The Executive Director of the Davenport Institute for Public Engagement and Civic Leadership leads a uniquely positioned, university-based institute at the forefront of a movement to engage the full diversity of residents in solving local government challenges. With the support of the Pepperdine School of Public Policy and an advisory council composed largely of local government practitioners, the executive director will lead the Institute’s mission to help build stronger communities by promoting public participation in local governance.

Importantly, the Executive Director serves both “inward” and “outward-facing” roles, engaging with local government practitioners and also preparing SPP students who seek careers in municipal leadership. This student-facing role also includes teaching and mentoring students. The Davenport Institute sits at the foundation of our “State & Local Government Policy” curricular track—an important career path sought by our MPP students.

This hire occurs at a time when the School of Public Policy is considering the addition of a local government-focused degree program. While the specifics of what the target market (early or mid-career) has yet to be decided upon, given the local government expertise expected of this executive director position, this role will have considerable influence in shaping the possible degree program.

Duties

• Administration, Vision, and Oversight
  • Oversee all Institute activities, ensuring the integrity and consistency of the Institute's vision and brand throughout staff and partner activities.
  • Manage Davenport Institute endowment and professional education budget.
  • Supervise Davenport Institute employees and graduate assistants, as well as any consultants or partners.
  • Lead Davenport Institute Advisory Council, which will meet at a minimum once/year in person and once/year virtually.
  • Supervise the assistant director in developing and maintaining the Institute's website, social media, and monthly newsletter.
  • Implement the Institute's strategic plan as approved by the advisory council, including facilitating regular reviews and updates to the strategic plan as necessary.
  • Grant-writing and management, fundraising, and other nonprofit resource development.
  • Build strategic partnerships to stretch resources for greater impact.
• Teaching and Program Development
  • Partner with the assistant director to design, develop, and evaluate the institute’s training programs, ensuring alignment with its mission and consistency in delivery for municipal and civic leaders and staff.
  • Expand the professional certificate training program and develop new public engagement offerings across multiple formats, including virtual, in-person, short sessions, half-day, full-day, and certificate-level trainings.
  • Oversee the assistant director in facilitating ongoing networking and learning opportunities for alumni of Davenport Institute certificate programs.
  • Deliver train-the-trainer workshops to onboard new trainers and coordinate co-training opportunities with experienced facilitators.
  • Support the assistant director in identifying training opportunities and connecting approved institute trainers to those engagements.
  • Serve as a non-tenure track faculty member with a 2/1 teaching load, delivering public engagement, state and local government courses in the MPP curriculum.
  • Collaborate with the dean, Davenport Institute advisory council, and relevant Pepperdine staff to explore the development of a new degree program and provide guidance on faculty needs within the local government track
• School of Public Policy (SPP) Support
  • While this is not an academic appointment, the Executive Director will be working in an academic environment and interacting on a daily basis with faculty, students, and university staff.
  • Oversee SPP's ICMA Student Chapter and the related Annual City Manager and Mayor in Residence programs.
  • Serve as liaison between SPP students, career services, and the local government for the purpose of providing opportunities for professional development as well as internship and job leads for SPP students and alumni.
  • Help identify potential course offerings and adjunct faculty for relevant SPP course offerings.
  • As relevant to the Davenport Institute's network, support SPP's recruitment and retention efforts.
  • Partner with the assistant director to coordinate speakers for SPP's Davenport Discussions series each semester.
  • Work with SPP administration, faculty, and events staff to host occasional conferences and events with a local government focus.
• Perform Other Duties as Assigned. The Executive Director is expected to be innovative and creative in identifying new opportunities to promote the Davenport Institute's Mission and Vision.
• Uphold University mission through work performed.

The above information has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job.

Skills and Qualifications

Required:

• Master’s degree in a related field.
• 1-3 years of experience in the field of public engagement, either as an academic, practitioner, or public official; or 1-2 years of public sector training experience; or 3-5 years of nonprofit, municipal, or academic management.
• Strong financial management, administrative experience, and staff development.
• Experience working with diverse stakeholder groups.
• Background in academics with some teaching experience.
• Experience creating and delivering public sector training programs.
• Experience supporting policy and/or advisory boards.
• Demonstrated track record of emotional intelligence, cultural awareness, and strong people skills.
• Strong oral communication, including public speaking, and written communication, including professional and academic journals, blogs, and other publications.
• Understanding and familiarity with "leadership through networks.”
• Familiarity with Zoom Conference and Google Meet.
• Computer: Microsoft Office, Excel, Word, and PowerPoint. Google Suite of products.

Preferred:

• PhD in a related field.
• 3-5 years of experience in the field of public engagement, along with 2-3 years of public-sector training experience (both the delivery and creation of training programs).
• 2-3 years of teaching at a graduate level and 2-3 years of nonprofit, municipal, or academic senior.
• Experience working effectively and creatively with new media (including new media and social media) and new technology platforms.
• Experience teaching state and local policy at the graduate level.
• Group workshop design, small and large group facilitation, and cross-sector collaboration.
• Direct experience working within or with local governments.
• Experience and name recognition in California is a plus.
• Experience with Learning Management Systems (LMS) such as Canvas, Blackboard, or other open-source systems.
• Experience with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems is a plus.

This is a Regular, Exempt, 40 hour per week position.

Expected Pay Range: $115,000 - $130,000 per year 

The above pay range reflects what Pepperdine University reasonably expects to pay for this position at time of posting. Actual compensation may vary based on relevant factors such as work experience, market conditions, education/training, and skill level. In addition to base pay, Pepperdine offers a robust and highly competitive benefits package.

Pepperdine is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of any status or condition protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Qualified individuals should be able to show respect for workplace differences, and have the ability to work effectively with individuals from different backgrounds.

Offers of employment are contingent upon successful completion of a criminal, education, and employment screening. The University conducts such screenings in compliance with applicable laws and with the objectives of evaluating risk and supporting a safe environment for students, faculty, staff, and guests; safeguarding key University assets including people, property, information, and the University’s reputation; and providing comprehensive job-related information to University leaders to enable them to make prudent hiring decisions. Individuals will be required to disclose any criminal convictions on a designated form after receiving a conditional offer of employment; failure to disclose accurate information may result in withdrawal of the offer or termination of employment. Qualified individuals with criminal histories will be considered for employment in compliance with applicable laws, including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance.