Director of Programs and Innovation

This position has been deemed critical by the School of Humanities and Sciences Dean’s Office and is exempt from the hiring freeze.Work Arrangement: Hybrid work schedule (at least 3 days per week on-site). May require working flexible hours, including occasional nights and weekends.Budgeted Salary: The budgeted base salary range for this position is $135,000 to $150,000 per annum.The School of Humanities and Sciences (H&S) is the foundation of a liberal arts education at Stanford. The school encompasses 24 departments and 25 interdisciplinary programs. H&S is home to fundamental and applied research, where free, open, and critical inquiry is pursued across disciplines. As the university’s largest school, H&S serves as the foundation of a Stanford undergraduate education no matter which discipline students pursue as a major. Graduate students work alongside world-renowned faculty to pursue and shape foundational research that leads to breakthroughs and discoveries that shed new light on the past, influence the present, and shape the future. Together, faculty and students in H&S engage in inspirational teaching, learning, and research every day.Department/Program Description:The Stanford Institute for Research in the Social Sciences (IRiSS) facilitates cutting-edge interdisciplinary collaborations, helps to train the next generation of social science scholars, and incubates medium- to long-term research initiatives addressing critical social challenges. We support social science research at Stanford by expanding access to untapped sources of and powerful computing tools and promoting innovation in both quantitative and qualitative research methods. In this dynamics and exciting time for the social sciences, IRiSS helps Stanford faculty and graduate students produce groundbreaking findings that continue to advance the frontiers of our knowledge of the social world.Brief Position Summary:IRiSS seeks a Director of Programs and Innovation to oversee the planning, implementation, management, and evaluation of our existing portfolio of programs, as well as to develop new initiatives. Current programs include:IRiSS Predoctoral Researchers Program.IRiSS Research Centers and Initiatives: the Center for Affective Science, the Center for American Democracy, and the Center for Global Ethnography, the Stanford Institute for Excellence in Survey Research.A partnership with faculty at Mission and Foothill Colleges, providing research experience to local community college students.We expect the Director to contribute meaningfully toward the development of new initiatives, including on artificial intelligence in the social sciences, evidence-based policymaking in California, and possibly others.The position reports to the IRiSS Executive Director. A strong on-campus presence is essential to foster community, visibility, and direct engagement with faculty, graduate and undergraduate students, post-baccalaureate researchers, and other stakeholders in IRiSS.This is a 100% FTE, two-year fixed-term, exempt position, based on Stanford’s main campus.Preferred Qualifications:Additional highly preferred qualifications for this position include:Experience conducting original social science research.Advanced training in quantitative methods, computational techniques, and/or working with secure datasets.Experience designing and teaching courses in the social sciences.Experience managing academic programs or research support services, including evidence-based program evaluation.Familiarity with the current landscape of AI as it is being integrated into social science research.Experience communicating research findings to non-specialist audiences, especially policymakers.Core Duties:Develop and manage research programs by conducting research activities, including outreach to varied stakeholders within the program, assigning resources and making program improvement recommendations that impact policies and programs.Identify, recommend and implement opportunities for new research.Source, collect and analyze data, create reports, review and explain trends; formulate and evaluate alternative solutions and/or recommendations to achieve the goals of the program or function.Teach and/or assist in the teaching and administration of courses. Develop curriculum. Develop curriculum-rating survey, detailed feedback on courses and make recommendations for preliminary overview and changes.Write and/or edit complex content for proposals, research grants, peer-reviewed publications, and other program activities.Contribute to and inform on strategic program/entity planning and related funding and financial sustainability.May advise students and/or coach/mentor clients.Develop or contribute to outreach strategy related to program communications, development, partnerships, and fundraising/funding.Coach and mentor program staff.Minimum Educationand ExperienceBachelor’s degree and three years of relevant experience or combination of education, training, and relevant experience. Advanced degree may be required for some programs. For jobs with financial responsibilities, experience managing a budget and developing financial plans.Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:Ability to develop program partnerships and funding sources.Excellent oral, written, and analytical skills, exhibiting fluency in area of specialization.Ability to oversee and direct staff.Basic knowledge of managing budgets and developing financial plans.Certificates and Licenses RequiredFor teaching jobs, advanced degree or certification may be required for some programs.Full timePosting Date: 2026-07-24