What are the responsibilities and job description for the Associate Director, Millennium Leadership Program position at Atlantic Council?
The Atlantic Council’s Millennium Leadership Program (MLP) seeks a high-performing Associate Director to own and drive the day-to-day strategy, design, and execution of MLP’s flagship initiatives, namely the Millennium Fellowship and Alumni Engagement Activities.
This is not an entry-level role—the Associate Director will serve as a program owner, strategic partner, and operational lead, shaping the participant experience, strengthening alumni engagement, and ensuring high-quality execution across multiple workstreams. The ideal candidate brings strong judgment, exceptional communication, warmth, and initiative—anticipating needs, solving problems early, and managing relationships across a global stakeholder network.
This role requires a strategic executor who delivers consistently with a strong customer-service mindset and high professional standards. The Associate Director will report to the Deputy Director and collaborate closely with the Senior Director and the broader MLP team in a fast-paced, highly interactive environment.
This position is based in our Washington, DC, headquarters, requiring a minimum of 4 days per week in office. The Atlantic Council offers a competitive compensation package commensurate with experience, education, and organizational equity, with offers from $72,000 to $80,000. Applications submitted by March 5, 2026, will be prioritized for consideration.
Job Responsibilities
This Role Is Best Suited For Someone Who Is
This is not an entry-level role—the Associate Director will serve as a program owner, strategic partner, and operational lead, shaping the participant experience, strengthening alumni engagement, and ensuring high-quality execution across multiple workstreams. The ideal candidate brings strong judgment, exceptional communication, warmth, and initiative—anticipating needs, solving problems early, and managing relationships across a global stakeholder network.
This role requires a strategic executor who delivers consistently with a strong customer-service mindset and high professional standards. The Associate Director will report to the Deputy Director and collaborate closely with the Senior Director and the broader MLP team in a fast-paced, highly interactive environment.
This position is based in our Washington, DC, headquarters, requiring a minimum of 4 days per week in office. The Atlantic Council offers a competitive compensation package commensurate with experience, education, and organizational equity, with offers from $72,000 to $80,000. Applications submitted by March 5, 2026, will be prioritized for consideration.
Job Responsibilities
- Lead and Manage the Millennium Fellowship (Flagship Program Ownership)
- Own full-cycle planning and execution for the Millennium Fellowship, ensuring an exceptional and consistent participant experience from recruitment through completion
- Drive program design and improvement, including curriculum refinement, session planning, speaker coordination, and participant engagement strategy
- Manage admissions and selection processes, including application review workflows, communication cadence, and enrollment/payment tracking
- Lead program communications across channels (primarily email and WhatsApp) ensuring clear, timely, and high-touch participant support
- Coordinate with internal teams and external partners to deliver smooth, high-quality program experience
- Facilitate virtual sessions and support logistical planning and execution for the annual international study tour, including international travel and on-site support
- Alumni Strategy, Programming, and Community Engagement
- Lead alumni engagement strategy and execution, including communications, programming, relationship management, and community-building initiatives
- Plan and support virtual monthly alumni meetings and in-person alumni engagement activities in Washington, DC
- Strengthen alumni pathways for continued involvement and engagement with the Atlantic Council and MLP ecosystem
- Support the development of scalable alumni systems, tools, and processes that deepen engagement globally
- Support the Global Leadership Forum (Annual Convening)
- Support planning and execution of the inaugural Global Leadership Forum, an annual convening for alumni and partners
- Assist with stakeholder coordination, logistics, communications, content curation, and event execution across internal and external partners
- Ensure a high-quality, detail-oriented experience for participants, speakers, and partners
- Program Operations, Logistics, and Cross-Team Coordination
- Manage end-to-end program operations, including scheduling, run-of-show development, participant tracking, meeting coordination, and materials production
- Support budgets and financial workflows, including revenue tracking, payments, contracts, vendor coordination, and accurate record-keeping
- Maintain program data systems and reporting to inform planning, decision-making, and continuous improvement
- Strengthen internal systems and processes to improve efficiency and support program scaling
- Communications, Marketing, and Visibility
- Develop social media strategy and protocol, including content development for MLP communications and social platforms (LinkedIn, X/Twitter, and WhatsApp)
- Support marketing and outreach efforts to strengthen recruitment, engagement, and program visibility internally and externally
- Ensure communications reflect MLP’s tone: warm, professional, timely, and high-quality
- Business Development and Partner Support
- Assist with contracts, invoicing, CRM tracking (Salesforce), and partner stewardship materials
- Support fundraising and business development efforts through donor research, partner coordination, and proposal or briefing support
- Bachelor’s degree required (education, entrepreneurship, international relations, public policy, or related field preferred); master’s degree a plus
- 4–7 years of relevant experience in international program management, ideally in fellowship, leadership development, and/or education
- Demonstrated ability to lead complex programs end-to-end, manage multiple moving pieces, and deliver under deadlines
- Strong strategic planning and operational execution skills; able to translate goals into clear plans, timelines, and deliverables
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including ability to facilitate sessions, deliver presentations, and communicate effectively with stakeholders
- Strong judgment, professionalism, and discretion; culturally sensitive and globally minded
- Exceptional attention to detail, reliability, and follow-through
- Strong customer-service orientation and ability to build trust with fellows, alumni, partners, and senior leaders
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office; familiarity with project management and CRM tools (e.g., Monday.com, Salesforce) preferred
- Self-directed and proactive, with the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment
This Role Is Best Suited For Someone Who Is
- Proactive and solutions-oriented, anticipating challenges and driving work forward with urgency
- A clear, consistent communicator, skilled at coordinating across stakeholders and delivering high-quality communications
- Warm, polished, and service-minded, with strong emotional intelligence and professionalism
- A strategic executor, able to plan, prioritize, and deliver across multiple workstreams in a fast-paced environment
- A collaborative team player who also thrives working independently with ownership and accountability
- A globally minded relationship-builder, effective with diverse stakeholders across sectors and seniority levels
- Adaptable and resourceful, comfortable navigating ambiguity, tight timelines, and evolving priorities (including travel as needed)
Salary : $72,000 - $80,000