"Program Director"

Job Details

Position Details

Job Title
PROGRAM DIRECTOR

Position Number
8102859

Work Modality
Fully Remote Work

Job Category
University Staff

Job Type
Full-Time

FLSA Status
Exempt

Campus
Off-Campus/Remote

Department Name
INSTITUTE FOR PASTORAL STUDIES

Location Code
INSTITUTE OF PASTORAL STUDIES (03200A)

Is this split and/or fully grant funded?
Yes

Duties and Responsibilities

Program Director

Catholic Education Network to Enact and Resource Synodality (CENTERS)

Loyola University Chicago, Institute of Pastoral Studies

Position Type: Full-time, Grant-funded (5 years)
Reports to: Dean, Institute of Pastoral Studies
Location: Chicago, IL with national travel required

About CENTERS

The Catholic Education Network to Enact and Resource Synodality (CENTERS) is a $10 million Lilly Endowment-funded initiative housed at Loyola University Chicago’s Institute of Pastoral Studies. CENTERS is a collaborative network of 16 Catholic colleges and universities across the United States working to implement synodality—the Church’s official mode of proceeding emphasizing shared discernment, participation, and co-responsibility among all the baptized. This transformative initiative responds to Pope Francis’s global call for ecclesial renewal and Pope Leo XIV’s continued emphasis on unity and Catholic social teaching.

Position Summary

Loyola University Chicago seeks a dynamic and efficient leader to serve as national director of the grant-funded Catholic Education Network to Enact and Resource Synodality (CENTERS). Growing out of engagement with the 2021-2024 Synod on Synodality, the sixteen-university network housed at Loyola University Chicago’s Institute of Pastoral Studies seeks to cultivate synodal leadership across Catholic Higher Education nationally, in close conversation with local dioceses and international partners, including the Holy See. Housed at the Institute of Pastoral Studies, the Director serves as the executive officer for the CENTERS Initiative, ensuring that collaborative projects, fellowships, convenings, communications, evaluation, and budgeting proceed on schedule, and reflect synodal principles. Other responsibilities include developing and aligning with the consensus of the Steering and Leadership Committees, liaising with Lilly Endowment, overseeing day-to-day operations, coordinating the inter-institutional network, and driving strategic planning and implementation for all grant-supported activities.

The ideal candidate will have a graduate degree in theology, leadership, or a related field (ideally a terminal degree). S/He will have demonstrated organizational and administrative expertise, along with a fluency in the contours of policy, strategic vision, mission/identity, and organizational management in both church and university contexts. A familiarity with the methods of synodality and community organizing is desired, but not strictly necessary. S/He will work closely with the grant PI’s to envision, coordinate, implement, and report on various elements of a larger project with various local, regional, and national initiatives. A willingness to contribute collaboratively within a team dynamic and an ongoing commitment to pastoral formation in educational settings are essential and compulsory.

The Director also teaches one graduate course each academic year that advances theological and pastoral understandings of and engagement with synodality.

Key Responsibilities

• Program Leadership & Governance: Serve as executive officer for the CENTERS Initiative, translating committee decisions into actionable plans...
• Project & Grant Management: Develop and manage annual work plans, grant timelines...
• Evaluation & Learning: Partner with external evaluators...
• Communications & Stakeholder Engagement: Supervise contracted communication consultants...
• Financial Oversight: In collaboration with IPS finance staff...
• Team Supervision: Hire, mentor, and evaluate any needed project staff...
• Teaching & Academic Integration: Design and teach one graduate-level course per year...
• Additional Responsibilities: Perform other activities as assigned... Travel frequently (approximately 25-30% of time)

Required Qualifications

Knowledge and Expertise

• Deep understanding of Catholic ecclesiology, particularly synodal theology and Vatican II
• Knowledge of Catholic social teaching...

Skills and Competencies

• Exceptional organizational and project management abilities...

Personal Attributes

• Commitment to synodal values...

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous experience with Lilly Endowment grants...
• Background in Catholic community organizing...

Minimum Education and/or Work Experience

• Master’s degree in Theology, Pastoral Studies, Ministry, or related field; Doctorate preferred
• Minimum 7-10 years of experience in Catholic higher education...

Position Minimum Salary or Hourly Rate
$60,000/ann

Position Maximum Salary or Hourly Rate
$70,000/ann

Open Date
01/05/2026

Special Instructions to Applicants

As a Jesuit, Catholic institution... www.luc.edu/mission/ ... www.luc.edu/transformativeed.