Executive Director

The Center for Law, Brain & Behavior (CLBB), within the Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Psychiatry, seeks a dynamic, engaged, and visionary leader to serve as its next executive director. The candidate should be board certified / board eligible in Psychiatry and licensed in Psychology in Massachusetts, and should be qualified for an academic appointment at Harvard Medical School at the assistant professor or associate professor, level, or above. Joint training in both law (JD) and psychology or psychiatry (PhD/PsyD or MD) is preferred, and experience in forensic work is highly desirable. To apply, applicants should submit an updated CV including at least two references, and a cover letter discussing relevant training and experience, to erehmet@mgh.harvard.edu.

Massachusetts General Hospital is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions or any other characteristic protected by law.

About the Center for Law, Brain & Behavior:

Based at Mass General Hospital, the largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, CLBB partners with faculty at Harvard Medical School and Harvard Law School to put the most accurate and actionable neuroscience in the hands of judges, lawyers, and policymakers—people who shape the standards and practices of our legal system and affect its impact on people’s lives. CLBB provides expert training, tools and counsel, helping members of the legal community understand and apply the most relevant brain science to the cases, courtroom procedures and policies they influence. CLBB has recently completed a strategic planning process, and the next executive director will work with the Center’s co-directors to implement the strategic plan with goals across four areas:

• Establishing more effective standards and practices for criminal sentencing by helping judges and lawyers understand the most relevant applications of the neuroscience of decision-making.
• Ensuring more accurate evaluations and more effective solutions for juvenile and emerging adult justice by helping judges, lawyers and other key actors across the legal ecosystem understand the most relevant applications of the neuroscience of developing brains.
• Ensuring more accurate judgments in immigration and asylum cases, and changing legal standards through impact litigation, by helping lawyers and judges understand the most relevant applications of the neuroscience of trauma, family separation and memory.
• Ensuring better protection and agency for older adults, especially in the process of estate planning and financial decision-making, by helping judges, lawyers, families and financial planners understand the most relevant applications of the neuroscience of aging brains.

The Center is in the midst of historical growth, both programmatically and financially. The new executive director will be expected to build on this foundation through the strengthening of existing programs and partnerships, as well as development of new partnerships. The Executive director will work with the Center co-directors and senior leadership on all Center-related matters, both substantive and administrative.

Program Management, Research and Dissemination

• Lead in developing written Center-related materials, such as annual report, white papers, amicus briefs, scholarly articles, teaching materials, and professional presentations

• Consult with co-directors on policy-level decisions regarding Center activities

• Provide substantive feedback on Center programmatic activities
• Lead in selecting, directing, and managing research assistants on various projects
• Support the development and delivery of the Center’s education and outreach programming
• Plan and execute annual Advisory Board meetings
• Oversee conference and meeting preparation as needed

Grants and Development

• Spearhead the proposal development process, enlisting participation from subject matter experts and volunteers, in collaboration with the Mass GeneralDevelopment Office
• Partner with volunteers, CLBB leadership and Mass General Development Office in identifying and pursuing new private philanthropic opportunities

Management and Budget

• Directly supervise the full time research assistant
• Ensure compliance with various MGH policies
• Oversee budgeting, including develop and prepare budget reports

Communications

• Supervise staff who maintain Center contact database and email list-servs, including the CLBB News email newsletter

• Supervise staff to update the Center web site

• Develop relationships with Advisory Board Member and donors, to provide updates on Center activities and to engage them further in support of the CLBB mission
• Serve as representative of the Center in various public appearances, such as at conferences

Preferred Education, Skills and Experience:

• JD, MD or PhD required, and joint JD-PhD or JD-MD preferred
• Board certified / board eligible in Psychiatry or licensed in Psychology
• Qualified for an academic appointment at Harvard Medical School asassistant professor, associate professor or higher
• Expert and high-level management skills
• Project management, including scholarly and professional writing, conducting legal research, web research, manuscript preparation and special conferences and workshop coordination
• Highly focused, task-oriented
• Strong organizational and interpersonal skills are essential