For 12 years, the University’s Ginsberg Center for Community Service Learning in the Division of Student Affairs has served as a national leader in the fields of service learning, social innovation, and engaged learning. In 2012, the Center’s leadership, staff, faculty and other stakeholders engaged in an extensive and inclusive strategic planning process and created an exciting new vision for the Center to focus on social impact outcomes. This vision includes utilizing a Collective Impact model to create a hub for large-scale social change, leveraging the significant resources and global reach of the University, and will focus on addressing community-identified needs, engaging students and faculty in community-based scholarship, service, and learning, and ensuring the Center’s ongoing leadership and contribution to the fields of service learning, social innovation, and engaged learning nationally. This new vision is an opportunity for the University to demonstrate what is possible when you coalesce significant human and financial capital in support of ambitious social change goals and to be an exemplar for other institutions of higher education. You can find out more about the center here: http://ginsberg.umich.edu/
About the Position
A dynamic and inclusive leader, the Director of the Ginsberg Center will seize this exciting opportunity to build on the Vice President of Student Affairs’ recently announced commitment to civic engagement to create and build the vision for executing the Center’s strategic plan and engaging the entire University community, community partners, and other stakeholders in its collective impact work. Combining a local focus on the Southeast Michigan community and a global orientation, the Director will prioritize creating impact for communities at risk and assuring meaningful service and learning opportunities for University of Michigan students and faculty. Providing overall strategic and operational leadership to the endowed Center, the Director will serve as an inspirational leader both internally and externally, acting as the key external face of the organization and building relationships and advancing policy conversations. Growing the Center from a current budget of $1M to a $5-$10M organization, the Director will employ a collaborative style to bring vision, creativity, energy, and credibility to the Center and will embrace the potential for the Center to create significant social change and exhibit national leadership in the areas of service learning, social innovation, and engaged learning.
Responsibilities: The Director’s responsibilities will include but not be limited to the following:
- Provide vision and strategic leadership for the Ginsberg Center and its new strategic direction of collective impact; proactively lead a large, multi-faceted Center focused on social impact through civic engagement
- Employ and execute a collective impact approach to facilitate large-scale change through cross-sector coordination, with an emphasis on the needs identified by the Southeast Michigan community and the possibilities available through the University’s global reputation and reach
- Translate complex information from community-based needs assessments to inform direction and priorities, creating meaningful opportunities for students to engage, learn, and make change
- Cultivate relationships with external constituents (notably community organizations and government agencies) to generate opportunities for engagement and resources
- Collaborate with faculty and other members of the University community to learn together and integrate community service, social innovation, civic participation, and engaged learning into all facets of University life
- Maintain rigorous accountability standards by assessing and evaluating the impact of the Center’s work on communities and student learning through formative and summative assessment efforts
- Lead all administrative functions of the Ginsberg Center for effectiveness, efficiency, and accountability
- Manage budget of approximately $1M; work closely with the Division of Student Affairs’ Development Officer to mobilize funding from a variety of sources
- Lead a talented team of 17 – 20, with 3 – 5 direct reports; recruit, select, train, develop, supervise, and evaluate staff in alignment with Center goals
- Serve as an active leader as the Director of a major unit in the Division of Student Affairs
- Represent the Center at university and external events; provide national leadership through participation in professional associations, conference presentations, and publications as appropriate
Required Qualifications:
- Significant leadership experience with increasing responsibility, preferably within a large and complex organization in the nonprofit, corporate, or government sectors
- Demonstrated ability to create a vision and translate that vision into action; proven track record of innovation and visionary leadership
- Proven capacity to work with diverse constituencies to achieve a common agenda
- Result-orientation, with demonstrated ability to set ambitious goals, lead and motivate a diverse team, and demonstrate measureable results
- Intellectual drive and dedication to continuous learning
- Strong organizational and management skills, including a proven record hiring talented and diverse staff, developing their skills, delegating appropriately, and holding staff accountable to achieving their goals
- Excellent interpersonal and communications skills to build and sustain trusting relationships
- Ability to thrive in a complex and dynamic organization, balancing flexibility, initiative, risk-taking and entrepreneurial thinking with the structures of a large institution
- Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree in related field strongly preferred
Additional Desired Qualifications:
- Proven success in community-based work
- Understanding of and experience with the collective impact approach
- Demonstrated ability to gather, distill, and utilize complex or ambiguous information
- Experience raising funds and acting as a thoughtful and persuasive spokesperson for an organization
- Understanding of community-based learning and engaged scholarship
To Apply: Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Please upload a resume and thoughtful cover letter, outlining how your skills and experience meet the qualifications of the position and stating how you heard about this opportunity, both in Word format, addressed to the Ginsberg Center Hiring Committee, at http://jobs.cgcareers.org/application.aspx?id=2033 . We will be accepting applications for this opportunity through March.
About Commongood Careers: The Ginsberg Center has partnered with Commongood Careers to conduct the search for a Director. Commongood Careers is a mission-driven search firm that supports the hiring needs of the nation’s most innovative and high-performing organizations. Since its founding in 2005, Commongood Careers has completed over 600 searches at 220 organizations in 29 states. Founded and staffed by nonprofit professionals, Commongood Careers offers personalized, engaged services to jobseekers and organizations throughout the hiring process, as well as access to a wealth of knowledge about nonprofit careers. For more information about Commongood Careers, please visit www.commongoodcareers.org.