policy, Domestic Policy, Foreign and Defense Policy, and Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies)
- A self-starting attitude and strong work ethic
- Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail
- Time-management skills, with a proven ability to prioritize tasks and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment
- Strong interpersonal skills, with demonstrated oral and written communication abilities
- Other preferred experiences include event-planning experience, campus student group or other volunteer organization leadership experience, and a knowledge of Salesforce and Marketo
How to Apply
Qualified candidates should submit the following application materials in one PDF document:
- Resume
- Cover Letter detailing your interest in the position and the mission of AEI
Applications should be submitted to Talent Market via this link: talentmarket.org/apply-for-your-dream-job/.
There is no application deadline for this position. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. This job will remain posted on our site until it is filled.
Questions can be directed to Stephanie Keaveney, Outreach Manager at Talent Market, who is assisting with the search: [email protected].
While we thank all applicants in advance for their interest in this position, we are only able to contact those to whom we can offer an interview. Only direct applications will be considered. No phone calls, please.
Talent Market is a nonprofit entity dedicated to promoting liberty by helping free-market nonprofits identify talent for critical roles. We provide consulting and recruiting services at no cost to 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations that clearly and directly focus on advancing the principles of economic freedom, free enterprise, free trade, free speech, property rights, rule of law, and limited regulation.
