Extra Cheese: other jobs for humanists

Jun 14, 2021

Hi, everyone! This is the first installment of Extra Cheese. Today, I’ll share some other opportunities which might be a good fit for readers of this list. These positions may be more flexible in terms of citizenship requirements than positions with the federal government, but I haven’t sought out that information. Some of them are academic positions.

Some of the positions are internships. If you’re a placement director or an advisor, please consider pointing these opportunities out to your students. More of them are taking on extra work than you think. (Also, you should probably collect information on that!) Your students might appreciate knowing they have your support in seeking out extra or alternative employment, rather than feeling they have to hide their job at Target.

Higher Education Intern, Fall 2021 • New America Foundation • deadline for full consideration: June 30, 2021

New America’s Education Policy Program is a think-tank industry leader in PreK-12, higher education, and the workforce. In addition to conducting research and analysis in these areas, interns will have the opportunity to publish their own blog posts and other work, attend virtual events on behalf of New America, and gain exposure to some of the brightest and most ambitious thinkers in the field. They will also have the opportunity to attend New America virtual events, professional development, and off-the-record policy lunches with fellows and staff from other New America policy programs.
…
Qualifications:
Demonstrated interest in higher education policy. Because of the content knowledge in higher education policy needed for this position, an undergraduate or graduate student with knowledge of institutional, state, and/or federal higher education policy is preferred
Excellent writing and communications skills; previous blogging experience or writing for a public audience a plus
Passion for education and equity
Intellectual curiosity, motivation, and a desire to learn on-the-job; must be a self-starter and have the ability to work independently and with a team
Strong research abilities
Able to work remotely and attend some scheduled meetings 10am-4pm eastern

This is a paid position (I am only going to list stuff you can get paid for, though I don’t make any claims about the quality of the pay). Glassdoor reviews say NAF internships don’t provide clear paths within the organization, partly for funding reasons, but I imagine this could be good experience for lots of other jobs - especially if they ask for writing samples.

[Summer] Science Writing Intern • New America Foundation • no deadline, program participation is rolling and year-round

If you have a background in bioethics, healthcare ethics, applied ethics, history and philosophy of science, etc, this could be a good fit!

New America’s International Security Program (ISP) seeks graduate-student applicants who have a strong interest in research and writing on health and science for this unique Science Writing Intern opening. . . .
The science writing intern will primarily assist the program’s full-time staff members with research, data collection, and policy analysis for the COVID-19 brief. This includes researching, gathering, and synthesizing articles related to the coronavirus pandemic, particularly health and science, among other topics as they arise. The intern may also assist with other research, data collection, and policy analysis for internal projects and policy reports. Interns must be self-starters who are excited to work both independently and as part of a team on a variety of international security-related research projects.
. . .
Qualifications:
Experience in writing about science is preferred, especially medical science. Because of the content knowledge and skills necessary for this position, a graduate student is preferred;
Excellent writing, research, communications, and critical thinking skills;
Intellectual curiosity, motivation, and a desire to learn on-the-job;
Ability to research and write to a daily deadline;
Applicants may have the opportunity to remain in the position beyond one semester.

Project Organizer Higher Education Campaign • Local 200 SEIU • no deadline listed (job posted June 2)

We are seeking a Project Organizer/Organizer-In-Training to work on aggressive campaigns in higher education. As a Project Organizer/Organizer-In-Training, your role is to work with a team of staff and members to support workers who are fighting to win power by building a union in their workplace.
The position is in NYC and may require travel. This is a 1-year term position.
Responsibilities Include (but are not limited to):
Conducting broad and intensive outreach efforts to workers.
Attending organizer trainings, practice, and sharpen organizing conversation.
Building one-on-one relationships with workers, educating them about building union power.
Identifying and developing leaders to guide and lead their campaigns.
Motivate and inspire workers to build their union in the face of heavy –and often illegal– employer opposition.
Using house visits and phone calls to identify and recruit workers to the union.
Working long and irregular hours, including nights and weekends.
Conducting individual and group meetings with workers.
Working to involve community allies in organizing campaigns.
Conducting research needed to build a comprehensive campaign.
Write notes and track data utilizing google docs and SEIU database.
Qualifications:
Capacity to work independently and with a team.
The ability to make and follow through on a work plan.
Excellent verbal communications skills.
Excellent active listening skills.
Ability to connect with people quickly.
Basic writing and computer skills.
The ability to work with people from diverse backgrounds.
Willingness to conduct house and site visits.

Union campaigning is no joke - even after you win the election you have to keep fighting sometimes. If you were an active part of a union or union campaign, this could be a good position! And you might already know someone you can talk to about applying for this job.

Postdoc Ethics, Privacy, and Fairness in Digital Environments • University of Tübingen • deadline June 30, 2021 (I think; I don’t read German)

The application of ML methods in digital education raises significant ethical issues. . . . Accordingly, the Innovation Fund “Machine Learning in Education” in the Cluster of Excellence “Machine Learning: New Perspectives for Science” in collaboration with the Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology seeks to hire a Postdoc for fundamental research in the ethics and methodology of machine learning for education. . . .The position is funded for 3 years. Compensation is at minimum €4002/month brutto (€2379 netto) and increases according to experience. Funding for equipment, travel and other expenses is also available.
Possible research areas include but are not limited to the following.
Methodological Issues in the testing of ML algorithms. . . .
Algorithmic Fairness. . . .
Privacy, Respect and Autonomy. In educational ML, researchers will be able to collect unprecedentedly fine-grained information about students---up to the motion of their eyes. That could enable a revolution in personalized learning, but also poses significant threats to privacy and autonomy. Irresponsible or punitive use of these technologies threatens to be invasive, arbitrary and incompatible with respect for student autonomy. Is it possible to use these promising technologies without creating educational dystopias?
The position is, by its nature, extremely interdisciplinary. Therefore, we are open-minded about the background of potential applicants. Applicants holding a PhD in philosophy (esp. ethics), statistics, machine learning, social science (e.g. psychology, psychometrics, economics, political science, sociology), education or allied fields are welcome to apply. . . .

And if you’ve got German skills, the Goethe Institute would like to talk to you:

Cultural Programs Curator • Goethe-Institut (Washington, D.C.) • deadline July 4, 2021

Responsibilities:
Conception, planning, realization, and evaluation of cultural programs at the Goethe-Institut Washington D.C. and in the digital space (for example, in the areas of visual art, architecture and design, music, theatre and dance, discourse)
Assistance in the coordination of regional projects in the US, Canada, and Mexico
Maintaining contact with partner institutions in the USA and Germany, networking
Administrative tasks, budget planning and supervision
Communication with the relevant divisions at the Goethe-Institut Central Office in Munich
Requirements:
University degree – for example, in the humanities or cultural management
Great interest in and very good knowledge of contemporary art and culture
Knowledge of German and American society and their cultural scenes
. . .
Knowledge of both spoken and written German, possibly on a native speaker level, and very good knowledge of English

They are also hiring a coordinator for online language courses; the deadline for full consideration was June 8 but if you know you’re a particularly good candidate and have a resumé ready, it could be worth a look.

I also checked out Instituto Cervantes, but I don’t think they’re centralized in the same way the Goethe-Institut is - however, their website design is from 2003, so maybe you could pitch them a redesign on the grounds that it’s making job openings harder to find. If there’s an Instituto Cervantes near you, maybe you can join their newsletter or something to find job openings.

Program Officer, Higher Education Initiatives and Program Officer, International Programs • ACLS • no deadline listed

The HEI position is for two years, but I think the IP position is permanent. They have overlapping, but not identical, qualifications and responsibilities and both would like someone with a PhD in humanities or interpretive social sciences. I can’t link to them separately without creating a pointless referral link (I don’t think the ACLS will hire me if I point you their way, right? is that how networking works?) but the ads are short - it doesn’t seem onerous to direct you to both of them!

Associate Director PHutures • Integrative Learning and Life Design Johns Hopkins University • open until filled

[T]he Associate Director of PHutures will help develop a vision, strategy, and plan for enhancing the professional development, life design, alumni connections, employer engagement, and career and mentoring opportunities for doctoral students and Postdoctoral fellows at Johns Hopkins University, with special attention to the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences and the Whiting School of Engineering. The Associate Director will work collaboratively to develop programs, courses, events, content, and resources that enhance the experience and opportunities for doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows, particularly at the Homewood schools. The Associate Director will work independently . . . but can expect to meet regularly with the Director of PHutures to assess and evaluate priorities and set goals. This position focuses on serving the unique needs of the Doctoral and Postdoctoral population by creating a cultural shift away from the transactional aspects of career services to taking a transformational approach focused on scalability and equitable access to resources.

There is a bunch more information about this position, but none of it is about the timeline for reviewing applications.

Coordinator of Environmental Literacy • The Lawrence Hall of Science, UC Berkeley • deadline June 23, 2021

The Lawrence Hall of Science at the University of California, Berkeley, seeks a skilled leader with experience at the intersection of environmental education, equity, justice, and building healthy communities to contribute to and support the Learning & Teaching Group’s environmental literacy projects. The Learning & Teaching Group focuses on capacity building in formal. . . and informal . . .education systems, in support of developing science and environmental literacy, including the widespread implementation of Next Generation Science Standards.
The Coordinator of Environmental Literacy will contribute at a leadership level to the Lawrence’s portfolio of projects related to environmental literacy, including the BEETLES Project, the in-development Elizabeth and Robert Karplus Outdoor Nature Lab, the Working Towards Racial Equity national 2-year workshop series, and others. The Coordinator of Environmental Literacy will report to the Director of Environmental Literacy Programs and work closely with the Learning & Teaching Group, the Research & Impact Group, Learning Labs, Visitor and Community Experiences, as well as external collaborators and partners.

This is a one-year renewable position.

Learning Design Group Associate Director• The Lawrence Hall of Science, UC Berkeley • June 30, 2021

The Lawrence Hall of Science (The Lawrence) at the University of California, Berkeley, seeks Associate Directors for its Learning Design Group (up to 4 positions available). The Learning Design Group (LDG) engages in research, design, and development of models and materials to promote ground-breaking, inclusive and culturally relevant approaches to science teaching and learning in formal education spaces. LDG designs both comprehensive and stand-alone instructional materials that span science, technology, and engineering and creates resources for educators in those fields. Prominent examples of these materials include: Amplify Science, a comprehensive science program for Grades TK through 8 that is used by over two million students and The Argumentation Toolkit, a collection of resources designed to help teachers understand and teach scientific argumentation. Some LDG materials are self-published and available freely; some are commercially licensed to ensure widespread adoption and distribution in schools.

These positions are similarly one-year and renewable. That’s also the description for the Director position below, so it may just be boilerplate. Certainly a new director every year sounds expensive.

Learning Design Group Director •The Lawrence Hall of Science, UC Berkeley • June 30, 2021

The Lawrence Hall of Science (The Lawrence) at the University of California, Berkeley, seeks a visionary academic leader to direct its Learning Design Group. The Learning Design Group (LDG) engages in research, design, and development of models and materials to promote ground-breaking, inclusive and culturally relevant approaches to science teaching and learning in formal education spaces.
. . .
The Director of the Learning Design Group will be responsible for vision, leadership, and executive management of the group and will represent LDG nationally and internationally. The Lawrence is especially interested in candidates who will contribute to the Learning Design Group’s priorities related to culturally responsive pedagogy, culturally relevant curriculum, and social emotional learning, and who can bring experience related to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace.

I can’t imagine they want to find “a visionary academic leader” every year, but maybe visionaries move around a lot. Anyway, if you’re a visionary and you’re reading this, I hope you’ll let me and everyone else here know!

Please comment below if this kind of post is useful or interesting to you. I expect to do Extra Cheese posts about twice a month, though they won’t all be job listings. Some will be guest posts, and if I get enough lined up I’ll be launching a subscription option so guests can be consistently compensated for their work.

See you Friday!