Description:
Regional Coordinator Aluka [Location in Africa TBD]
Aluka is an initiative of Ithaka, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to accelerating the adoption of productive and efficient uses of information technologies for the benefit of worldwide higher education. Aluka’s mission is to build and support a sustainable, online database of scholarly resources from and about the developing world, beginning in Africa. This database is organized around themes, including African Cultural Heritage Sites and Landscapes, Struggles for Freedom in Southern Africa, and African Plants.
The Regional Coordinator will serve as Aluka’s representative in Africa and will have a broad range of responsibilities related to collection development, facilitating progress on digitization projects, and raising awareness about Aluka’s mission and activities across Africa. This individual is an experienced professional who will work independently and interact on behalf of Aluka with government officials, scholars, directors of organizations, librarians, archivists, and other representatives of Aluka’s partner organizations.
It is envisioned that the Regional Coordinator will initially spend one to two months working in Aluka’s main office in Princeton, N.J., and thereafter work independently based out of an office in Africa (location to be determined). The Regional Coordinator will report to the Collections Development Manager, and will also work closely with the Executive Director, General Counsel, Production Manager, and Aluka’s advisors. This person will be expected to travel extensively within Africa and will make two to three trips to Princeton, NJ per year. While this may be categorized as a full-time position, it is possible that the Regional Coordinator will be affiliated with an academic or nonprofit organization in Africa or work for Aluka as an independent consultant.
Specific Duties and Responsibilities
The Regional Coordinator’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:
? Foster and maintain positive relationships with Aluka’s partner organizations, scholars and administrators at African universities and archives, governments and ministries in Africa, and other important stakeholders;
? Represent Aluka at meetings and conferences within the region;
? Help ensure that follow-up activities with Aluka’s partner organizations in Africa are accomplished in a timely and professional manner, including answering questions, problem solving, coordinating complex tasks among multiple parties, etc., so that projects meet deadlines and continue to progress and move forward;
? Follow up on permissions agreements with rights holders, repositories, and relevant government officials;
? Help establish and set up production facilities at African partner institutions in coordination with Aluka’s Production Manager;
? Coordinate itineraries, meetings, and workshops on behalf of other Aluka staff and stakeholders in the region;
? Prepare monthly reports summarizing outstanding tasks, and alert relevant Aluka staff when obstacles or problems arise;
? Contribute periodically to written reports and proposals;
? Assist with efforts to assess the needs and infrastructure constraints at African universities and research centers;
? Keep Aluka staff informed of new developments, policy changes, or political events in the region that could impact Aluka’s activities or strategic objectives.
Qualified candidates should submit a resume, cover letter and salary requirements to: We will consider each response carefully, but only contact those individuals we feel are most qualified for the position. Ithaka is an equal opportunity employer that offers a competitive salary, an excellent benefits package, and the opportunity to grow and expand your professional skills.
Qualification:
The Regional Coordinator will have:
? At least a Bachelor’s degree; an advanced degree such as an MBA or law degree is desirable;
? Minimum 5 years experience of involvement and/or leadership in complex international projects, with demonstrated ability to manage multiple tasks, strong organizational skills, and a record of achieving major objectives;
? Demonstrated ability to interact comfortably with scholars, government officials, and senior representatives of libraries, archives, and other international organizations;
? Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, including the ability to deliver presentations to large audiences and work effectively with his/her peers;
? Intellectual curiosity, resourcefulness, creativity and flexibility; this person must be comfortable working in an unstructured environment without strong day-to-day supervision;
? Excellent organizational skills and ability to prioritize tasks;
? Positive attitude, self-motivator;
? Ability to anticipate, identify, and solve problems;
? A demonstrated interest and experience in Sub-Saharan Africa;
? Software experience: Microsoft Office applications;
? Fluency in English is required, and fluency in French and/or Portuguese is highly desirable.
Contact Information: Human Resources Phone: 212 500 2600 Email: Apply by: April 15, 2006
