Manager, Strategic Initiatives - Hybrid Chicago Loop Office
JOB SUMMARY: NORC at the University of Chicago is seeking a Manager of Strategic Initiatives to join the dynamic Business Ventures & Innovation Department. This position will be responsible for managing high‑priority, cross‑organizational initiatives that advance NORC’s long‑term strategy and operational effectiveness. The role focuses on driving clarity, alignment, and execution for initiatives that are strategically important but do not sit neatly within a single department. This position sits in NORC's Business Ventures & Innovation department, a small, central team that supports NORC's cross-departmental and high priority strategic initiatives as well as managing multiple innovation programs. The initial and primary focus of this role will be serving as project manager for NORC's Artificial Intelligence (AI) strategy and implementation. Over time, the scope of responsibility may expand to include additional strategic initiatives. The Manager will be responsible for day‑to‑day coordination, execution, and adoption of NORC’s enterprise AI strategy. This role will serve as the operational backbone of NORC’s internal AI Hub, translating strategic priorities into coordinated action across departments, ensuring responsible and effective use of AI, and supporting leadership with clear progress reporting and decision‑ready insights. The Manager will work closely with cross‑departmental partners including IT, Research Science, Training & Development, Strategic Communications, Data Privacy, and Business Ventures & Innovation colleagues. This role is highly collaborative and stakeholder‑facing, requiring strong communication skills and the ability to manage multiple concurrent workstreams in a matrixed organization. This role will benefit from AI literacy and experience translating technical terms to broader audiences. This is not a technical development role, but it does require the ability to engage credibly with technical and non‑technical stakeholders and to support responsible AI implementation across NORC. Applicants will be based in our Chicago Loop office with a hybrid office/work from home schedule. DEPARTMENT: Business Ventures & Innovation NORC's Business Ventures & Innovation department is a small, central team that supports NORC's cross-departmental and high priority strategic initiatives as well as managing multiple innovation programs. RESPONSIBILITIES: Manage the execution of cross‑functional strategic initiatives by establishing clear plans, timelines, governance, and accountability, and actively driving day‑to‑day progress across teams. Support change management for strategic initiatives by partnering with stakeholders on engagement, communications, and adoption efforts to help embed new ways of working. Coordinate day‑to‑day operations of NORC’s AI Hub, including governance, executive engagement, documentation, and follow‑through to ensure enterprise AI priorities advance efficiently. Serve as the central point of coordination across cross‑departmental AI workstreams (e.g., IT, Research Science, Training, Communications, Privacy & Compliance), aligning priorities, dependencies, and capacity. Manage enterprise AI intake, registry, and prioritization processes, ensuring use cases are evaluated transparently and aligned with strategy, readiness, risk, and available capacity. Support NORC’s AI Community of Practice, fostering peer learning, responsible experimentation, and knowledge sharing through coordinated programming and staff engagement. Engage staff to understand evolving AI needs and translate frontline insights into actionable inputs for AI planning, prioritization, and adoption. Develop clear, executive‑ready reporting on AI progress, outcomes, risks, and adoption trends to support leadership decision‑making. Monitor external AI trends and best practices and translate them into NORC‑appropriate guidance, in close collaboration with IT, Research Science, Data Privacy, and BVI partners. REQUIRED SKILLS: Bachelor’s degree. At least 4 years of directly applicable work experience, which may include consulting; project-based client or internal services; cross-functional strategic initiatives; change management, adoption, or transformation; and process improvement and operational enablement work. Demonstrated experience managing complex, cross‑functional initiatives in a matrixed organization. Strong organizational and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple workstreams simultaneously. Experience supporting change management, adoption, or organizational transformation initiatives. Exceptional communication and facilitation skills, with the ability to engage a wide range of stakeholders. Comfortable navigating ambiguity and a rapidly evolving environment. Experience developing progress reports and executive-level summaries. Experience using generative AI tools in everyday work. Preferred Strong AI literacy, including a working understanding of generative AI capabilities, limitations, and responsible use considerations. Experience in a research or professional services organization. Comfort working closely with IT, research, and innovation teams without serving in a technical development role. Familiarity with data privacy, ethics, or compliance considerations related to AI and emerging technologies. SALARY AND BENEFITS: The pay range for this position is $87,000 - $130,000. Hybrid work model in the heart of Chicago. This position is classified as regular. Regular staff are eligible for NORC’s comprehensive benefits program. Benefits include, but are not limited to: Generously subsidized health insurance, effective on the first day of employment Dental and vision insurance A defined contribution retirement program, along with a separate voluntary 403(b) retirement program Group life insurance, long-term and short-term disability insurance Benefits that promote work/life balance, including generous paid time off, holidays; paid parental leave, bereavement leave, tuition assistance, and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP). NORC is committed to equity and transparency in its pay practices. We publish salary ranges and benefit information for every job. The listed hiring range reflects what we, in good faith, expect to pay at the time of posting, though actual compensation may vary and may be adjusted over time. A candidate’s placement within the range depends on factors such as competencies, education, qualifications, experience, skills, performance, and organizational needs. WHAT WE DO: NORC at the University of Chicago is an objective, non-partisan research institution that delivers reliable data and rigorous analysis to guide critical programmatic, business, and policy decisions. Since 1941, our teams have conducted groundbreaking studies, created and applied innovative methods and tools, and advanced principles of scientific integrity and collaboration. Today, government, corporate, and nonprofit clients around the world partner with us to transform increasingly complex information into useful knowledge. WHO WE ARE: For over 80 years, NORC has evolved in many ways, moving the needle with research methods, technical applications and groundbreaking research findings. But our tradition of excellence, passion for innovation, and commitment to collegiality have remained constant components of who we are as a brand, and who each of us is as a member of the NORC team. With world-class benefits, a business casual environment, and an emphasis on continuous learning, NORC is a place where people join for the stellar research and analysis work for which we’re known, and stay for the relationships they form with their colleagues who take pride in the impact their work is making on a global scale. EEO STATEMENT: NORC is an equal opportunity employer. NORC evaluates qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran, sexual orientation, and other legally protected characteristics. LI-MS1
