Note: APA operates on a 37.5-hour work week with one hour lunch breaks each day. APA sets salaries based on several considerations, including years of relevant experience, level of education, and previous staff and/or governance experience at APA.

DESCRIPTION:

The purpose of this job is to carry out the mission of the American Psychological Association - to promote the advancement, communication, and application of psychological science and knowledge to benefit society and improve lives - by advancing inclusive innovation at APA. The Senior Director, Social Innovation implements and oversees innovation processes from idea generation through implementation launch. The Senior Director is responsible for ensuring that Social Innovation infuses a population health approach, EDI principles, and health equity and human rights lenses into all aspects of its work. The Senior Director will work in close collaboration with the Senior Director, Social Impact, to engage strategic alliances and community throughout the innovation process. The Senior Director serves as a member of the PI Leadership Team, working closely with the other members to drive Public Interest's success in meeting its goals. This role will work hand-in-hand with the Senior Director, Social Impact, the Senior Director, Human Rights, and the EDI Office to ensure that APA's work and process for achieving impact can be seen as an exemplar for engaging in organizational transformation & community engagement and impact with EDI anchored as a core value. The Senior Director also supervises the staff tasked with Social Innovation work.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

• MBA or master's degree in related field required; PhD in psychology (I/O) or innovation related field preferred.
• Minimum of 10 years' extensive experience related to management, coordination, and supervision of large-scale innovative program development, planning and execution, including project management, business integration, and strategic planning.
• Minimum of 5 years of increasing management responsibility, including relevant experience in budget, personnel and performance and change management.
• Strategic thinking and analytical mindset that reflect the ability to synthesize variable and complex concepts to drive action and results.
• Capacity to thrive in a dynamic and changing environment and to operate effectively amid ambiguity.
• Capacity to oversee multiple initiatives simultaneously.
• Demonstrated expertise in working with, preparing products for, and presenting to, diverse audiences including executive leadership and governance. Excellent interpersonal, communication, written, verbal, and public speaking skills.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate, coordinate, negotiate, and build effective collaborations with a diversity of people in terms of their culture/ethnicity, social class, perspectives, professional role, and level of professional responsibility.
• Results-driven, with extensive experience defining, applying and assessing metrics as well as outcome accountability.
• Capacity to accurately interpret scientific research and professional literature and to translate scientific and professional literature for communication with a variety of professional and lay audiences.
• A highly collaborative approach with an ability to engage in shared decision-making and the capacity to form and maintain effective teams.
• Proven success in proactively identifying and addressing issues that affect team performance.
• Commitment to EDI principles and to utilizing human rights lenses in all aspects of work from design to implementation.
• Sound professional judgment and ability to work effectively under pressure, meet deadlines, attend to details, and ensure effectiveness of effort.

COMPUTER SKILLS:

Microsoft (Advanced User) with proficiency in Microsoft Suite. Experience with virtual meeting technology (e.g., Zoom).

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Develop and implement transparent processes, operations, and strategies for innovating and incubating psychology-based solutions for critical issues facing the field and society, integrating a population health framework, EDI principles and health equity and human rights lens as foundational in this work. This includes implementing standard operating procedures, integration plans, templates, strategic plans, reports, etc.
• Working closely with other PI senior staff, create and implement transparent processes for eliciting and receiving recommendations of issues to be addressed by APA from APA leadership (CEO, ELT, BOD, COR, President, etc.), EAL groups, external partners, staff, and others for Social Innovation solution incubation. Collaborate closely with EDI and LDI senior staff to funnel recommendations appropriate for EDI or LDI action to those units.
• Create, establish, and oversee ongoing evaluation procedures to ensure continuous improvement of Social Innovation operations.
• Ensure that Social Innovation models and solutions are efficient, effective, adaptable, replicable, scalable, and rooted in psychological science and social innovation best practices.
• Drive the development of large-scale innovative solutions for critical issues, applying the PI Social Innovation processes to move issues from ideation to implementation planning and launch.
  • Work across APA to form concept and project teams as needed to address proposed solutions to critical societal issues; working with the PI Social Impact staff, identify and recruit internal and external SME and appropriate partners to engage in innovation processes.
  • Design and build persuasive and compelling presentations and deliverables to communicate proposed solutions to APA leaders for prioritization throughout the innovation process.
  • Develop and implement project plans, including milestones, timelines, resources, budgets and metrics to move prioritized solutions to testing and implementation planning.
  • Oversee the handoff and initiation of finalized implementation plans for chosen solutions to appropriate units or organizations.
  • Oversee the evaluation of Social Innovation processes and incubation cycle process and outcome indicator assessment.
• Lead close collaboration with the Deputy Chief and the Social Impact Senior Director to develop and strengthen collaborative relationships across APA and key stakeholders to socialize Social Innovation purpose and functions with APA directorates, and to ensure that directorates are engaged and in support of the work, and that directorates have the opportunity to provide input and feedback along the way.
• Coordinate with the EDI Office in its efforts to build organizational capacity by co-developing innovative approaches that integrate new structures, interventions, and tools that support the advancement of EDI throughout the association and field of psychology. Specifically, this role will work in partnership with the Senior Director of EDI Planning and Integration to:
  • Ensure that the implementation plans created through Social Innovation consistently align with APA's EDI integration models, the EDI framework, and the racial equity action plan.
  • Conduct research and engage in collaborative discussions that lead to spotting and creatively solving complex, cross-functional issues and determining future-focused planning activities.
  • Support the development and maintenance of an integration playbook. The playbook will serve as a collection of exemplars for using EDI principles as a way to successfully engage in organizational transformation and social innovation.
• Develop and oversee the strategy for initiating new incubation cycles, including coordination of timelines and resources. Assign new issue proposals to PI staff for solution development as appropriate.
• Serve as a thought partner with the Deputy Chief and the other members of their leadership team to contribute to the strategic direction of PI.
• Supervise the Innovations Operations staff of PI.

Other Duties as Assigned:

Engage in a variety of other activities, as assigned, by the Deputy Chief that serve to promote the goals and objectives of APA, the Hub, and the interests of APA staff, members, and governance. May represent the Deputy Chief at meetings and may provide coverage when the Deputy Chief is out.

Some travel may be required.

Application Instructions:

Qualified candidates must apply online through and attach a resume and cover letter specifying your salary expectations. Applications that are submitted without both documents are considered incomplete and will not be reviewed for consideration. Once your application is submitted, you will receive a confirmation email. Please make sure to check your Spam folder if you do not receive an email from us.

The American Psychological Association is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, age, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other protected categories covered under local law.

APA has a mandatory vaccination policy. All employees must be either fully vaccinated or receive approval from APA for an exemption (disability/medical or sincerely held religious belief) before beginning work at APA. By submitting your application, you agree that as a condition of employment, you must comply with APA's mandatory vaccination policy and other health and safety requirements.

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