Manager, Programs & Impact

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.

ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT PROGRAM

The Aspen Institute Energy and Environment Program (EEP) explores significant challenges with diverse thinkers and doers to make a more prosperous, equitable, and sustainable society for all. We address critical energy, environmental, and climate change issues through non-partisan, non-ideological convening, with the specific intent of bringing together diverse stakeholders to improve the process and progress of policy-level dialogue. This enables EEP to sit at a critical intersection in the conversation and bring together diverse groups of expert stakeholders. In addition to energy and environmental policy, which the program has been addressing for several decades, EEP is now actively and purposefully engaging in climate change policy – mitigating the effects of climate change, adapting to the inevitable impacts of climate change, and the international cooperation needed to achieve these goals.

ABOUT THIS ROLE

The Manager, Programs & Impact is a core member of the Programs & Impact team responsible for leading the substance of projects across the portfolio. The Manager designs substantive programming and leads agenda development, oversees and manages relationships with stakeholders, contributes to fundraising, and drives long term programmatic impact. The Manager will balance multiple projects with varying timelines, deliver high quality outcomes, and serve as a trusted partner and content resource to senior staff and external collaborators.

The salary range for this position is $90,000 - $100,000. This position reports directly to the Director, Programs & Impact. Consistent with our Reimagining Work policy the Manager is expected to be in-person with colleagues a minimum of 40 percent of the time with flexibility to work remotely for the balance. In person includes meaningful collaboration in the office, travel to other Aspen sites, convenings or external meetings.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

Partnerships and external engagement

• Relationships and partnerships - Develop and manage relationships with partners, discussants, funders, and prospective funders for assigned bodies of work in coordination with the Director and relevant relationship owners. Represent the program with senior stakeholders within agreed priorities and delegated authority, and communicate EEP’s goals, work, and impact clearly.
• Fundraising and donor stewardship - Partner with development colleagues to identify and advance funding opportunities for assigned bodies of work. Contribute substantive proposal content, participate in cultivation conversations, support stewardship, and coordinate delivery of program commitments, updates, reports, and agreed engagement opportunities.
• Prospect research and engagement pipelines - Assess the partner and funder landscape and prioritize opportunities with the Director and development colleagues. Define proposed program scope, outcomes, deliverables, and resource requirements, ensuring commitments align with program priorities and team capacity.

Program content design and impact

• Issue framing and program design - Lead development and delivery of assigned forums, convenings, and public events within the Director’s strategic direction. Translate objectives into substantive agendas, discussion questions, participant strategies, and written products. Apply content expertise to identify trends, gaps, and new concepts, and bring recommendations to the Director for prioritization.
• Horizon Scanning and Issue Mapping - Conduct and oversee research and analysis for assigned bodies of work, assessing emerging policy, market, and technology developments and guiding staff contributions for accuracy, relevance, and a range of perspectives. Engage stakeholders to test findings and partner with program leadership and senior fellows to translate insights into project strategy.
• Diverse perspectives and productive dialogue - Ensure varied perspectives shape project design, research, and participant selection. Structure discussions for productive disagreement and guide exchanges toward useful questions and practical next steps.
• Follow through and pathways to impact - Manage the pathway from convening outputs to action by documenting proposed solutions, identifying responsible parties, establishing next steps, and advancing approved workstreams and partnerships. Recommend which opportunities warrant further development, resources, partnership, or handoff to another organization.
• Learning and assessment - Establish practical measures of progress and outcomes, oversee feedback collection, and adjust plans based on evidence. Communicate risks, lessons, course corrections, and decisions needed to the Director, and improve practices that strengthen coordination, accountability, and learning.
• Written products and communications - Lead written products from concept through completion, including reports, proposals, briefings, and external communications. Delegate research and drafting to the Program Associate and production support to the Coordinator, while retaining responsibility for quality, consistency, and timely completion. Tailor products to the audience and deliver work requiring minimal substantive editing.

Program delivery and team leadership

• Project planning and delivery - Partner with the Director to translate strategy into coordinated work plans across Aspen Ideas, Policy Forums, and other initiatives. Manage day-to-day implementation across the Solutions & Impact portfolio, aligning content, stakeholder engagement, communications, delivery, and follow up. Establish objectives, timelines, roles, deliverables, and accountability; monitor dependencies and staffing needs; resolve competing demands; and elevate decisions requiring the Director’s input.
• Convening operations and participant experience - Serve as the programmatic lead on site for assigned convenings. Align content and stakeholder needs with operations and production teams, resolve delivery issues, and ensure a well-organized, inclusive participant experience.
• Resources and financial stewardship - Manage assigned project budgets and resource needs with operations and finance colleagues. Monitor capacity, flag potential overruns and sustainability concerns, and recommend adjustments so program commitments remain achievable.
• Staff development and inclusive team practices - Support professional growth and provide day-to-day guidance to the Associate and Coordinator, setting expectations, assigning work appropriate to each role, reviewing deliverables, and providing regular feedback and professional development. Coordinate assignments and priorities with senior colleagues and support an inclusive, collaborative team culture.
• Internal coordination and communication - Align responsibilities across EEP, operations, development, communications, and other Institute colleagues. Establish consistent project management practices, communicate decisions and tradeoffs, and provide the Director with timely updates on progress, risks, capacity, and decisions needed.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO THRIVE

• Minimum 5 + years of relevant experience.
• Broad knowledge and conceptual understanding of relevant content or functional areas, with the ability to learn quickly and communicate effectively across a wide range of policy topics.
• Excellent project and portfolio management skills, including the ability to oversee multiple complex bodies of work and ensure high-quality execution.
• Strong ability to connect individual projects and initiatives to broader program strategy and identify opportunities to increase impact.
• Originality and creativity in applying information and knowledge to complex programmatic challenges.
• Excellent writing, communication, presentation, interpersonal, and relationship-building skills, with credibility among senior internal and external audiences.
• Strong commitment to creating an environment in which diverse perspectives can contribute meaningfully.
• High degree of accountability, initiative, adaptability, and resilience, with the ability to anticipate challenges and develop solutions.
• Willingness and ability to travel, including occasional international travel.
• A "Yes, and" attitude.

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.

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