Assistant Director, Center for Global Engagement, Northwestern ...

The Northwestern University Center for Global Engagement (CGE) provides classroom, international, co-curricular, and professional development activities to undergraduates interested in global development issues. CGE's innovative set of multidisciplinary programs is designed to help students become experienced, effective, and compassionate global leaders.

CGE is a subcenter of the Northwestern University Buffett Center for International and Comparative Studies, and combines academic training with experiential learning opportunities designed to help students gain the knowledge, tools, and experiences they need to participate in global social change, international development, and/or social entrepreneurship.

CGE's work focuses on four areas:
Developing programs that allow students to cross borders and disciplines to critique academic theories of social change and global development through experiential learning.
Mentoring co-curricular student groups whose activities promote responsible and effective ways of engaging with global issues.
Strengthening students' leadership capabilities and skills through programs that foster self-re?ection and mobilize others to pursue informed action.
Cultivating a network of leaders who gain skills and knowledge to advance solutions to pressing global challenges.

Role of the Assistant Director (AD)

The AD reports to the Director of Operations, Programs, and Research at the Buffett Center for International & Comparative Studies, the administrative home of the Center for Global Engagement (CGE).

The AD oversees, manages, and develops the activities of CGE. S/he will drive strategic planning to develop a short- and long-range vision for CGE, in consultation with key staff, and then take the lead in executing that vision. S/he maintains mutually beneficial and effective relationships with CGE's partners abroad; oversees and creates academic enrichment and career development programs on the Northwestern campus; coordinates and expands fund-raising activities; mentors and advises student groups and individual students with global development interests; develops CGE's alumni network; discovers and shares opportunities (internships, jobs, etc.) for CGE alumni; runs the Global Development Lecture Series; and supports the creation of new initiatives to meet CGE's mission and to fulfill the growing undergraduate demand for global engagement programming.

CGE has designed successful programs like the international experiential learning and study abroad program, the Global Engagement Studies Institute (GESI). GESI operates in six countries: Bolivia, the Dominican Republic, India, Nicaragua, Uganda and South Africa. GESI is the most visible and established of CGE programs, and the AD will be tasked with leading GESI into its next phase of growth.

The AD must be forward-thinking, creative and have a strong understanding of the latest topics, debates, challenges, and achievements in the international development field. S/he must be open to new means of fulfilling CGE's mission but rooted in understanding student needs by working with students to produce programs and initiatives of most value to them. Most importantly, the AD must be willing to push the envelope on the role the university plays in supporting undergraduate involvement in global engagement, ask critical questions about the impact of our work on students and host communities, and exhibit a high-level of critical thinking to reflect on our programming, goals, and strategies.

The AD will help strengthen Northwestern's excellence in supporting globally engaged students--s/he must be tenacious and vision-driven, while grounded in the realities and complexities of global and institutional change.

Primary Responsibilities

Global Engagement Studies Institute (GESI) Program Management and Development: The AD develops and oversees CGE programs, especially its GESI program (www.gesi.northwestern.edu), an experiential-learning and study abroad program focused on international community-based development. The AD oversees GESI programs in Bolivia, the Dominican Republic, India, Nicaragua, South Africa, and Uganda. The structure, design, and operation of these programs - which vary considerably from one country to another - are the responsibility of the AD. As part of this oversight, the AD travels regularly (approximately two to three international trips per year, each of approximately one to two weeks in duration) to the GESI sites in order to maintain close and mutually beneficial relationships with GESI partners, to assess the status of the programs, to obtain feedback from program partners, to communicate the vision of GESI to local partners, and to understand the needs and goals of community partners. The AD will:

Work with Northwestern professors, existing partners (the Foundation for Sustainable Development, ThinkImpact, and Social Entrepreneur Corps) to develop and coordinate the curriculum of the GESI program;
Oversee all pre-departure and travel logistics of GESI including coordinating with Northwestern Study Abroad Office, Health, Student Affairs, and Legal offices (when necessary);
Strategically identify new GESI expansion sites and form new partnerships;
Develop and oversee GESI program budget to assure its sustainability through participant tuition fees;
Lead annual GESI evaluation and program assessments and work with faculty to enhance curriculum based on feedback from students, staff, faculty, and local partners as well as based on best practices in the service/experiential learning and international development fields;
Work with CGE staff to develop a far-reaching and innovative marketing strategy to recruit students across U.S. campuses; provide expertise in marketing, communications, public relations, social media, and partnership-building to assist the GESI staff in expanding the reach and quality of GESI marketing and institutional partnerships;
Critically assess the strengths and weaknesses of the GESI program, provide recommendations and solutions to improve the program with the goal of continuing to establish the program as an exemplar within the international experiential-learning and alternative study abroad fields;
Identify and cultivate innovative partnerships with other universities, helping to build a national community of administrators and faculty who think critically and act responsibly with regard to community development programs abroad;
Set, revise, and monitor academic, financial, and administrative policies related to the GESI program, in collaboration with other study abroad offices on campus; and
Build relationships with national leadership groups in both the study abroad and international development fields and represent the program at national service-learning, experiential-learning and study abroad conferences and events, serving as its spokesperson.

Global Development Speaker Series: The AD will be tasked with strategically identifying key global development scholars and practitioners and inviting them to campus to lecture and interact with students. S/he must have demonstrated experience managing and planning large events.

Grants & Research: CGE currently has a limited amount of funding available for students who wish to apply for grant funding. The AD is responsible for structuring grant opportunities, publicizing them, and helping students to develop their proposals. In some cases, the AD works with colleagues to select grantees. Informally, the AD will often assist CGE-affiliated students with their applications to other departments and grant awarding bodies, particularly when their project or research interests align with the work of CGE-affiliated groups. The AD will often write letters of recommendation for students affiliated with the Center.

Career Development: The AD will work with staff to enhance CGE's Fellowship program, a 6-month training in workplace skills and an opportunity for undergraduates to explore nontraditional career options. This will include coordinating the fellow selection application process, identifying relevant workshop themes and facilitators, evaluating the quality of the program, and ensuring both a personal and professional development component to the program. The AD will seek opportunities to connect with globally-minded, impact-drive organizations to find jobs, internships, and other opportunities for CGE students to pursue as well as develop additional programming to support students' interested in service, global development, or social impact-driven career fields.

Mentorship & Advising: The AD will support CGE-affiliated student groups to the extent desired by the group. S/he will often facilitate introductions between student leaders and relevant organizations or possible guest speakers for student events; help student groups brainstorm programming idea; provide strategic advice to student groups as they build alliances both within and outside of the university; document the progress and achievements of CGE-affiliated groups; and share relevant stories in various media including center newsletters, news media outlets, and with potential donors. The AD will also advise students' interested in the GESI program, as needed, and should therefore have a strong understanding of international service/experiential-learning and study abroad as well as the nature of our international partnerships and familiarity with GESI host countries' culture, history, current events, etc.

New Programming: The AD will work closely with CGE-affiliated faculty, departments, students, and staff to identify areas for new programming that would support the academic, co-curricular or professional development pursuits of undergraduate students at Northwestern.

Fund Raising & Alumni Network. The AD develops and implements a robust fundraising strategy with the Director. The AD works with the Director and Development Office to develop and implement fundraising targets and serves as the primary contact with individual and institutional donors and grant providers.

The AD will create a vision for engaging and utilizing the CGE alumni network of hundreds of globally-minded individuals. S/he will develop the CGE alumni network and work with the Northwestern Development Office to create an outreach strategy to connect alumni with current students and campus initiatives as well as funding opportunities.

Communications: The AD will determine marketing and communications strategies for the overall Center and its programs, working with staff to create a message that resonates with Northwestern administrators, potential donors and employers, as well as students. S/he will oversee the development and annual review of all advising, marketing, and application materials - both in print and on the web and will frequently edit and proofread print and web materials.

In general the AD will:
Assess the current state of CGE's programs and evaluate whether they are optimally designed for the changing global context, how they compare to best practices within peer organizations, and to what extent they currently meet CGE's mission;
Seek new ways to enhance the cultural and educational exchange objectives of CGE by identifying new partners, programs, and sources of revenue;
Identify, develop, and execute a sound development strategy to further increase support for undergraduates interested in global engagement;
Continue to strengthen CGE's presence on the Northwestern campus in ways that further NU and CGE's mission;
Reorganize the administrative structure of CGE as appropriate to ensure efficient use of current resources, including an examination of the organization's current technology capabilities and future needs.

Minimum Qualifications
The AD will have a vision for enhancing the role of higher education in fostering global change, a personal understanding of the transformative power of intercultural experience, and extensive international work experience, preferably in the international development field.

The AD must have an intellectual interest in international development and international work experience at a nonprofit, foundation, multilateral aid organization, or social enterprise.

Other minimum qualifications include the following:

1. S/he will have a minimum of 3 years experience in international development and/or international education programs in universities, and at least 5 years of work experience overall.

2. S/he will have a vision for enhancing the role of higher education in developing globally aware and interculturally competent students, a personal understanding of the transformative power of intercultural experience, and extensive international work experience, preferably at a nonprofit, CBO, foundation, multilateral aid organization, or social enterprise.

3. S/he must speak at least one of the following languages proficiently: Spanish, French, Arabic, Swahili or Hindi.

4. S/he will possess at least a bachelor's degree.

Minimum Competencies

Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to supervise staff, network with campus colleagues, and advise students with sensitivity, including appropriate referrals, maintaining confidentiality, building collaborative relationships, and handling sensitive matters with tact and discretion.

2. Demonstrated leadership and management skills; an ability to manage the current programs and operations of the organization (including multitasking under pressure) while also developing a vision for its future.

3. Demonstrated cross-cultural competency; an ability to build and maintain relationships across cultures and a demonstrated understanding of contemporary global development issues.

4. Ability to network with colleagues at diverse universities, prospective student employers, prospective guest speakers, etc.

5. Flexibility and creativity; an ability to adapt to an ever-changing work environment and to bring people and ideas together for innovative programming.

6. Strong interpersonal skills, excellent written and oral communication skills, detail-oriented, and quality focused.

7. Superb decision-making skills and demonstrated leadership experience.

Strong computer skills including Excel, Word, Internet, and Photoshop and/or Pages.

Preferred Qualifications:

1. Involvement with international service-learning or experiential-learning programs for undergraduates.

2. A graduate degree in international relations, international development, international education, public policy or related field, and 7-10 years of work experience.
Demonstrated experience managing complex budgets, planning events, supervising staff, advising students, and evaluating and developing programs that involve numerous stakeholders from across fields, countries, and cultures.

Experience writing and presenting papers at academic conferences.

Preferred Competencies
1. Technologically savvy: web and graphic design experience, social media smarts, ability to create engaging public presentations using Prezi and/or PowerPoint.

Self-starter with proven success at taking initiative to drive a vision/organization forward.

3. A demonstrated talent in fundraising; the ability to passionately and persuasively articulate CGE's mission and interests.

4. Confident public speaker.

5. Ability to write academic papers with publication potential.

6. Ability to teach in international service-learning programs; familiarity with service-learning models and pedagogy; familiarity with research in the international education, study abroad, or service/experiential-learning field.

7. Ability to develop assessment tools and analyze results.

8. An understanding of the values and culture of a research university such as Northwestern University.

To apply, visit: http://www.northwestern.edu/hr/careers/index.html and click "external applicants", and search for job #19272.

This material is cross-posted from the Peace and Collaborative Development Network, http://internationalpeaceandconflict.org

Source: http://blog.lib.umn.edu/gpa/globalnotes/2012/07/assistant-director-center-for.php

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