Careers

Democracy Initiative Position Openings

Student Opportunity: Graduate or Undergraduate Student Worker

The Memory Project, part of Democracy Initiative of the College of Arts & Sciences, seeks applicants for either an undergraduate or graduate student worker.

The Democracy Initiative’s Memory Project is partially funded by the Mellon Foundation and promotes research, curriculum development, and public engagement to address issues of public memory, memory conflict, and memory politics in the wake of the white supremacist violence in Charlottesville in 2017. The Memory Project studies the role which historical trauma and memory play as we define ourselves and our communities and aims to examine the past in the service of creating a more equitable and ethical future.

This position will support the Memory Project in areas such as:

The ideal candidate will have experience with a content management system (such as Drupal or similar content management software) and a strong interest in the study and practice of democracy and a demonstrated interest in racial justice advocacy, including but not limited to the fields of anthropology, the arts, economics, education, foreign policy and international relations, history, government, law, media studies, philosophy, political science, public administration, public policy, religious studies or a related field. Skills in written and oral communication, research, events management, or social media are desirable.

If interested, please submit a cover letter and resume via Workday.

Questions regarding the position may be directed to Dr. Jessica Kimpell Johnson, manager for the Memory Project. jk4sa@virginia.edu

Assignment Duration: March 15, 2019 - May 8, 2020

Position Compensation: $10-15/hour, depending on qualifications

Hours: 5-10/week

Website management
Social media management
Other related tasks

John L. Nau III History & Principles of Democracy Lab Manager

The Democracy Initiative and the College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences invites applications for a Manager for the John L. Nau III History & Principles of Democracy Lab. The Democracy Initiative program is a new interdisciplinary teaching, research and engagement effort bringing together a diverse range of scholars, government leaders and practitioners to study and advance the prospects of democracy around the world. The Nau Lab is the permanent core lab of the initiative and will operate as the connecting hub through a broad focus on research and thinking on Democracy in its broad historical and global dimensions.

The Lab Manager will work closely with the Director of the Nau Lab, Laurent Dubois, in organizing and carrying out programs including regular workshops, conferences and public events, and in producing and sharing content produced by this work for a broad audience within and beyond the university. Responsibilities will include project management, fiscal administration, communications, grants application and administration, event planning, and other such administrative functions. The successful candidate will be committed to and familiar with Humanities and Social Science approaches and their teaching within a liberal arts tradition.

This position requires a bachelor’s degree with at least two years’ experience in program or project management, administrative coordination, or academic affairs. Demonstrated skills in writing and communication, team building and collaboration, cultivating relationships with partner faculty, and in navigating complex internal and external relationships are also required. Experience with social media and website management (Drupal) preferred.

This position is a restricted position and is dependent upon project need, availability of funding, and performance.

Anticipated Hiring Range: Salary commensurate with qualifications and experience.

Intermediate or Senior Administrative Coordinator

The University of Virginia, Democracy Initiative and the College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences are accepting applications for an Intermediate Administrative Coordinator or Senior Administrative Coordinator position. The Democracy Initiative program is an exciting and ambitious interdisciplinary teaching, research, and engagement effort bringing together a diverse range of scholars, government leaders, and practitioners to study and advance the prospects of democracy around the world. Within the Democracy Initiative, a series of Democracy Labs promote faculty and student research, teaching, and public engagement.

The Intermediate or Senior Administrative Coordinator will serve as the major administrative support to the Democracy Initiative and manage the Democracy Initiative executive suite. The selected candidate will provide scheduling and other administrative support to two high profile co-directors of the Initiative who will be interacting with cross-UVA leadership and national/global stakeholders.

Job responsibilities:

Provide scheduling and administrative support to two co-directors of the Democracy Initiative.
Responsible for assisting with daily duties, requiring an understanding of organization operations, procedures, and initiatives.
Responsible for tracking departmental travel funds, reporting, and processing reimbursements, complex travel arrangements, calendaring, and communication with faculty, administrators, Faculty Advisory Committee, and other committees (both standing and ad hoc) as convened by or on behalf of, the Co-Directors, among other constituents.
Responsible for classroom and convening space scheduling - as these spaces are open and available to all DI Labs/Projects/Student Advisory Council, as well as to all College-wide staff/faculty.
Support event planning activities as needed.
Provide administrative support to the finance generalist.
Prepare invoices and purchase requisitions, enter and extract financial information, prepare monthly reconciliations for multiple fund sources, track and purchase office supplies, and make other purchases as needed.
Provide administrative support for grants, pre- and post-award.
Supervise and approve timecards for some DI student employees.
Assist the Democracy Initiative Labs with the procurement process, reimbursement requests, and expense tracking systems.
Ensure procurement and reimbursement policies and procedures are followed.
In addition to the above job responsibilities, other duties may be assigned.

This job will be filled at either the Intermediate Administrative Coordinator or Senior Administrative Coordinator level depending on the successful candidate's experience, knowledge, and competencies.

The ideal candidate for the Intermediate Administrative Coordinator will have a High School Diploma and at least four years of prior administrative support experience.

The ideal candidate for the Senior Administrative Coordinator will have a High School Diploma and at least six years of prior administrative support experience. Bachelor's degree may substitute for experience.

All candidates’ minimum requirements:

Must possess strong writing and editing skills, excellent grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
The ability to work independently with little oversight to prepare and compose correspondence; and create and maintain electronic files and records is required.
Attention to detail and high level of accuracy is essential. Excellent organizational, strong verbal and written communication skills and the ability to adapt to a fast-paced environment with changing priorities are essential.
Exhibit a professional and positive demeanor in high pressure situations as well as effective communication and relationship building with a diverse group of individuals and organizations.
Experience with Microsoft Office Suite is required, specifically Word, Outlook scheduling function and Excel.
Experience working on websites and social media a plus.

Salary is commensurate with qualifications and experience.

This position will remain open until filled. This is a nonexempt level, benefited position. This position is a restricted position and is dependent upon availability of funding and performance.

For questions about the position, please contact Ellen Ochs, at eo2tk@virginia.edu. For questions about the application process, please contact Nicole Robinson, Faculty Search Advisor, at nr7f@virginia.edu.

The selected candidate will be required to complete a background check at time of offer per University Policy.

Postdoctoral Research Associate, Democratic Statecraft Lab

The Democratic Statecraft Lab (DSL) at the University of Virginia invites applications for two Post-doctoral Research Associate positions for the 2021-2022 academic year. We are particularly interested in scholars who are engaging with critical issues in U.S. foreign policy, including: grand strategy, the use of military power, alliance dynamics, nuclear weapons and emerging technologies, immigration and refugee policy, international institutions, and economic statecraft. Applications are invited from scholars of political science, public policy, history and other relevant disciplines.

The Democratic Statecraft Lab generates policy-relevant, cross-disciplinary research to inform U.S. foreign policy. The Lab is part of the University of Virginia’s Democracy Initiative.

Duties & Responsibilities: Research Associates will work closely with Dr. Todd Sechser and other faculty on Lab research projects and public programming, and must complete an academic manuscript for publication during their employment year as well as a short policy-relevant paper for publication on the Lab’s website. Research Associates will also be responsible for teaching one undergraduate course per academic year.

Minimum Qualifications: Ph.D. in political science, public policy, history, or related field within the past six (6) years; excellent written and oral communication skills and a strong work ethic.

Notes: This is a one-year position based in Charlottesville, Virginia. The position is available beginning in mid-August of 2021, but the specific start date is negotiable.

This is a salaried position at $60,000 per year plus benefits.