Director of Knowledge, Records and Information Management @ John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

Operations & Logistics (1)

Job Description

TO APPLY:

As of August 19, 2025, the search is being led by Katherine Jacobsof NPAG. Applicants who have applied prior to this date are currently under review. New applicants may submit their cover letter, outlining their interest and qualifications, along with their resume via NPAG’s candidate portal.

Summary:

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is one of the nation's largest independent foundations. The Foundation supports creative people, effective institutions, and influential networks building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world.

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation supports creative people, effective institutions, and influential networks building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world. MacArthur invests in solving some of the world’s most pressing social challenges, including advancing global climate solutions, promoting local justice reform in the U.S., revitalizing local news, expanding who creates, uses, and benefits from artificial intelligence, and strengthening the well-being of Native communities. In addition to the MacArthur Fellows Program and the global 100&Change competition, the Foundation continues its historic commitments to the role of journalism in a responsive democracy as well as the vitality of our headquarters city, Chicago. The Foundation also maintains offices in Nigeria and India.

The Director of Knowledge, Records and Information Management (Director) is an operational leadership position newly created in 2025 to support the evolution of MacArthur’s knowledge sharing and learning culture. The search to date has clarified focus on individuals with strong records management, change management, and emergent technology integration experiences in organizations of similar complexity who are excited to join the Foundation to modernize existing knowledge management practices and systems. From this core work, the Director will contribute to the creation of operational pathways and structures that leverage and access MacArthur’s information and data assets across teams to further scale the Foundation’s ability to make data-informed decisions for strategic impact. The ideal candidate will be a collaborative strategist, skilled communicator, an initiator and implementor who can drive cultural change and foster a new data and knowledge mindset across the Foundation.

The Director will be responsible for developing, implementing, and operationalizing knowledge, records and information management strategies and best practices at a time of transformative change driven by the opportunities afforded through the use of artificial intelligence and other technologies. The Director will lead a small team and collaborate with stakeholders throughout the Foundation to ensure knowledge, records and information management work is efficient, effective and equitable in support of the Foundation’s mission and goals. This position plays a critical role in promoting a culture of learning, collaboration and innovation at the Foundation with and among programs and, in partnership with the Records and Information Management (RIM) Committee, also ensures the management, disposition and appropriate destruction of records and non-records in all formats by leveraging current and emerging technologies, tools and systems.

This role will be under the direction of the Managing Director of Core Services and leads the Knowledge Management (KM) team therein. That team delivers KM-related capabilities throughout the Foundation: leading RIM, managing the Foundation’s archival records, its intranet, the acquisition, organization and circulation of information resources and published materials, and supporting the information and research needs of Foundation Staff.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Ensure the management of the Foundation’s information assets, including at a program level, throughout their lifecycle with a demonstrated commitment to accessible and inclusive practices for managing, preserving and leveraging information and knowledge, while mitigating risk, enhancing operational effectiveness and efficiency, and supporting decision-making.
Identify and implement ways to leverage artificial intelligence, other emerging technologies, tools and systems to ensure knowledge, records and information management work is efficient, effective and equitable in support of the Foundation’s mission and goals.
Collaborate and partner with stakeholders across the Foundation, including the Vice President and General Counsel, Chief Information Officer, Managing Directors of Programs and Managing Director of Evaluation and Learning, to meet Foundation, programmatic and operational goals.
Lead and manage the organizational and cultural changes required to transform how Staff interacts with and thinks about knowledge and data. This includes building buy-in, training, and processes that make knowledge a shared asset.

Knowledge Management

Lead and participate in ongoing innovation, co-development, application, and maintenance of multiple projects which facilitate the Foundation’s capacity to mine its records and intellectual assets.
Oversee the implementation and management of processes and practices to capture, curate, preserve and promote the use of materials of intrinsic and enduring value, in any media, consistent with the RIM and Archives policies of the Foundation.
Document the Foundation’s information flows and key knowledge artifacts; particularly in regard to programmatic work; foster collaboration with knowledge creators to define business processes, policies, and procedures to ensure key knowledge is being efficiently and effectively captured and safely stored.
Participate in collaborative data and information sharing, analysis and insights work to support mission-aligned learning, decision-making and purposeful change in the Foundation (Collaborative Data Insights, Evaluation and Learning).
Manage the Foundation’s intranet site (the Hub) and, in collaboration with partners across the Foundation, review current program knowledge repository (the Loop) and decide how best to meet and anticipate knowledge needs of the Foundation.
Ensure that archival and other records of the Foundation are made appropriately available to meet the information and learning needs of Staff and others in concordance with the Foundation’s RIM and Archives policies.
Collaborate with stakeholders across the Foundation to govern cross-organizational data sharing and integration among enterprise systems and ensure data consistency and accuracy wherever data resides.
Provide service capacities to analyze and respond to research requests using appropriate internal and/or external sources with nimble processes and resources that meet current and changing organizational needs.

Records and Information Management

Lead the strategy and operations of the Foundation-wide records and information program (RIM) in partnership with the RIM Committee to improve business operations ensuring stewardship, appropriate accessibility and reuse of information, and compliance with law and best practices in the management, storage and disposition of records in all formats.
Oversee the ongoing implementation and operationalization of the RIM Policy and program. Ensure that procedures are established for proper dispositioning of records and non-records, maintain the integrity of Foundation records and provide appropriate access control over the Foundation’s information assets.
Provide robust training and outreach on the types of information important to the foundation, the systems in which to store and harness that information, and how to access that information; introduce new staff to their records management responsibilities; and guide how to leverage information as an asset.

Networks

Foster strong partnerships across the philanthropic sector and the knowledge, records and information management profession to demonstrate the Foundation’s leadership and commitment to managing, preserving and leveraging institutional program knowledge in support of learning.
Keep abreast of developments in the use of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, and their application to knowledge, records and information management.

Required Qualifications and Experience:

While no one candidate will possess all the qualifications listed below, the ideal candidate will be passionate about the MacArthur Foundation’s mission and bring many of the following skills and experiences:

Minimum of 10 years of experience in the records, information and knowledge management fields with experience in developing a secure, learning-centered, multi-leveled information environment and implementing an efficient and effective records and information management program.
Master’s degree or equivalent experience in information/library science, business administration, or related discipline.
Extensive experience leveraging advanced information and knowledge management tools, systems and technology, particularly Artificial Intelligence (AI), to accelerate the work (for example – archives, repository, content and document management, including retention and destruction).
Adept at organizational change and a proven track record of inspiring people to adopt new ways of thinking and working under challenging circumstances. Diplomatic and skilled at building relationships and cross-functional buy-in and support.
Minimum of five years of Staff managerial experience in related field.
Demonstrated ability to manage complex projects, cultivate productive working relationships, mentor and lead by example, and build a culture of excellence in quality and service.
Demonstrated knowledge of records and information management principles, techniques and technology for classification, preservation, search, and records retention, in all formats.
General familiarity with the philanthropic sector and an understanding of how data and knowledge can be used to drive impact goals.
Facility for communicating ideas, requirements, and recommendations persuasively to stakeholders across all levels using a variety of communication and presentation methods.
Outstanding judgment, initiative, and motivation.

The position is hybrid and based in Chicago, Illinois.

Annual salary for this role will start at $154,185. We offer a generous total compensation package that emphasizes both base salary and a comprehensive benefits package to support your life, health, and well-being.

Physical Requirements and Work Environment

The work environment is an office setting. Intermittent physical activities will include bending, reaching, sitting, and moving around the office during working hours. Requests for reasonable accommodations will be considered to enable a person with disabilities to perform the job. Reasonable accommodations are also available during the interview process.

TO APPLY:

Director of Knowledge, Records and Information Management

Records, And Information Management

John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

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