Situational Decision-making Program Director

Department

Harris School Sit-D

About the Department

Policy with real impact doesn’t evolve from ideology or intuition, or even experience. At the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, developing effective public policy is a science, based on data and measurable impact. Addressing today’s interconnected challenges requires rigorous inquiry. It also requires innovative people who will face the facts, gather data, and understand why current policies exist to improve them. For more than 30 years, the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy has been steadfastly committed to serving society by advancing analysis- and evidence-informed policy. Guided by this exacting mission, our community of faculty, students, and alumni from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors are taking on the world’s most important problems by using the latest tools of social science.

Job Summary

The Harris School seeks to hire a Program Director for the Situational Decision-making (Sit-D) Training.
Sit-D is an innovative police training program developed at the University of Chicago that integrates cutting-edge behavioral science with immersive simulation technology to strengthen officer decision-making in high-stakes encounters.
The Program Director will work directly with Professor Oeindrila Dube, who helped create the Sit-D training. This work is supported by the Harris School Bike Shop@UChicago, a research center where economists and computer scientists build "bicycles for the mind"—algorithms that enhance human capacity rather than replace it. The Program Director will provide strategic and operational leadership for a portfolio of projects supporting the replication, evaluation, and expansion of Sit-D—including incubating AI-enhanced versions of the training. Working in close partnership with Professor Dube, the Program Director will guide these projects from early engagement with law enforcement partners through implementation and evaluation readiness, exercising substantial day-to-day leadership. The Program Director will also represent the initiative with external partners and funders and help secure the resources, relationships, and visibility needed to position Sit-D for broader expansion across agencies and jurisdictions.
The role calls for two core capabilities. The Program Director must be able to build and sustain high-level relationships with senior law enforcement officials and institutional partners, bringing the energy and drive to generate momentum across a complex, multi-site initiative. Equally important is a sophisticated understanding of program evaluation — including study design, randomization, and outcome measurement — that enables productive engagement with research teams and partner agencies in working through evaluation parameters and implementation feasibility.

Responsibilities

• Leads and directs the operational development, incubation, replication, and scale-up of Sit-D training initiatives, guiding a portfolio of projects from early engagement with law enforcement partners through implementation and evaluation readiness, in close partnership with Professor Dube.
• Conducts strategic outreach and engagement with senior officials in state government and law enforcement leadership to build partnerships and advance opportunities for Sit-D implementation and evaluation.
• Advises on strategic decisions regarding which states and jurisdictions to prioritize for Sit-D expansion and replication.
• Assesses opportunities to integrate emerging technologies, including AI-assisted tools, into Sit-D training and scaling; oversees law enforcement consultants retained to refine and adapt training curricula for new jurisdictions and emerging technology applications, considering both technological feasibility and institutional constraints.
• Leads study design discussions and early-stage evaluation planning, working with research staff and partner agencies to establish feasible approaches to randomization, sample size, outcome measurement, and implementation.
• Oversees the groundwork required to launch evaluations, including coordinating data use agreements, facilitating data transfers, and securing access to administrative data, training records, and other relevant data sources.
• Oversees and coordinates University of Chicago IRB processes, maintaining confidentiality of participant and agency data.
• Manages implementation and evaluation teams as projects advance from incubation to replication and scale-up, including project managers, research staff, external collaborators, and trainer teams responsible for delivering train-the-trainer programs across participating agencies.
• Identifies funding opportunities and leads the development of grant proposals.
• Prepares written summaries, memos, and presentations for academic researchers, funders, policymakers, and practitioner audiences describing project progress, feasibility findings, and plans for replication and evaluation.
• Works independently to develop detailed work plans, schedules, project estimates, resource plans, and status reports. Assembles and leads a project team, assigns individual responsibilities, identifies appropriate resources needed, and develops schedules to ensure timely completion of projects.
• Tracks progress, conducts analysis, as well as prepares for and facilitates project meetings. Ensures adherence to quality standards and reviews project deliverables.
• 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:

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Preferred Qualifications

Education:

• Advanced degree (masters or higher) in related field strongly preferred.

Experience:

• Management or supervisory experience.
• Prior experience working with state government, law enforcement agencies, or other public safety institutions.
• Experience in program implementation, project management, or operational leadership in a complex, multi-stakeholder environment.

Preferred Competencies

• Builds and sustains trust with senior law enforcement officials and institutional partners.
• Drives momentum across complex, multi-site initiatives; pushes projects forward through ambiguity.
• Sophisticated understanding of program evaluation methods, including study design and randomization.
• Comfortable bridging research and operational contexts; exercises sound judgment on when to escalate.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills across technical and practitioner audiences.
• Organized and detail-oriented; produces high-quality deliverables under competing demands.
• Committed to rigorous, evidence-based approaches to implementation and evaluation.

Application Documents

• Resume (required)
• Cover Letter (required) — please mention any coursework taken in Program Evaluation, or any practical experience with it.
• Professional references (required)

The University of Chicago uses AI-assisted tools to streamline and augment some recruitment processes; however, AI is not used to make hiring decisions.
When applying, the document(s) MUST be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.

Job Family

Administration & Management

Role Impact

Individual Contributor

Scheduled Weekly Hours

37.5

Drug Test Required

No

Health Screen Required

No

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required

No

Pay Rate Type

Salary

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FLSA Status

Exempt

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Pay Range

$110,000.00 - $130,000.00

The included pay rate or range represents the University’s good faith estimate of the possible compensation offer for this role at the time of posting.

Benefits Eligible

Yes

The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in the Benefits Guidebook.

Posting Statement

The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

 

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