Director of Cyber and Innovation Programs

Position description

The National Security Institute (NSI) at George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School aims to strengthen American national security and U.S. global leadership by educating future leaders and advancing actionable solutions based on practical experience. NSI is a platform for research, teaching, and policy development that incorporates a realistic assessment of the threats facing the United States and its allies as well as an appreciation of the legal and practical challenges facing U.S. intelligence, defense, law enforcement, homeland security, and cybersecurity communities. NSI’s faculty members and experts bring decades of combined experience tackling national security challenges in all three branches of the U.S. government to their work at NSI.

About the Position:

The Director of Cyber and Innovation Programs is responsible for overseeing NSI’s cyber and innovation programs, including creating and managing a cybersecurity clinic and leading other academic and policy cyber and tech programming critical to NSI’s mission. The cybersecurity clinic will educate and train students from across George Mason University and the Director will be responsible for overseeing GMU faculty to teach the clinic, as well as guest lecturers and mentors to support the clinic.

The Director will also directly manage staff that will support NSI’s cyber and innovation programs, including supporting NSI’s engagement and collaboration with leading private sector, academic, nonprofit, and industry organizations and leaders, as well as leading fundraising efforts to sustain cyber and innovation programming, including the clinic. The Director will also work alongside NSI’s group of national security, foreign policy, and cyber and tech experts.

Responsibilities:

• Oversees NSI’s cyber and innovation programs, including creating and managing a cybersecurity clinic – which will educate and train students from across George Mason University and other academic partners – as well as other academic and policy cyber and tech programming critical to NSI’s mission;
• Works alongside GMU officials to stand up the clinic, recruit and oversee GMU faculty to teach the cybersecurity clinic – as well as guest lecturers and other experts to supplement the clinic classroom experience – and lead and support other NSI cyber and innovation academic programs;
• Identifies and works alongside cyber and tech experts to expand opportunities related to professional development and mentorship for students enrolled in cyber and innovation programs across GMU and partner organizations;
• Oversees the recruitment of GMU students and partner university students for the cybersecurity clinic, as well as identifying and onboarding community client partners to be served by the clinic – including K-12 schools, hospitals, non-profits, and small businesses – across the Washington, DC area, as well as lead marketing, communications, and outreach strategy to increase enrollment and participation in the cybersecurity clinic;
• Directs day-to-day budget, as well as develops and manages all fundraising and development efforts, including donor relations and grant oversight, in order to sustain academic cyber and innovation programs, including the cybersecurity clinic, and build collaborative and successful relationships with individual, family foundation, and corporate donors;
• Supervises and mentors direct reports, evaluating employee performance, and managing any employee issues;
• Works alongside NSI’s group of national security, foreign policy, and cyber and tech experts, and supports NSI in engagement and collaboration with leading private sector, nonprofit, and industry organizations and leaders, to develop cyber and innovation programming; and
• Performs related duties to the position as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in related field;
• Considerable experience related to policy, in particular cybersecurity and technology policy (typically 4+ years);
• Professional experience in cybersecurity and / or national security and/or higher education;
• Experience supervising and mentoring staff;
• Strong relationship builder and communicator with a multitude of stakeholders;
• Excellent organizational skills, with the proven ability to independently juggle multiple tasks and priorities effectively;
• Self-starter, highly motivated and detail-oriented;
• Ability to interact with persons at all levels, including high-level government officials and academics, in a professional manner and in different settings;
• Excellent written and oral communication skills; and
• Superior skills with Microsoft Office suite as well as strong database skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in related field; Juris Doctorate degree preferred;
• Progressive management experience, including managing programs, projects, and staff;
• Previous public policy experience, including engaging in policy advocacy with Congressional or Executive branch officials, or working in Congress, or for the Executive branch; and
• Previous experience managing organizational budgets and supporting fundraising efforts.

 

Application instructions

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