L’American Academy in Rome è il più antico centro estero per la ricerca e lo studio delle arti e delle discipline umanistiche. Ogni anno, l’Academy assegna il Premio di Roma a un gruppo selezionato di artisti e studiosi che sono invitati a vivere e lavorare in una comunità internazionale dinamica nel cuore di Roma. Per supportare il lavoro di questi Fellows, l’Accademia ospita anche programmi a Roma, New York e negli Stati Uniti.

AAR è un datore di lavoro per le pari opportunità.

Position Description

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the American Academy in Rome (AAR) serves as the principal executive responsible for day-to-day financial management and operations of the institution, ensuring efficient, compliant, and mission-aligned execution of all support functions. The COO is a trusted strategic leader reporting directly to the President & CEO and partners with the Executive Leadership Team. The COO manages strategic execution across financial, operational, and administrative domains and oversees eight direct reports spanning seven departments. This position requires bilingual and cross-cultural fluency, exceptional management skills, and expertise in financial operations and administration.

The American Academy in Rome is a residential institute for advanced work in the arts and humanities. Beyond its core academic mission, the Academy also operates as a hotel accommodating approximately 100 people each night, a restaurant serving about 80 people twice daily during the week, a historic property on 11 acres subject to oversight by two landmarks commissions, and one of Rome’s premier venues for events and rentals.

The COO will ensure that this multifaceted institution functions as an efficient and strategically managed organization. Success in the role will be defined by improved organizational performance, operational strength and effectiveness, and effective strategic execution. The COO will oversee the daily operations of the Academy, lead and implement institutional change, bring deep business and financial expertise to the senior management team, and serve as both a complement to the President and CEO and a close partner in advancing the Academy’s mission and long-term sustainability. The COO is responsible for the operational and financial management of the Academy, not its intellectual or academic direction. That responsibility remains with the Rome Director. By placing operations in the COO’s portfolio, the Academy frees the Director to focus more fully on shaping the intellectual life of the institution.

1. Executive and Organizational Leadership

• Serve as a key member of the Executive Leadership Team (ELT), which meets regularly to align on strategy, advise the President and CEO, coordinate cross-departmental priorities, and strengthen the Academy’s overall effectiveness.
• Manage alignment and execution of AAR’s operational systems with its mission, programs, and long-term strategic goals.
• Lead and establish policy and protocols for high-quality and efficient operations within a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement across the organization.
• Represent the Academy internally at Board meetings, meals with Fellows and visitors, and externally with stakeholders, partners, and counterparts in both Italy and the U.S.

2. Financial Management

• Serve as the chief financial steward of the Academy, acting as a strategic partner to the President and ELT to ensure the Academy’s short- and long-term financial health, sustainability, and capacity for strategic growth.
• Manage the Finance function, overseeing budgeting, forecasting, multi-year financial planning, reporting, cash flow management, and audit processes.
• Oversee the endowment through regular communication with the institution’s outside investment advisors.
• Ensure compliance with all applicable U.S. and Italian laws and regulations, including maintenance of tax-exempt status in both countries.
• Bring international experience with U.S. GAAP and other accounting standards, ensuring compliant, transparent financial management across currencies, transactions, and jurisdictions.
• Advise and liaise with key Board committees—Audit, Compensation, Executive, Finance, Investment, and Plant, Planning & Preservation—providing clear, timely financial analysis, risk assessments, and strategic recommendations.
• Manage relationships with external auditors, investment advisors, and other financial partners to safeguard assets and optimize returns in line with mission and risk tolerance.

3. General Operations & Compliance

• Manage daily operations and strategy of Finance, Facilities, Residential Life, Sustainable Food Program, HR, and IT.
• Ensure compliance with Italian and U.S. laws and regulations governing non-profit organizations.
• Maintain and update institutional policies, including risk management, insurance, contracting, and legal compliance across both countries.
• Oversee the Academy’s contractual relationship with Janus S.r.l., the entity leasing Villa Aurelia, to ensure well-managed operations and fiscal accountability.
• Partner in guiding and executing on institutional planning, including strategic planning, KPIs, and performance tracking.
• Develop and maintain internal controls to safeguard assets and institutional integrity.

4. Facilities, Residential Life & Campus Management

• Oversee the high-quality operation and preservation of AAR’s historic campus, including residential facilities, gardens, kitchen/dining services, and common areas.
• Lead the Residential Life team to ensure the highest standards in housing, dining, and hospitality for Fellows, Residents, Visiting Artists/Scholars, Trustees, and Guests. This includes managing room quality and upkeep, occupancy logistics, dining services, and the operational details that underpin a seamless residential experience, distinct from the programmatic and intellectual dimensions led by the Programs team.
• Ensure security, health, and safety protocols are observed across campus.
• Supervise capital improvements, renovations, and routine maintenance within the priorities of strategic planning.
• In collaboration with the Director, oversee the Sustainable Food Program. Where the Director has primary responsibility for the intersection of food and programming, the COO has primary responsibility for staffing, costs, and materials.

5. Human Resources & Staff Development

• Lead strategic workforce planning, employee relations, performance management, and staff development across departments.
• Recruit, develop, and retain high-performing staff across operational and administrative functions; exercise authority in hiring and separation decisions in alignment with institutional policies and culture.
• Ensure equitable and transparent HR policies, compliant with U.S. and Italian labor law and relevant international best practices.
• Cultivate an organizational culture that reflects AAR’s values of intellectual courage, excellence without elitism, civic responsibility, Roman roots, collaboration and exchange, and stewardship of the future.
• Manage payroll, contracts, benefits administration, and legal compliance in collaboration with external service providers.

6. Technology & Systems

• Manage strategic development of IT infrastructure, including systems support for administration, programs, risk management, and communications.
• Ensure data security and continuity of operations across platforms (finance, HR, digital archives, library systems).
• Align digital tools with staff and fellow/resident needs; support innovation in remote and hybrid program delivery.

7. External Engagement & Institutional Stewardship

• Act as liaison with legal counsel, government offices in both the U.S. and Italy, vendors, and other institutions as needed.
• Represent AAR’s interests in operational matters with authorities, contractors, and external stakeholders in both geographies.
• Support special projects and strategic initiatives as delegated by the President.

Application Deadline: 2 February 2026

The American Academy in Rome invites applications for the position of the Director of the American Academy in Rome Classical Summer School, beginning in the summer 2027, for a term of three years (2027–2029). The annual salary is $12,000 with a $1,500 stipend for meals outside of the Academy, transportation in Rome, and other incidental expenses. The Academy will also reimburse the CSS Director up to $2,000 annually for travel to Rome.

Organization

Since 1894 the American Academy in Rome has functioned as a residential center for research and creativity. Its purpose has always been to enable highly motivated scholars and artists to immerse themselves in the experience of Rome, ancient and modern, and to be inspired by daily exchange with the other members of this creative community. The Academy has made an outsized impact on the intellectual and cultural life of the United States, and its Fellows and Residents have been recognized with 647 Guggenheim Fellowships, 79 Pulitzer Prizes, 63 MacArthur Fellowships, 28 Grammy Awards, 25 National Medal of Arts, 21 National Book Awards, 9 Poet Laureate appointments, 7 National Humanities Medals, 5 Nobel Prizes, 5 Pritzker Prizes, and 2 Oscars. In addition to these honors, Fellows and Residents have been awarded memberships to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (223), the American Academy of Arts and Letters (188), and the Accademia de Lincei (10). Approximately 35 Fellows are selected as winners of the Rome Prize each year by rotating juries in the different fields.

The Classical Summer School was established in 1923 to benefit high school teachers of Greek and Latin, and graduate students in archeology and philology. Over the years, its participants have become more varied and now include college teachers and those working in related fields. It is of particular use to teachers and scholars with limited opportunities to visit Rome, as well as underrepresented groups in ancient studies. The Classical Summer School is designed to provide participants with a well-grounded understanding of the growth and development of the ancient city of Rome and central Italy, from the earliest times to late antiquity, through a careful study of material remains, art, and textual sources. Considerable time is also spent on issues of pedagogy and on integrating knowledge gained on site into the teaching of ancient languages, literature, and history. The Classical Summer School usually runs for 5 weeks beginning in mid-June.

Position Description

Major Responsibilities

The Classical Summer School Director provides the intellectual leadership for the intensive 5-week program, adjusting the program to reflect the changing state of the field of Roman studies and relevant emerging research. The CSS Director is responsible for delivering an intellectually coherent curriculum, feasible within the constraints of Rome in the summer, which pairs seminar-style teaching with on-site teaching and student presentations. The CSS Director will select participants (in consultation with the Mellon Professor in the Humanities); manage and stay within the budget; prepare the syllabus, lectures, talks, workshops, conversations, and site visits; and work closely with the Teaching Assistant (usually a PhD student from among the current Rome Prize Fellows) and the CSS Program Manager. Duties include:

• recruiting applicants and assessing applications;
• developing the curriculum and preparing pedagogical materials, including organizing lectures, conversations, discussions, workshops, and site visits (please note that the bulk of this work will take place before the start of the Summer School during the academic year);
• coordinating participant lodging with the assistance of the CSS Program Manager;
• providing guidance to the AAR on recruitment strategies;
• preparing a student survey at the close of each year’s Classical Summer School and reporting to the Academy on the Classical Summer School and participant experiences;
• engaging in constructive dialogue on eventual changes and improvements to the Classical Summer School;
• (optional but encouraged) attendance of the Classical Summer School in summer 2026 for one week (funded), shadowing the current CSS director.

The Academy will provide assistance on publicity, preparation of guidelines and informational and application materials for the Summer School; general administrative and accounting tasks; management of site permissions and visit reservations, accommodation, and local travel arrangements for the program.

Qualifications

• PhD in a relevant field (Roman archaeology, classics, art history, Roman history, etc.);
• active academic research in subjects related to Rome, its history and archaeology, with an outstanding publication record, appropriate to career stage;
• expert knowledge of Roman history and material culture from the earliest times to late antiquity, museums, and sites in and around Rome;
• considerable experience teaching at the college or university level;
• considerable practical knowledge of the city of Rome;
• expert knowledge of Latin;
• practical knowledge of Italian and experience of researching in Italy.

To Apply

Please submit a CV together with a letter of interest explaining your understanding of the role of the Classical Summer School Director at the American Academy in Rome, your interest in the position, and your unique qualifications for the role. Please include contact information for three persons familiar with your scholarly work and teaching experience (please note: referees will be contacted only for short-listed candidates).

Please send your application materials to mellonprofessor [at] aarome.org (mellonprofessor[at]aarome[dot]org) no later than 2 February 2026.

Important

Please submit two (2) separate documents attached to your email message. Both documents should be in PDF file format. Indicate “CSS Director search” in the subject of your message. The file names of your documents should follow the naming criteria below:
YOURLASTNAME_Firstname_CV.pdf
; YOURLASTNAME_Firstname_letter.pdf

Do not place your letter in the body of your email message.

Receipt of applications will be acknowledged by e-mail within one week.

Interviews

Candidates to be invited for an interview will be notified by 9 February 2026. Interviews will take place online.

American Academy in Rome is a EEO/AA/M/F/VET/DISABILITY Employer