Center Director, Center of Firearms Law, Law School

Duke University:

Duke University was created in 1924 through an indenture of trust by James Buchanan Duke. Today, Duke is regarded as one of America’s leading research universities. Located in Durham, North Carolina, Duke is positioned in the heart of the Research Triangle, which is ranked annually as one of the best places in the country to work and live. Duke has more than 15,000 students who study and conduct research in its 10 undergraduate, graduate and professional schools. With about 40,000 employees, Duke is the third largest private employer in North Carolina, and it now has international programs in more than 150 countries.

Duke University Law School

Center for Firearms Law

Center Director

(Director, Academic Center, Law School; Level 15; 2190)

Job Description

Occupational Summary

Launched in early 2019, the Duke Center for Firearms Law aims to be the primary center for the development and dissemination of reliable scholarship on legal issues relating to firearms, gun rights and regulation, and the Second Amendment. The Center is committed to an ambitious program of scholarship and resource development. The Center organizes and hosts conferences and other programming, shapes and encourages scholars and scholarship, develops teaching materials, maintains an active blog and a database of historical gun laws, and generally serves as the hub for firearms law scholarship in the United States. The Center’s goals are to continue developing firearms law as a scholarly field, including by creating resources that lawyers, policy makers, and the interested layperson can use to develop fully informed opinions on firearms law and policy.

The Center Executive Director will provide direction and administrative oversight to all Center activities in concert with the Law School Dean and the Center’s faculty director, Joseph Blocher, and co-founder,  Darrell A. H. Miller (currently a Professor of Law at the University of Chicago).

Work Performed

• Initiate efforts to galvanize and synthesize research on issues involving firearms law.  Facilitate, create, and assist research into legal issues relating to firearms, gun rights and regulation, and the Second Amendment, including assisting faculty and students in furthering research interests in particular topic areas. (15%)
• Support, collect, and publish research on firearms law and policy, including through running the Center’s blog.  (25%)
• Serve as a resource to journalists and other public and private sector decision makers on firearms law and policy. (10%)
• Organize conferences, symposia, colloquia, and panel events of interest to academics, private sector leaders, government decision makers, and students. (20%)
• Establish and maintain contacts with outside organizations such as government agencies, professional organizations, law firms and other law schools to aid in achieving overall program objectives. (5%)
• Develop grant proposals to support Center research and conferences.  Participate as key personnel on grants, coordinate with relevant personnel on financial reporting, and prepare progress and final narrative reports. (10%)
• Participate in and help organize civic education and other legal and historical research projects. (5%)
• Provide staff leadership. Recommend various personnel actions including, but not limited to, hiring, performance appraisal, promotions, transfers and vacation schedules. Oversee the Center’s Repository manager and student research assistants. (10%)

Qualifications

Education

A JD degree or equivalent is required for the position. An advanced academic degree in a related field is preferred.

Experience

A minimum of 3 years work experience is required. Experience in an administrative or managerial capacity is preferred or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.

Preferred Education and Experience

As a primary focus of the Center is legal scholarship, candidates should have demonstrated skills in legal research and writing, and an interest in academic legal scholarship. Specific knowledge of firearms law and policy is a plus, but not required.

Skills and Abilities

• Strong research and writing skills
• Highly effective interpersonal and communications skills
• Demonstrated ability to work well with multiple constituencies, including faculty and university officials, policy makers, and corporate and other private sector leaders
• Ability and willingness to organize and execute conferences, symposia, and other events
• Facility with social media

Duke University provides an annual base salary range for this position as USD 95,000 to USD 125,000. Duke University considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position; candidate's work experience, education/training, and key skills; internal peer equity; as well as market and organizational considerations when extending an offer. This pay range represents base pay only and excludes any additional items such as incentives, bonuses, clinical compensation, or other items. See hr.duke.edu/benefits for more info.

Duke is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status.

Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas—an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.

Essential Physical Job Functions: Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essentialjob functions that require specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and provision for requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by each hiring department.