The Manhattan Institute: Deputy Director of Adam Smith Society
The Manhattan Institute seeks exceptional candidates for the position of Deputy Director for its Adam Smith Society (Smith Soc), a national organization for business school students and professionals, akin to the Federalist Society for law students and attorneys. Smith Soc’s mission is to work with MBA students and professionals to promote debate and discussion around the social, moral and economic benefits of capitalism. The Adam Smith Society seeks a candidate who wants to be part of defending and promoting the free enterprise system that has brought humanity to unprecedented levels of prosperity, for the greatest number of people, in history.
In its nine years of operation, Smith Soc has grown to include 34 campus chapters at leading business schools in the U.S. and Israel, as well as nine professional chapters throughout the U.S. and overseas. With more than 10,000 MBA students and professionals in our network, Smith Soc provides the education that so many business students and leaders never get: exposure to Adam Smith, Friedrich Hayek, Milton Friedman and many others.
The Deputy Director will report directly to the Executive Director of the Adam Smith Society and will assist in managing all aspects of the Society. This position will be responsible for ensuring the exceptionally high quality and targeted content for all Smith Soc programming and events. This will include managing Smith Soc’s annual conference and other national events, supervising three direct reports and overseeing the organization’s data integrity. The ideal candidate will have a strong understanding of the philosophical foundation upon which the Adam Smith Society is built.
This position is based at the Manhattan Institute’s main office in midtown Manhattan. Interested candidates who do not currently reside in the New York City region should be willing to relocate immediately. A virtual office option will not be considered.
The Manhattan Institute offers a competitive salary and benefits package including medical, dental, disability, paid vacation and retirement plan match.
Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
Content Management and Curation
- Identify, research and vet all speakers and content associated with Smith Soc programming.
- Ensure that speaker backgrounds and perspectives align with Smith Soc mission.
- Establish and cultivate new relationships with potential speakers including top CEOs, academics, journalists and policy thinkers to expand Smith Soc speakers’ bureau.
- Maintain, grow and keep current Smith Soc speakers’ bureau list.
Management
- Manage a team of three direct reports across programming, operations, events and marketing.
- Support program team in motivating Smith Soc chapter leaders to help achieve organizational goals and drive conversions from student to professional members.
- Develop relationships and interact with student and professional members to better serve and cultivate membership.
- Directly manage a limited portfolio of Smith Soc student and/or professional chapters.
- Ability to facilitate and moderate conversations in small membership event settings.
- Assist Executive Director in coordination and management of internal relationships across Manhattan Institute departments that support Smith Soc programming and operations.
- Lead the team’s technology implementation to manage programming and membership data.
Programming
- Provide direct oversight of program team that manages all student chapters, producing more than 200 events per year.
- Take leadership roles in conception and execution of national events including national conferences, treks and trainings.
- Conceptualize and curate unique member experiences.
Strategy Development
- Assist Executive Director in developing strategy and growth plans for Smith Soc.
Qualifications
The successful candidate may come from a variety of backgrounds including private industry, government or public affairs, Capitol Hill, think tanks or academia, and should possess these attributes:
- 5-8 years of work experience, including some management experience.
- Relevant graduate degree (Master’s, MBA, PhD) or demonstrated experience in working with issues relevant to the Smith Soc mission.
- Content knowledge and mission-driven: The Deputy Director must not only have a passion for the mission but must also have – formally or otherwise – a strong grasp of the underlying philosophical foundations of free enterprise. The successful candidate needs to understand what Smith and other seminal thinkers, as well as contemporaries, have said and be able to conceptualize and curate programming around these concepts in line with the Smith Soc mission. The successful candidate will have a strong grasp of the issues and ability to assess appropriate speaker fits for our programming and messaging.
- Entrepreneurial and creative: Candidate must take an entrepreneurial approach to the position and organization, employing a creative approach to conceive effective programming and pursue organizational strategy.
- Goal-oriented: Candidate must be driven to achieve organizational objectives including chapter development, programming and membership.
- Teamwork and leadership: Candidate must manage and motivate the program team, as well as work across organizational departments to effectively execute Smith Soc mission and programming.
- Highly organized: Candidate must be able to effectively manage time in order to juggle multiple responsibilities.
- Willingness to travel: Some travel for chapter and national events required, an estimated 2-3 trips quarterly.
- Experience with running events preferred, but not required.
- Technology savvy, experience with content management systems (CMS), or willingness to be trained.
Application Requirements
Qualified candidates should submit the following application materials in one PDF document:
- Resume
- Cover letter clearly articulating your intellectual interest in the Smith Soc mission, how your background fits with the responsibilities of the role, a brief overview of your management experience, and your salary requirements
- Three references, including name, email and phone
Applications should be submitted to Talent Market via this link: https://talentmarket.org/candidates/apply-for-your-dream-job/
Questions can be directed to Katelynn Barbosa, Talent Engagement Manager at Talent Market, who is assisting with the search: katelynn@talentmarket.org.
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 free consulting and recruiting services to free-market think tanks, policy organizations, research centers, and capacity-building institutions dedicated to advancing the principles of limited government and free enterprise.
About the program:
The Adam Smith Society at the Manhattan Institute is an expansive, chapter-based network of MBA students, professionals, and business leaders who work to promote debate and discussion about the moral, social, and economic benefits of capitalism. The Society works to provide a venue where this discussion of foundational ideas can be explored and applied to the current economic environment. We believe that MBA students and business professionals should acquire more than just expertise in areas such as management, marketing, and quantitative analysis—as important as these skills are. They should also come to understand—and be able to defend—the nature of the economic system that fosters job creation, wealth generation, the alleviation of poverty globally, and scientific innovation.
Learn more about the Adam Smith Society >>
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