Executive Director for The Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity

Department:

The Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity (CBHD)

Position Summary:

This is so much more than a job. It is a chance to make a difference in our world. The opportunity at CBHD will be irresistible for a person who:

• Seeks to help realign our culture’s moral compass

• Advocates for those who are defenseless, marginalized, or voiceless

• Sees the dignity and value of human life as God-given and wonderful to cherish

• Believes in the strategic importance of equipping others to make a difference

• Wants to spend the next stage of his or her life making an impact on future generations

The Executive Director is responsible for the broad oversight of CBHD including overall vision, planning, direction, and financial viability. This will include communication of the core message and building external partnerships–all in concert with strategic goals, objectives, and values.

The Executive Director is the primary spokesperson for CBHD. The Executive Director is responsible for providing the strategic direction for the work of the Center and building relationships with a strong core of CBHD Fellows to publish, speak, and engage.  He or she will provide leadership for cultivating ongoing relationships with existing and potential donors.

Essential Job Functions: 

1. Set, assess, and sustain the overall vision and goals, including oversight of the strategic planning process.  This vision would build upon a growing commitment to rigorous and innovative research. 

2. Recommend appropriate allocation of budgetary resources to achieve the mission and goals of the Center.  Administer and control the established annual budgets.

3. Build strong collaborative relationships with the CBHD Fellows to ensure that the center remains a prominent source of thought leadership on emerging issues of bioethics and human dignity. 

4. Bring Christian perspectives to bear on emerging challenges in bioethics. CBHD requires an expanding research capacity to meet this challenge at the highest academic level, as well as broadening channels to communicate the fruits of that research effectively through many venues. Straightforward Christian analyses are important, along with strategies for communicating them in today’s pluralistic world.

5. Foster collaborative relationships with individuals and organizations.  The successful candidate must be able to develop relationships at all levels. He or she should enjoy meeting people in both professional and social settings. Building relationships with a broad range of people (healthcare, media, and other professionals; students; donors; board members; leaders in the Christian world; secular leaders; etc.)

6. Work directly with the Trinity Advancement Office, especially the Director of Development for Bioethics, to develop and execute a strategy to support the ongoing and growing work of the Center.

7. Oversee Center projects and initiatives to ensure careful research, reasoned perspectives/positions, and effective education.

8. Communicate the Center’s core message via a heightened visibility in the media, non-Center publications, and other venues.  The Executive Director of CBHD is responsible for ensuring all publications, press releases, and other media are consistent with, and not contrary to, Judeo-Christian Hippocratism.  He or she should have the ability to communicate a vision for the future of the Center with sincerity and candor, and to communicate with articulate passion that motivates and equips listeners.

9. Research and write to serve the Center’s educational objectives.

10. Represent the Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity at meetings of professional associations, learned societies, educational institutions, consultations, and various public events as may seem advisable.

11. Perform other duties as may be necessary.

Depending on the candidate’s interests and qualifications, it is possible that the Executive Director could have some involvement in teaching (at Trinity International University or elsewhere), medical practice, or other professional activities related to the work of bioethics.

Qualifications: 

The candidate preferably would have an earned doctorate or terminal degree coupled with significant leadership experience. A deep commitment to–and significant experience working from–a biblical-Christian worldview is essential. A strong candidate would have a demonstrated passion for the life and dignity of all human beings, along with an enthusiasm for the mission, vision, and values of CBHD and Trinity International University.

The Executive Director of CBHD should be a person of unquestioned integrity in personal and spiritual matters; possess strong relational and communicative abilities; demonstrate effective administrative and leadership abilities; give evidence of an unreserved commitment to the TIU Statement of Faith; be able to articulate and apply biblical principles; be at ease with people from diverse theological and denominational backgrounds; and possess personal warmth and integrity that invites and maintains trust.  The candidate should possess and articulate a contagious vision for thought leadership on bioethical issues we face in a post-modern globalizing culture.

Working Relationships:

The Executive Director of CBHD is appointed by and reports to the Executive Vice President of Trinity International University.  The CBHD Fellows are appointed by and serve at the will of the Executive Director, subject to the approval of the Executive Vice President.  The Executive Director supervises the Managing Director / Research Scholar who oversees the staff and day-to-day operations of CBHD.  The Executive Director of CBHD will work closely with the Director of Bioethics Programs and the Trinity Graduate School to ensure a comprehensive and cohesive strategy for “Bioethics at Trinity”.