Program Director

 New York, NY              ·              Full time

Director, Dana Frontiers Program

The Opportunity:

The Dana Foundation seeks a Director for its emergent Frontiers Program. This role offers the opportunity to advance key strategic initiatives and partnerships as a program lead, at a unique nonprofit focused on neuroscience and society. The position reports to the Foundation’s Vice President of Neuroscience & Society, and is an exciting chance to advance the mission of the Dana Foundation, during a new chapter in its history.

This role is full-time and based in the Foundation’s New York City office. The Foundation maintains a hybrid work schedule, with 3 days per week in the office.

The Organization:

The Dana Foundation is a private philanthropic, grantmaking organization dedicated to advancing neuroscience that benefits society and reflects the aspirations of all people. It explores the connections between neuroscience and society’s challenges and opportunities, working to maximize the potential of the field to do good.

The Foundation pursues its mission through grants and partnerships. These include funding grant initiatives under the Neuroscience & Society focus, including Brain Awareness Week, an annual global education initiative, and organizational partnerships nationally and internationally, to amplify work in the neuroscience and society space. Learn more about the Dana Foundation at www.dana.org.

The Program:

The Dana Frontiers program aims to strengthen neuroscience’s positive role in the world by increasing engagement with diverse communities to deepen trust and inform decision-making. Ultimately, the program seeks to establish unprecedented programs that will bridge existing, disparate communities and efforts toward building new, impactful models of public engagement with neuroscience. Tactics for the Frontiers Program include both grantmaking that advances the mission, and developing and managing program-related efforts, as appropriate.

Of note, Dana Frontiers’ programmatic objectives, below, are novel and aspirational. Therefore, the Frontiers Director role will require vision, innovation, creativity, and diplomacy, balanced with skillful team-based collaboration, socioemotional intelligence, and openness to feedback and learning.

Program objectives include:

• Develop a new cadre of leaders – especially “boundary spanners” – who champion effective models for multidirectional engagement on neuroscience and society issues
• Cultivate trust between communities of people, such as patients, researchers, and professionals
• Foster the creation of complementary goals between scientific, professional, and public communities
• Advance models for multidirectional engagement that embed community perspectives in neuroscience research, policies, and decision-making

The Role:

The PD will lead the Frontiers Program, and will supervise a dedicated Fellow who supports the program’s work and execution.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Partner with the Vice President and other Foundation staff to co-create, refine and implement near- and long-term strategic goals for the Dana Frontiers program.
• Research and maintain a current understanding of the trends, needs, and gaps in neuroscience and society, particularly in areas such as public engagement with science, patient engagement in biomedicine, science and technology studies, history of science, neuroethics, and neuroscience policy.
• Envision, develop, execute, and manage grant opportunities for the Dana Frontiers program, in collaboration with the Vice President and other Foundation programmatic staff; monitor and plan budget in parallel.
• Ensure due diligence, identification of deliverables, and monitoring of active grant projects is conducted.
• Evaluate programmatic outcomes, impact, and success using qualitative and quantitative measures, as part of the Foundation’s overall grantmaking evaluation process.
• Foster and steward a community of practice for the program, based in a network of strong relationships across stakeholders; develop effective and varied ways to engage stakeholders and thought leaders.
• Contribute to a work culture that values excellence, commitment, collaboration, integrity, continuous improvement, diversity, and inclusion.
• Represent the Foundation within the neuroscience and funding community, and at scientific conferences.

Required education and experience:

• Ph.D. in life sciences, neuroscience, psychology, science and technology studies OR

J.D.,M.S., or M.P.H. with strong experience working in science or societal aspects of science (such as ethics, equity, or scientific integrity.).

• Strong appreciation of and passion for how science (ideally, neuroscience) reflects and informs societal issues.
• Strong experience in strategic programming, management, and evaluation at an academic institution, non-profit organization, other funding organization, or mission-driven organization.
• Demonstrated experience in public engagement with science initiatives, ideally in neuroscience.
• Ability to effectively develop and maintain a variety of productive relationships across different working groups.
• Proven ability to simultaneously manage multiple priorities with excellent organizational skills.
• Data-driven program    development    and    evaluation, including measuring programmatic outcomes, impact, and success using qualitative and quantitative measures.

Desired skills and characteristics:

• Self-motivated
• Highly accountable
• Entrepreneurial (a “possibility architect”)
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Exceptional relationship management skills
• Team player mentality
• Highly diplomatic
• Strong project management, and excellent organizational skills
• Integrity with a clear sense of ethics, fairness, and personal responsibility
• Commitment to upholding the Dana Foundation’s values, including diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Flexible and comfortable with shifting expectations (as is common in new programs), including the ability to productively navigate ambiguity

Application process:

Foundation Advisors, LLC has been retained to conduct the search for the Frontiers Program Director at the Dana Foundation. Brooke Rosenzweig, PhD, is leading this search.

To apply, interested candidates should email a brief cover letter (of no more than one page), and résumé to brooke@foundationadv.com

Compensation and Benefits:

This position offers a salary range of $148,000 – $155,000 per year. Salary will be commensurate with experience. The Dana Foundations offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes:

• Group Medical, Dental, Vision and Life Insurance, with premiums paid by the Foundation
• Direct medical and gym reimbursement plans
• Short- and long-term disability, and Paid Family Leave
• Section 401(a) retirement plan: Non-contributory contribution of 15% of compensation up to the IRS statutory limit
• Section 403(b) savings plan: Voluntary plan
• Employee Assistance Program
• Education Assistance Program
• Professional Development Support
• Matching Gift Program
• Vacation and Holiday Leave: All employees are entitled to 20 vacation days, other than those hired during a calendar year who are entitled to one day vacation per each full month of work. Employees are also entitled to three personal days and 12 paid holidays.

The Dana Foundation is committed to inclusive hiring and diversity in its work and workplace culture. The Foundation provides equal opportunities to all applicants for employment and employees without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, neurodiversity, disability, or veteran status, in addition to all protected categories under federal, state, and local law. The Dana Foundation strongly encourages candidates of all identities, experiences, orientations, and communities to apply.