Associate Director, Seminars Programs

ABOUT US

The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization whose purpose is to ignite human potential to build understanding and create new possibilities for a better world. Founded in 1949, the Institute drives change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve society’s greatest challenges. It is headquartered in Washington, DC, and has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, as well as an international network of partners.

ASPEN LEADERSHIP SEMINARS

Aspen Leadership Seminars (Seminars) sits at the heart of The Aspen Institute’s founding mission: to foster values-based leadership that inspires individuals to think more deeply, act more courageously, and serve more selflessly. Since 1950, the Seminars have brought together leaders from every sector and region of the world to explore the moral and ethical dimensions of leadership through moderated text-based dialogue. Guided by the belief that the greatest challenges facing society are moral, not technical, these seminars create space for leaders to reflect on the values that guide their choices and shape their organizations.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Associate Director, Seminars Programs, plays a central role in advancing the distinctive seminar experience at the heart of Aspen Leadership Seminars. With approximately 60+ seminars delivered annually across Programs for Individuals, Programs for Organizations, Emerging Young Leaders program, and Intra-Aspen Programs, the role has two complementary dimensions:

• within Aspen Leadership Seminars, stewarding the intellectual and programmatic work of the portfolio, supporting the moderators and curriculum designers who bring seminars to life, and helping develop new curricula, offerings, and capabilities for continued excellence and growth; and

• across the Center for Leadership, serving as a dedicated point of expertise, learning, and innovation in the Seminars department distinctive seminar methodology, sharing insights from seminars while drawing on the knowledge and practices of the broader Center.

Reporting to the Executive Director of Aspen Leadership Seminars, the Associate Director will work in close partnership with the Executive Director and the Center for Leadership's Executive Director, Curriculum and Moderators. The role will develop deep knowledge of the Seminars portfolio, moderator corps, and intellectual resources, assuming increasing responsibility for programmatic leadership, curriculum design, moderator development, and strategic portfolio growth. Working across teams and through influence, the Associate Director will help ensure that Seminars continues to deliver exceptional experiences while contributing its distinctive expertise to the Center's broader leadership work.

The salary range for this position is $112,500 - $125,000. In accordance with our Reimagining Work policy, the Associate Director should be willing to be in-person with colleagues a minimum of 40% of the time while having the flexibility to work remotely for the balance.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

Seminar Experience and Curriculum Design

• Oversee the seminar experience and curriculum design of assigned Aspen Leadership Seminars engagements, translating established program and partner objectives into clear curriculum, moderator assignments, and learning experience requirements.

• Partner closely with the Design & Delivery team to coordinate programmatic and operational workstreams, anticipate dependencies, and ensure seminar readiness.

• Guide curriculum designers, moderators, and consultants through the seminar design and delivery process, providing substantive input, reviewing materials, and ensuring alignment with the intended seminar experience.

• Support moderator preparation and seminar delivery, providing curriculum guidance, resources, and on-the-ground support as needed.

Portfolio Development & Management

• Identify opportunities to expand and diversify Seminars' offerings, assessing portfolio gaps, emerging leadership challenges, and opportunities to reach new audiences.

• Partner with Marketing and Business Development on program planning, combining audience demand, market opportunities, and existing capabilities to recommend offerings, formats, locations, and an appropriate annual cadence.

• Lead the programmatic development of new and returning offerings, working with moderators, curriculum designers, and internal partners to develop or adapt curricula and prepare programs for launch.

• Maintain a programmatic view across all seminars, tracking curriculum needs, moderator assignments, seminar readiness, and opportunities for improvement.

• Assess the health of Seminars' programmatic work and surface portfolio insights to Seminars and Center leadership to inform broader planning, development priorities, and resource decisions.

Seminars Moderator Capacity & Development

• Assess moderator capacity and capability needs, identifying gaps between the current moderator bench and the evolving demands of the portfolio.

• Serve as a consistent resource for moderators, building strong relationships and providing guidance, feedback, and support throughout their work with Seminars.

• Partner with Seminars and Center leadership on individual moderator development plans, helping identify priorities, opportunities, and pathways for continued growth.

• Participate in the Center's moderator development process, including biannual development opportunities and regular feedback using the Center-approved moderator rubric.

• Develop Seminars-specific continuing education opportunities, drawing on portfolio needs, seminar observations, and moderator feedback to deepen the craft of moderation.

Integration & Coordination

• Serve as a dedicated point of expertise in Aspen's seminar methodology, developing deep knowledge of its intellectual foundations, design practices, and application across audiences and engagements.

• Contribute Seminars' learning and innovations to the Center, sharing curriculum approaches, workshop methodologies, moderator resources, and insights from seminar delivery to inform Center-wide knowledge and practice.

• Bring Center-wide learning into Seminars, identifying relevant insights, resources, and practices from other programs that can enrich seminar design and moderator development.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO THRIVE

• 7+ years of progressively responsible experience in curriculum or program design, experiential learning, humanities-based programming, leadership development, or a related field.

• Demonstrated experience in curriculum or program design, with the ability to translate complex ideas and objectives into compelling learning experiences.

• Experience leading cross-functional work involving multiple stakeholders and competing priorities.

• Deep intellectual curiosity and engagement with ideas, with demonstrated ability to work thoughtfully across classical and contemporary texts, disciplines, and perspectives.

• Experience developing others through coaching, feedback, facilitation, mentorship, or related work.

• Demonstrated success building in ambiguity, creating new programs, curricula, or approaches where the path was not already defined.

• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.

• Ability and willingness to travel regularly to observe seminars, engage with moderators, and support program delivery.

Preferred

• Terminal degree in the humanities or a humanities-adjacent field strongly preferred.

• Experience designing dialogue-based, reflective, or experiential learning for adults and leaders.

• Experience developing facilitators, faculty, moderators, or other learning practitioners.

• Experience stewarding and evolving curriculum libraries, intellectual resources, or bodies of educational content.

• Familiarity with the leadership-development field; direct corporate leadership-development experience is welcome but not required.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The Aspen Institute offers a generous benefits package including health, dental, vision, and prescription benefits, retirement benefits, and paid leave.

The Aspen Institute is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all District and federal laws. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or protected veteran or disabled status and will not be discriminated against.

The Aspen Institute welcomes individuals with disabilities to participate in its programs, including the interview process. If you would like to request accommodations or have questions about accessibility, please email hrsupport@aspeninstitute.org or call 202-736-2127 in advance of your visit. Requests for ASL or CART services should be made at least two weeks in advance when possible. We will make every effort to fulfill requests, subject to availability.