Program Director of Engagement

University of Notre Dame•Notre Dame, IN

1d•$100,000•Onsite

About The Position

Are you interested in joining a highly collaborative, talented team at an exciting time in the history of Notre Dame? Do you want to help advance a major strategic priority for the University focused on ethics, including AI ethics and the love ethic? Are you motivated to be part of a dynamic team that assists scholars, corporate, faith communities, and non-profits leaders to tackle ethically complex issues? Do you want to lead a public engagement campaign that will elevate Notre Dame’s impact and reputation in ethics? If so, please apply to be the Program Director of Engagement for the Notre Dame Ethics Initiative (ND-EI) and the Institute for Ethics and the Common Good (ECG). Emerging from the University’s Strategic Framework, ND-EI is a collaborative cross-campus initiative to establish Notre Dame as a premier university for research in ethics, offering superb training for future generations of ethicists and ethical leaders and directing all of our efforts toward guiding and strengthening public understanding of the most significant ethical issues of our time. The Institute for Ethics and the Common Good is the administrative flagship of the Ethics Initiative and serves as the primary home for interdisciplinary groups of faculty fellows, researchers, non-profit and faith leaders, postdocs, graduate students, and undergraduate scholars studying questions that engage complex ethical challenges of our time and affect our ability to lead valuable, meaningful lives. Over the next five years the ECG will execute three major grants: one from IBM to advance technology ethics, one from the John Templeton Foundation focused on love and its role in social transformation, and one from the Lilly Endowment Inc., to forward and expand DELTA, a faith-based ethical framework which seeks to shape a Christian-inspired vision of humanity in an AI-driven world. The DELTA grant is the largest private grant in Notre Dame’s history. Program Director of Engagement Reporting to the Managing Director of the EI and ECG, the Program Director of Engagement will develop and lead the public engagement strategy and direction for the Institute. This includes responsibility for major components of the DELTA Network funded by a $50M grant from the Lilly Endowment, the Love Ethic Network funded by a $10M grant from the John Templeton Foundation, and the ND-IBM Technology Ethics Lab funded by a $20M grant from IBM. Each of these grants require significant network-building and public engagement deliverables. The program director will also advance the Institute’s academic and mission-driven reputation in the field of ethics by making more visible the impact research, teaching, formation, and network building has on complex ethical issues of our times. To accomplish this, the Program Director of Engagement will lead the creation and deployment of a cohesive and integrated strategic branding and communications program to build awareness of Notre Dame’s strength and commitment to virtue ethics and human formation and flourishing, including AI ethics. With University and Institute leadership, and in collaboration with the Office of the Provost, OPAC’s Strategic Communications and ND Creative teams, the Program Director of Engagement will prioritize and disseminate content and stories that educate, galvanize, expand and inspire diverse stakeholders, nationally and globally, around these themes. An integrated strategic communications program will include: original and curated content from University and Network partners, promoting high-level events, recruiting and expanding network participants, and overseeing content distribution through various vehicles such as websites, podcasts, substacks, storytelling, social media.Consistent messaging that will build and expand the University’s global reputation in ethics should permeate all projects. The Program Director of Engagement will also create, facilitate and/or promote engagement work across all of ECG’s programs, with a particular focus on the stakeholders, outcomes and outputs outlined in the DELTA and Love Ethic grant proposals. Stakeholders are highly diverse and include academics and K-12 teachers, corporate and non-profit leaders, faith leaders, young people, parents, journalists, and the general public. The Institute partners with a global portfolio of collaborators, and the Program Director of Engagement will strategically amplify ethics research and public-facing initiatives led by partners in Silicon Valley, Boston, Washington, DC, and the Vatican, while cultivating and extending these efforts through universities and nonprofit organizations worldwide. This is a five-year limited-term, full-time, in-person position based in South Bend, IN. As an exempt employee, there will be occasions in which work activities outside of the typical workday are required. Periodic travel is also required of this position.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in English, journalism, marketing, communications, public relations, or related field. A focus on ethics is a plus.
Demonstrated expertise (education and/or experience) in public engagement, communications and marketing strategy, strong administrative leadership, staff supervision and development are essential for success in this role.
7+ years of relevant work experience, preferably within a media, corporate and/or university setting.
Able to manage a fast-paced environment with the temperament and skill to be agile and pivot quickly if needed.
Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
Highly relational and able to build networks with a diverse range of stakeholders, industries, including faith-based communities.
Skilled in strategic planning and implementation.
Detail-oriented, highly organized, while also being visionary.
Effective writer and oral communicator.
Strong collaborative and teamwork skills, humble, adaptable, relational, and willing to fully contribute to ambitious goals within an inclusive, diverse educational and public environment.
Able to travel domestically and internationally, as needed.

Nice To Haves

Masters degree in English, journalism, marketing, communications, and/or public relations.
Well-versed in reaching young adult, and younger, audiences.
Gifted, passionate leader committed to advancing Notre Dame’s reputation in ethics.
Self-initiating and flexible within a growing, fast-paced, high-impact environment.

Responsibilities

Strategic Vision: Serve as a senior member of the Institute’s leadership team, shaping and executing a comprehensive engagement strategy into a multi-year roadmap, identifying high impact opportunities to elevate and advance Notre Dame’s global reputation in ethics, particularly AI, virtue, and love ethics.
Empowering Leadership & Supervision: Lead and mentor a team of digital strategists, storytellers, and content creators. Foster a culture of excellence and intellectual and creative curiosity, ensuring the team is challenged and supported in their professional growth.
Creative Direction: Provide high-level creative oversight for a suite of digital, print, and multimedia content, bridging academic research and public consumption, ensuring that complex ethical scholarship is translated into compelling narratives without losing its intellectual integrity.
Brand Stewardship: Lead the creation, implementation, and measurement of a comprehensive communications plan, ensuring a consistent voice for ECG that resonates across diverse global audiences—from K-12 classrooms and faith communities to Silicon Valley and the Vatican.
Executive Support & Representation: Serve as key representative for the ECG on campus, in national and global settings. Represent the Institute leadership with high-level presentations, stewardship and other correspondence, and act as content editor, when needed. Responsible for creating, implementing and measuring the success of a comprehensive communications plan that will highlight ECG’s engagement activity around ethics to internal and external audiences.
Cross-Functional Collaboration: Navigate a complex environment to align engagement goals with Office of the Provost, Strategic Communications, and ND Creative, ensuring the Ethics Initiative is well integrated into the University narrative.
Executive Production: Oversee the life-cycle of ECG’s public facing platforms—including websites, digital and social media.
Narrative Integrity: Act as the chief editor for ECG’s story—ensuring that high-level research on AI and virtue and love ethics is compelling and accessible to the public while remaining authentic to the university’s mission.
Innovation & Experimentation: Stay ahead of digital trends to identify new ways to reach audiences and global stakeholders.
Quality Control: Establish high standards and processes for aesthetic and editorial content and quality. Assist and guide engagement efforts as determined by the faculty and managing directors as needed.
Strategic Diplomacy: Build and manage strong, high-trust collaborative relationships with internal stakeholders (Office of the Provost, Strategic Communications, and ND Creative) and external collaborators (Silicon Valley, Boston, Washington, DC, the Vatican, and international universities and nonprofits) as the connective tissue between ECG and the world.
Relational Stewardship: Approach relationship management with genuine empathy and warmth, cultivating a global network of faith, academic, corporate, and media partners, who feel personally connected to the Institute’s success.
Vendor & Talent Management: Manage a roster of freelancers, agencies, and consultants, ensuring they are treated as true partners and are aligned with the ECG’s ethical framework and vision.