(Senior) Director, Countering Authoritarianism

Freedom House is seeking a Director or Senior Director to lead our multidimensional work on countering authoritarianism. The person in this role will steer cross-organizational work on this topic, serve as an internal and external thought leader, and provide management support and mentorship to a team of dedicated staff. Reporting to the Vice President for Research and Analysis, this position will play a vital role in ensuring that Freedom House programs counter the rise of authoritarianism around the globe. This is a full-time position based in New York, NY, or Washington, DC, with some flexibility for remote work.

Key Responsibilities

• Conceptualize and implement organization- and department-wide strategies and objectives on countering authoritarianism, in collaboration with internal stakeholders.
• Provide strategic direction, leadership, and management of assigned programs and publications, ensuring clear and consistent goals and messaging across workstreams and reports.
• Develop new multidimensional programmatic areas and research products in alignment with the organization’s strategic plan and through collaboration with internal stakeholders.
• Manage a team of researchers, support staff retention through coaching and mentorship, and foster a culture of excellence, collegiality, creativity, and collaboration among the team.
• Mentor staff on program conceptualization, program design, donor engagement, proposal writing, analytical writing, management, and policy research.
• Conduct high-level engagement and outreach on behalf of Freedom House, including with policymakers, subject-matter experts, business leaders, journalists, academic experts, and members of global civil society.
• Author grant proposals, talking points, opinion pieces, policy papers, and other substantive documents as required.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Please note that we do not expect anyone to tick every single box for this position. Also, if you have relevant experience not listed here, please tell us about it in your application.

• Master’s degree in political science, human rights, international law, media, public policy, or related field.
• Superior ability to conceptualize, design, and implement research projects and multidimensional programs that advance a clearly articulated goal and realistic objectives.
• Outstanding English writing and editing skills and experience drafting concise, eloquent, and media-friendly communications of varying lengths, including reports and opinion pieces.
• Superb oral communication skills, including demonstrated experience speaking to and interacting with a diverse set of external stakeholders in policy, business, philanthropy, academia, civil society, and the media.
• Expert knowledge of democracy studies, human rights, foreign policy, transnational repression, authoritarian interference, authoritarian governance, illiberal democracy, and digital repression.
• Excellence and ease in translating complex concepts, findings, and policies into language that is easily comprehensible to nonexperts.
• Demonstrable experience managing staff and ensuring their professional development, including remote and hybrid workers.
• Emotional intelligence needed to facilitate cooperation between people with divergent views and from different cultural backgrounds.
• Effective fundraising skills and experience writing successful proposals to government agencies, foundations, corporations, and other potential donors.
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in a workplace setting.

Additional Information

• Candidates must possess long-term authorization to work in the United States.
• Diversity makes our work stronger. We actively seek a diverse applicant pool and encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply.
• Freedom House provides a strong benefits package, including a 403(b) retirement account, commuter benefits, flexible hours, floating holidays, high employer contributions to medical, dental, and vision premiums, basic and voluntary life and AD&D insurance, short- and long-term disability, flexible spending account, and more.
• The salary for this position starts at $115,000. Final salary calculations are commensurate with experience and based on pay grades that prioritize equity across the organization.
• The hired candidate is expected to start in June 2022. Staff members are currently working remotely or partially remotely due to COVID-19, and Freedom House is continuing to evaluate when and under what circumstances staff will return to the office. This position will start completely or partially remote and may require mandatory relocation to New York, NY, or Washington, DC, once circumstances allow.
• The role may require light domestic and international travel to participate in conferences, briefings, and workshops.

Freedom House is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate in its selection and employment practices. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability, or protected veteran status, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, or other nonmerit factors. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), if you have a disability and would like to request an accommodation to apply for a position with Freedom House, please call 202-227-4308 or email [email protected].

Directions to Apply

Applicants are required to submit a 1- to 2-page resume and a 1-page cover letter that outlines their interest and qualifications for this position. Cover letters should be responsive to the responsibilities and qualifications presented in the job description. Please send application materials as PDF files to [email protected] with the subject heading, “Application: Director or Senior Director, Countering Authoritarianism.”

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and accepted through Sunday, May 29. Only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.