Executive Director, Leadership Development for MBA Programs
Chicago
Sunday, 21 June 2026
The Executive Director of Leadership Development provides strategic leadership for the design and delivery of leadership development programming across MBA, Executive MBA, and specialized master’s programs. This role oversees a comprehensive portfolio of curriculum, co-curricular initiatives, and coaching services aimed at enhancing students’ leadership capabilities. As a member of the school’s senior leadership team, the Executive Director collaborates across departments to shape the student experience, align programming with institutional priorities, and advance the school’s mission. The position also leads the Leadership Development Office, managing staff, resources, and partnerships while serving as a key ambassador and subject matter expert on leadership development within the school and broader University community. This position is not eligible for employer-sponsored employment authorization. Responsibilities. Serves as a key member of the Deputy Dean for MBA Programs’ leadership team. Collaborates with leadership team members to design policy and generate practices that enhance the quality of the student experience and align with school priorities and strategy. More broadly, plays an active role within Booth’s management team, participating in discussions, activities, and internal committees. Leads the Leadership Development Office (LDO) providing both strategic direction and management of curriculum and programming. This includes oversight of a number of key institutional responsibilities including, comprehensive oversight of the LEAD class required of all MBA students, classes taken by student facilitators, as well as reporting to governing faculty bodies; oversight of the Kapnick Program at the Law School, including partnering with Law School colleagues to achieve School objectives; oversight of leadership and career development content and programming within the Executive MBA program; and oversight of impactful leadership development programs for current MBA students in all programs. Manages the financial resources of the LDO including budgets, finances and forecasts across all responsibilities and projects. Leads a professional team of coaches, content experts and office staff. Manages all aspects of the team experience including, but not limited to recruiting, hiring, and appraising performance, ensuring on-going development; and aligning team roles across all LDO offerings. Collaborates with colleagues across Booth in the fulfillment of LDO and school objectives. This includes partnering with Admissions to communicate the value of the Booth experience and accommodate incoming classes of students within LEAD; partnering with the Student Life team to develop and deliver programming; partnering with the London and Hong Kong Global Career and Leadership Development team within the Executive MBA Program; coordinating programming and content with the Davis Center for Leadership; and collaborating with members of other teams and offices as needed. Serves as an ambassador for the School on matters related to the LEAD class and leadership development, and more generally with alumni and other parts of the University. Supports additional school initiatives and priorities ranging from Orientation and Convocation to program development. Provides leadership for a Center with senior management and serves as a liaison to academic departments, professional organizations and administrative units of the University. Manages related teams. Establishes department priorities, may be responsible for the management of the center budget, allocates resources and executes strategic plans. Performs other related work as needed. Minimum Qualifications. Education:Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field. Work Experience:Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 7 years of work experience in a related job discipline. Certifications:---Preferred Qualifications. Education:Bachelor’s degree. PhD or master’s degree in business-related area. Experience:A minimum ten years of experience coaching/developing others, including executive or management development, developmental education, counseling, coaching, or a related field. A minimum five years of experience leading a team and driving results through the work of others. Certifications:Coach credentialing, such as BCC and ICF. Preferred Competencies. Working within a professional school or corporation to establish or enhance learning programs. Proven ability to work effectively with faculty, staff, and students. Proven ability to achieve objectives with minimal direction. Excellent written communication and presentation skills; strong detail orientation and organizational skills. Openness to experimentation, evaluation and continuous improvement. Professional demeanor including tact, discretion and a service-oriented approach to the job.