Policy Director, Rock Center, Stanford Law School

Plan and administer both academic and research programs and services. Interpret principles and concepts generated by faculty, develop ideas and options for faculty review and decision, and then develop and implement instruction and research programs reflecting faculty interest. Special subject matter expertise in academic and/or research area is required for these jobs. Program management jobs without a research specialty may be better classified in Administrative Services Administrator series.

Stanford Law School Budgeted Salary Range:  $133,036 - $185,000 (salary for remote hires are based on zone tied to remote work zip code)

About the Center

The Rock Center for Corporate Governance builds on Stanford Law School’s longstanding tradition of legal scholarship and advances programs and research on corporate governance in its broadest sense. Through research, events, and convenings, the Center advances its mission by fostering scholarship and generating public dialogue and education on cutting-edge issues in corporate governance, capital markets, and law and finance.  For example, in addition to programs and research relating to corporate governance, the Center supports

research and education on the responsible governance and use of artificial intelligence (AI) within organizations via the Governance & Assurance in AI Networks (GAAIN) Initiative, as well as research and education relating to venture capital finance and startup formation through its campus Form & Fund programs.

About the Role

The Rock Center has built a substantial record of engagement with policymakers and regulators on the questions reshaping business, law, and capital markets. We are seeking a policy leader to turn that record into a sustained program and establish the Center as a leading voice on the domestic and global issues that matter most.

You’ll collaborate closely with the Center’s team and faculty co-directors, leading the research agenda, the convening platform, engagement with policymakers and institutional investors, and the executive education we build for policy audiences.

You will combine strategy with direct execution. The work is educational and technical rather than advocacy, and is built on bipartisan engagement. You will own the program’s budget and sponsor base, and you will identify, recruit, and direct the Center’s research and policy fellows.

In this role you will:

Research and market intelligence

Lead the research agenda on how market structure has changed and where the old assumptions no longer hold, starting with private capital growth, passive ownership concentration, price discovery, and how securities law applies to agentic systems

• Oversee the output: empirical studies, market structure reports, policy analyses, and technical memoranda that hold up to scrutiny on both sides of the aisle
• Work with participating organizations to secure the data the agenda depends on, including activists, pension funds, institutional investors, and exchanges
• Connect the work to what we already have running at the Rock Center and across campus, including faculty research
• Convening and stakeholder engagement
• Get the right people in the room. Build and run the convenings that generate the insights to feed the rest of our work
• Own relationships with investors, boards, capital providers, CIOs, stewardship teams, and gatekeepers such as auditors and standard setters
• Bring bipartisan policymakers into those rooms alongside market participants, with a core focus on education, relationship building, and dialogue
• Stanford Institutional Investors’ Forum
• Lead SIIF from design through delivery: agenda, speakers, policymaker participation, and what we publish afterward
• Partner with our Programs and Operations lead and the Program Group on production and logistics
• Continue to grow and evolve the sponsor base and the participant pool
• Investor engagement
• Lead our engagement with institutional investors on key issues in the market and relevant to the Rock Center’s work
• Build and run the investor-facing convenings and the relationships behind them, alongside SIIF and new initiatives
• Use these engagements to drive research and content creation, and as a key input to the policy work
• Develop a sponsorship base suited to this audience and engagement model

GAAIN

Oversee the Governance and Assurance in AI Networks Initiative, working closely with faculty

Own GAAIN’s programming, research direction, and partnerships across the AI governance, assurance, and audit ecosystem, including regulators, standard setters, auditors, and the organizations building and deploying these systems

• Connect GAAIN to the policy agenda
• Executive Education
• In collaboration with Executive Education, build practical training programs for staff, regulators, and policy advocates
• Develop the curriculum, teach or co-teach, and oversee delivery
• Policy work and engagement
• Lead how we deliver substantive work product on critical issues, e.g., policy papers, technical frameworks, and direct technical assistance on draft legislation
• Maintain bipartisan engagement and help SLS, Rock Center, and Stanford faculty and colleagues build relationships with relevant stakeholders

Fundraising

Identify funding sources, write proposals, and build the sponsor base

Own strategic financial planning for the program and monitor performance against it

Own the program’s operating budget and be accountable for performance against it.

Team

Identify, recruit, and direct the Center’s research and policy fellows

Responsibilities

• Core Duties: Lead and oversee development, implementation, administration, and evaluation of programs. Oversee analysis, reporting, and program improvements. Oversee the development, adherence to, and implementation of program policies and procedures.
• Lead strategic planning for the program/entity.
• Represent the entity or program to the broader university, external community, and other stakeholders. Provide expert consultation related to program development, funding opportunities, or other specialty area.
• Develop outreach strategy related to program communications, development, partnerships and fundraising/funding. Identify external funding opportunities and write proposals and research grants. Develop and oversee strategic financial planning and sustainability for the program/entity, as needed; monitor performance and ensure appropriate controls.
• Teach or co-teach courses; oversee the administration of courses; create and/or advise in the development of curriculum; and/or advise students, coach and mentor clients and program staff.
• Coach and mentor program staff.
• Minimum Education and Experience Required: Advanced degree and five years of relevant experience in area of specialization or combination of relevant education, training, and/or experience. For jobs with financial responsibilities, experience managing a budget and developing financial plans. Experience developing program partnerships and funding sources.
• Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: Ability to develop program partnerships and funding sources.
• Advanced oral, written, and analytical skills, exhibiting fluency in area of specialization.
• Ability to oversee and direct staff.
• Ability to manage budgets and develop financial plans
• Certificates and Licenses Required: For teaching jobs, advanced degree or certification may be required for some programs.