We are pleased to announce that this position has been filled. Thank you for your interest in CGD.
The Center for Global Development (CGD) is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit ,“think and do” tank engaged in research and analysis on a wide range of topics related to how the policies and actions of the rich and powerful affect poor people in the developing world. Drawing on their research in areas such as aid effectiveness, climate change, education, globalization, health, migration, and trade, the Center actively engages with thought leaders, policymakers, and others to move ideas into action.
The CGD organizes work that is related to proposals for specific, practical policy improvements into initiatives such as Development Impact Bonds, Cash-on-Delivery Aid, Preemptive Contract Sanctions, Oil to Cash, and More Health for the Money. The Center’s Commitment to Development Index annually ranks more than two dozen high-income countries on the seven main policy areas that influence development outcomes: aid, trade, investment, migration, environment, security, and technology. Much of the Center’s work on these and other issues is conducted by working groups of experts convened across disciplines, regions, and ideologies who come together to find solutions to difficult policy challenges.
CGD was founded in November 2001 by Edward Scott Jr., a technology entrepreneur, philanthropist, and former senior US government official; Fred Bergsten, the director of the Peterson Institute for International Economics; and Nancy Birdsall, a former head of the World Bank research department and executive vice president of the Inter-American Development Bank. Nancy became the Center’s first president and established the organization as one of the most recognizable and influential think-tanks in international development. Her intellectual leadership and emphasis on producing academically rigorous, evidence-led research that can be channelled into practical policy proposals became a trade-mark of the Center.
The CGD’s senior researchers and other experts are intellectual leaders in their fields, combining academic rigor and practical experience to increase global prosperity. Their visiting and non-resident fellows contribute an added level of knowledge to CGD’s work. Many are simultaneously employed at leading universities, institutions, and NGOs around the world. CGD also provides promising young researchers from developing countries an opportunity to work for one year at the Center as part of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) fellowship. In addition, the Center’s growing Alumni Association links former staff, visiting fellows, and other associates, offering periodic updates on their diverse contributions to shared global prosperity after they leave CGD.
The CGD benefits from the support and guidance of an influential Board of Directors led by Lawrence H. Summers and composed of prominent individuals from the public and private sectors with a passionate commitment to development. The Center’s Advisory Group of top-tier development economists, political scientists, and policymakers, helps CGD maintain the high quality of their research and identify over-the-horizon issues for early attention. CGD also works, through contractual and informal partnerships, with a wide range of organizations who share complementary goals.
The Center for Global Development is based in Washington, DC. In 2014 the Center had revenues of $14.2 million and a staff of 73 people, including 18 senior researchers and a team of 9 communications and policy outreach staff. For more detailed information on CGD please refer to: www.cgdev.org.
The Role
After 15 years at the helm of the organization, Nancy Birdsall will be retiring from the role in 2016 leaving behind a rich and enduring legacy. We are looking for a leader of unusual vision, intellectual breadth and practical experience to build upon this legacy and steer the CGD thoughtfully and confidently, enhancing the reach and influence of the Center on increasingly complex development issues.
Reporting to, and working closely with, the Board of Directors of the CGD, the President will be responsible for the strategic, programmatic, financial and operational leadership of the organization. S/he will ensure that the organization’s governance and programs are ethical, transparent and aligned with the Center’s values and goals fostering an environment for creativity, innovation, and collaboration.
The President will be an inclusive and collaborative leader and will work closely with CGD’s Board, Advisory Group, Researchers, Fellows and staff to frame the strategy and agenda of the Center, to enable the Center’s relevance, influence, and practical contribution on important global development issues. Working closely with CGD’s staff s/he will ensure the development of innovative research, programs, initiatives, and partnerships to impact the international development dialogue and promote the CGD’s mission.
The President will cultivate relationships across the development community to enable the Center to remain a leading force in facilitating the development and implementation of effective policy solutions to global poverty. Ensuring that the mission and the results of the Center are communicated to wider audiences and that evidence-based proposals and best-practices are promoted and disseminated leading to tangible actions, is a key aspect of this role.
The President must also have an aptitude for generating the enthusiasm and support for the Center’s mission and programs, which may be achieved through fundraising, but also includes his/her own publications, public speaking, and interactions with funders. S/he must be able to nurture and expand existing funding relationships and cultivate new sources - both project-based and unrestricted.
Candidate Profile
We are looking for a person of stature and recognized authority in global and economic development circles, deeply respected for his/her intellectual contributions to the field, independence of thought, integrity of character, and credibility in international policy circles. S/he will be credible across the nexus of research, policy, and implementation and will demonstrate not only intellectual curiosity and rigor, but also an understanding of how to translate research into policy.
The CGD pursues an honest search for new policy solutions to development issues, unconstrained by pre-determined and/or partisan boundaries. Its defining values include freedom of inquiry, heterodoxy, substance over rhetoric, and evidence-based analysis, and the President should personify those values both in theory and practice. As such, we seek a candidate with a highly developed intellect, superior analytical and conceptual thinking ability (compelling, lucid, honest, well-reasoned, and original), a deep respect for the importance and validity of scholarly research and, ideally, an impressive and visible body of work.
The successful candidate will be an inspiring, inclusive and generous leader committed to an un-hierarchical, collaborative, and diverse work environment and will have the ability to recruit, support and retain top talent. S/he will have the intellectual self-confidence to let the organization flourish while containing a diversity of views.
In addition, the President must be an able and disciplined manager, able to steer the Center towards maintaining its strategic focus, delivering on its commitments, and expending its financial and other resources efficiently. Above all, s/he must be able to direct, promote and safeguard the Center’s work and reputation for integrity, impartiality and impactful, evidence-based initiatives and discussions.
Desirable attributes:
- A distinguished track record of research and innovation in policy-making, along with the capacity to translate policy ideas into actionable results;
- Considerable global stature, established relationships in US policy circles, and the ability to interact effectively at senior policy levels in donor countries;
- Understanding of policy and politics in major capitals, particularly Washington, and of current geopolitical dynamics, with a demonstrated ability to engage critical decision makers in constructive dialogue in the developed, emerging and developing countries;
- A personal track record of persuasive engagement of external stakeholders; experience of creating and managing sensitive, strategic relationships;
- Diverse and international professional and personal experience; and
- Ability to engage with a diverse group of donors including individuals, foundations and corporations for both operational and programmatic support.
The competencies which the next President will display are outlined below:
Building Relationships and Using Influence
- Proven experience as a relationship builder with a strong high-level network in international development and policy circles.
- Excellent public speaker. Highly articulate; makes arguments in a clear and compelling manner and is able to motivate others to pursue common goals.
- A proven convener, mediator, and negotiator who readily connects with others and can build trust to move forward an agenda. Has the presence and gravitas to convene and engage diverse constituencies in a common dialogue.
- Culturally astute and aware. Can see the world from multiple perspectives. Has a true appreciation of the issues and cultural contexts facing policy makers in various cultural and political settings.
- Diplomacy; flexibility; warmth; drive, passion and determination; cultural sensitivity and a commitment to diversity.
Leadership and Management
- Ability to act as a catalyst with vision; anticipates issues and opportunities and encourages the development of strategies and initiatives to address them. Not afraid to constructively challenge the conventional wisdom.
- Maintains a clear focus on goals amid multiple competing risks and demands; has the capacity to prioritize effectively and deliver on commitments.
- Experienced organizational and team leader; a “player-coach” able to foster a culture of collaboration, mutual respect and teamwork.
- Must have the vision, energy, and focus to advance the CGD strategically, organizationally and financially.
- Ability to work collaboratively with a group of diverse and complex stakeholders in the development and articulation of a strategy for CGD going forward.
- Must be able to hire, engage and manage a high performing internal team, as well as Fellows, external partners, and advisors. Encourages multiple perspectives and talents while maintaining focus on key objectives and accountability.
- Commitment to good governance, transparency, fiscal integrity and operational excellence.
Personal Attributes
- A powerful intellect. An idea generator. Strong analytical and conceptual skills. Can identify and understand the impact and implications of new information and events. Quickly grasps the essentials in complex situations. A thinker and a doer.
- A convener and bridge-builder, able to bring different parties together in a constructive conversation.
- Empathetic. Attentive and responsive listener demonstrating genuine interest for the views and values of different constituencies in a debate.
- Has a confident and entrepreneurial spirit. Sees the potential for taking CGD to a new level of competency and relevancy, and has the passion to make it happen.
- Has excellent judgment; makes decisions that fairly balance a variety of factors and points of view; navigates confidently in ambiguous situations.
- Rightfully perceived as genuine and trustworthy. Has integrity and lives by the highest ethical standards.
- Confidence, maturity. Has a strong, healthy ego and the humility to admit failures and identify learnings gained from them. Is resilient in the face of setbacks.
- Familiarity and ease with a variety of cultures. Comfortable with diverse groups, ideally gained living and working internationally across the developed and developing world.
- Energetic and motivated with a high capacity for work; maintains strategic focus in the face of multiple priorities.
- Likeable, accessible, pleasant to be around. Generous and gracious. Has a healthy sense of humor.
Contact
Jamie Hechinger
Russell Reynolds Associates
1700 New York Avenue, NW
Suite 400
Washington, DC 20006-5208
Tel: +1-202-654-7800
Fax: +1-202-638-5178
[email protected]
Lucia Ferreira
Russell Reynolds Associates
200 Park Avenue
Suite 2300
New York, NY 10166-0002
Tel: +1-212-351-2000
Fax: +1-212-370-0896
[email protected]
Simon Kingston
Russell Reynolds Associates
Almack House, 28 King Street
London SW1Y 6QW
United Kingdom
Tel: +44-20-7839-7788
Fax: +44-20-7198-1850
[email protected]