Hunter College of The City University of New York invites applications for an Executive Director of The Sorensen Center for International Peace and Justice at Roosevelt House. The Sorensen Center, founded in 2014, is named for Ted Sorensen, who served as a lawyer, writer, and a close adviser to President John F. Kennedy, and who was a leading voice on diplomacy and both domestic and international politics. For 10 years, the Sorensen Center’s mission has been to train outstanding servants of international peace and justice to become leaders in the field. 

Hunter College, the largest of the senior colleges in The City University of New York system, with an enrollment of approximately 23,000 including more than 6,000 graduate students, is an anchor institution leveraging its intellectual, human, and physical capital in partnership with others to advance human understanding, spur innovation, and catalyze economic vibrancy. Offering a wide range of baccalaureate and master’s degrees, in more than thirty academic departments and professional schools, as well as participating in the doctoral programs of The City University of New York, Hunter College has been a leading engine of social mobility for every generation of New Yorkers since the college’s founding in 1870, especially the newest Americans.

Roosevelt House, an integral part of Hunter College since 1943, re-opened in 2010 as a public policy institute honoring the distinguished legacy of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt. Its mission is three-fold: to educate students in public policy and human rights, to support faculty research, and to foster creative dialogue. The institute provides opportunities for students to analyze public policy and experience meaningful civic engagement; for faculty to research, teach, and write about important issues of the day; and for scholarly and public audiences to participate in high-profile lectures, seminars and conferences.

Reporting to both the Provost and the Jonathan F. Fanton Director of Roosevelt House at Hunter College, the Executive Director of the Sorensen Center will have the unique opportunity to shape the vision and chart the strategic course of the Sorensen Center as it celebrates 10 years and moves from its founding location of CUNY School of Law to the Roosevelt House at Hunter College. 

REQUIREMENTS

The Executive Director will be responsible for the day-to-day administration of the Sorensen Center, including, but not limited to:

• Working closely with faculty and staff to align its priorities and programming with those of Roosevelt House, Hunter College and of CUNY as a whole;
• Programming on issues of interest;
• Inviting and hosting scholars in residence;
• Supervising student workers and fellows, and post-graduate fellows;
• Leading subject-matter initiatives at Roosevelt House;
• Collaborating with partners at Roosevelt House and within Hunter College and across the CUNY campuses on initiatives;
• Participating in the administration of summer fellowships to support the work of current students;
• Supervising staff members supporting the work of the Sorensen Center;
• Working closely with an advisory board comprised of external stakeholders, and faculty members to develop strategic priorities;
• Using those strategic priorities to design and execute sustainable initiatives;
• Securing and managing philanthropic gifts and grants from individuals, foundations, corporations, and government entities to support annual operating expenses and work toward the long-term goals; of building sufficient endowed funds to expand the work of the Sorensen Center;
• Coordinating such efforts with the School of Law’s Office of Institutional Advancement;
• Stewarding the grants, contracts, and philanthropic support received for Sorensen Center work;
• Working with marketing and communications offices at Roosevelt House and Hunter College to develop and implement strategies for communicating the work of the Sorensen Center to a wide variety of audiences, including general and professional media, the public, prospective students, current students, and alumni;
• Designing and implementing conferences and lectures, including the selection of topic areas, recruitment of guest speakers, and management and promotion of events in collaboration with Roosevelt House and the Hunter College Office of Institutional Advancement;
• Teaching and providing mentorship in area(s) of expertise; and
• Publishing research and policy documents to support the initiatives being undertaken by the Sorensen Center.

This position may include weekend and evening hours.

This position is in CUNY’s Executive Compensation Plan.  All executive positions require a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree and eight years’ related experience. Additional qualifications are defined below:
•    At least 10 years of progressive experience working on international peace and justice issues in academic, government, nonprofit, or NGO settings;
•    Demonstrated experience and success in raising funds from individual, corporate, foundation, and government entities;
•    Experience in significant program design and management in a related field;
•    Exceptional written and oral communications skills;
•    Experience in communicating effectively with a wide range of constituencies; and
•    Experience in working in a diverse community dedicated to public interest and social justice lawyering.
 

Salary commensurate with education and experience, in the range of $150,000 - $217,232.

CUNY’s benefits contribute significantly to total compensation, supporting health and wellness, financial well-being, and professional development.  We offer a range of health plans, competitive retirement/pension benefits and savings plans, tuition waivers for CUNY graduate study and generous paid time off.  Our staff also benefits from the extensive academic, arts, and athletic programs on our campuses and the opportunity to participate in a lively, diverse academic community in one of the greatest cities in the world.
 

Applications must be submitted online by accessing the CUNY Portal on City University of New York job website www.cuny.edu/employment or https://cuny.jobs/ and following the CUNYfirst Job System Instructions. To search for this vacancy, click on Search Job Listings, select More Options To Search For CUNY Jobs and enter the Job Opening ID number.

Click on the "Apply Now" button and follow the application instructions. Current users of the site should access their established accounts; new users should follow the instructions to set up an account.

Please have your documents available to attach into the application before you begin. Please note that the required material must be uploaded as ONE document under CV/ Resume (do not upload individual files for a cover letter, references, etc.). The document must be in .doc, .docx, .pdf, .rtf, or text format- and name of file should not exceed ten (10) characters – also DO NOT USE SYMBOLS (such as accents (é, è, (â, î or ô), ñ, ü, ï, –, _ or ç)).

Incomplete applications will not be considered. 

Please include:

• Cover Letter or Statement of scholarly interests
• Curriculum Vitae/ Resume
• Names and contact information of 3 references

Upload all documents as ONE single file-- PDF format preferred.

The committee will begin reviewing complete applications on January 30, 2025. The search will remain open, and screening and review of applications will be ongoing-- until the position is filled. Applications submitted after the deadline will only be considered if the position(s) remain open after initial round.