Reporting to the Director of the Institute, the Assistant Director for Historical Dialogue and Accountability is primarily responsible for all program development and administrative matters relating to the Institute's major program in the field of historical accountability and human rights. This includes managing an international fellowship program and international conferences as well as conducting other outreach activities. The incumbent will supervise relevant staff. The Assistant Director for Historical Dialogue and Accountability (AHDA) manages and oversees the planning, organizing, and day-to-day operations of the fellowship program, plans and manages at least one major international conference annually, maintains relationships with the scholarly, advocacy, policy-making and funding communities involved in issues regarding historical accountability, liases with international counterparts and closely follows development in the field.
In regard to the fellowship program, s/he develops and oversees the implementation of the AHDA curriculum, works with faculty and fellows to address their needs on an on-going basis, coordinates process of assigning mentors to the fellows with relevant faculty, and promotes interaction between AHDA fellows and the Columbia community.
The Assistant Director is expected to assist in developing funding strategies for the program including developing a strategic fundraising plan, seeking and identifying new funding sources, and preparing proposals for new and existing activities.
The Assistant Director will be responsible for monitoring and evaluation of the fellowship program, and for outreach to alumni of the program to explore the network of historical dialogue advocates and fieldwork that is developing as a result of the program, and that could develop further with renewed collaboration and support from the program. Ensuring the successful implementation of projects that are developed during the fellowship is one component of this work; exploring different kinds of collaborations, such as regionally based workshops, is another.
The Assistant Director oversees the digitally based Historical Dialogues, Justice and Memory Network. This includes updating the listserv, adding blogposts, and instituting other information and / or changes that continue to make this website a robust, well-used information source for practitioners and scholars. The Assistant Director oversees the editors in charge of book reviews for the website; the editor in charge of the bi-weekly newsletter; and the editors in charge of the emerging scholar paper series. The Assistant Director also oversees subscription to the website, and works on design updates and changes that continue to make the site relevant and user friendly.
The Assistant Director oversees the Mapping Historical Dialogue Project (MHDP), a digital mapping project that seeks to research and document project work going on around the world in historical dialogue. Oversight of this project includes working with an IT specialist to troubleshoot problems with the website; managing the backend of the website; working with research affiliates to ensure the life of the site, and identifying new affiliates and institutional affiliations that will enrich the materials on the site further. The Assistant Director oversees and/or contributes to several other digital programs, including the Political Apologies Archive, the Memory Studies Portal.
The Assistant Director oversees other research and grant-related projects on an ad-hoc basis, including a project on genocide prevention, and takes on other administrative duties in terms of program support as needed.
Minimal Qualifications
Bachelor's degree or equivalent. A minimum of three years of related human rights or academic program development and implementation experience required.
Additional Qualifications
Excellent oral and written communication skills. Excellent interpersonal and inter-cultural skills. Excellent organizational and administrative skills with attention to detail and ability to think creatively. Computer and internet literacy.
Preferred Qualifications
Advanced degree in a field directly related to historical accountability strongly preferred. Experience in human rights program management strongly preferred.
Expertise in historical accountability, dialogue and human rights; experience in fellowship management; experience in outreach to scholarly and advocacy communities. Experience in management of personnel. Excellent team participation skills are preferred, as is the capacity to work within an organizational structure and the ability to work independently. Fundraising experience.
How to Apply
Apply using the Jobs at Columbia application portal located at https://jobs.columbia.edu/
Search for the position title or enter the job requisition number: 090602
