Carnegie Mellon School of Design seeks an intellectually curious, collaborative, experienced, and dynamic leader to join the School of Design. Working collaboratively and strategically with faculty, staff, students, and alumni, the Head will lead the further development and enactment of a forward-thinking vision for the school. The Head serves as a critical leader within the College of Fine Arts, advocating for the School of Design, and reporting to the Dean of the College.
About Carnegie Mellon University
Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Carnegie Mellon is a unique place where design, arts, sciences, and humanities converge. The School promotes an integrated design process that incorporates perspectives from each of these disciplines. To identify and address new problems as they emerge, the School builds on the humanistic, artistic, and scientific strengths of Carnegie Mellon as a leading research university. At the School there is a belief that design can enact positive change in the world—a world that values the quality of people’s lives in balance with a healthy and sustainable planet.
Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU),is a global, research-intensive university with more than 14,000 students, more than 120,000 alumni, and approximately 5,000 faculty and staff. In its 2022–2023 U.S. News & World Report ranked CMU#22 among national universities, #3 in terms of Most Innovative Schools, and many of its programs are among the top-ranked in the world. CMU is home to the country’s #1 ranked programs in computer science, computer engineering, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence, among others.
The School of Design is continually ranked among the top design programs worldwide for undergraduate and graduate programs. In addition to highly ranked drama, art, and music schools, CMU has the #7 engineering program, the #5 undergraduate business program, and is one of a small number of academic institutions in the nation boasting a fully-fledged Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC), the Software Engineering Institute (SEI). CMU’s confluence of scholarly excellence, robust federal and industry interface, and heritage of innovation has consistently placed it among the world’s most dynamic and impactful research institutions.
The Role of Head of the School of Design
Reporting to the Dean of the College of Fine Arts, The Head of the School of Design will provide creative leadership for the faculty, staff, and students at the School. In this role, the Head will manage eight direct reports as well as work collaboratively with the entire faculty and staff of the School. They will represent and be an advocate for the School within the university and to the outside world—demonstrating an understanding of, and appreciation for, design research, practice, and teaching now and into the future.
This is a unique administrative role with fiduciary and administrative responsibilities as well as responsibility at the faculty leadership level. The next Head of the School will be an active member of a strong leadership team within the College of Fine Arts.
Contact Information
This is a full-time position that will be performed on-site in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Salary will be commensurate with experience and includes a generous benefits package.
To apply for this position, please submit a CV and cover letter to CMUHeadSchoolofDesign@storbecksearch.com. Applications, nominations, and inquiries should be sent in confidence via email to CMUHeadSchoolofDesign@storbecksearch.com.