Call for application for the position of AMERICAN CORNER DIRECTOR, DEBRECEN.
Applications are invited from Hungarian citizens for the position of American Corner Director in Debrecen, located in the Meliusz Peter County Library. This is a temporary position from August 1, 2018 to August 30, 2020.
The American Corners (AC) program is a United States Department of State-sponsored initiative. There are almost 500 Corners in 70 countries all around the world. The fundamental function of the American Corners in Hungary is to provide information and insight about U.S. culture and civilization for Hungarian audiences through local programming to schools, universities and the general public. They provide access to current and reliable information about the U.S. via print, video, and online collections and through social media and new technologies. The American Corner Debrecen is one of five American Corners throughout Hungary and operates in regular cooperation with the other Corners.
The Director is responsible for long-term budget and strategic planning and the day-to-day management of the Corner’s wide range of programs and activities. The Director reports to the Meliusz Peter County Library and to the Public Affairs Section of the US Embassy in Budapest.
Duties include but are not limited to organizing and administering innovative in-person and virtual programs with local and visiting speakers and key contacts, providing information to visitors on USA-related questions, operating an English language library, keeping contact with partner institutions, promoting and representing the institution and American values at outreach events throughout the region, participating in professional training programs and conferences, managing the American Corner Facebook page and other social media platforms. Evening and weekend work is to be performed as programming necessitates. The AC also functions as an EducationUSA Advising Center. The Director plans and executes activities related to advising Hungarian students on all elements of study in the United States – from advising on test preparation to university research to education financing. As an Education Advisor the Director will work with regional and Washington D.C.-based educational advising experts to increase the number of Hungarian students studying in the U.S and raise the overall profile of U.S. education opportunities with Hungarian audiences. The Director also reports to the European Regional Educational Advising Coordinator of the EducationUSA network.
Essential Qualifications:
- An advanced university degree
- Thorough understanding of Hungarian and U.S. society, culture and educational systems
- Strong oral, written and interpersonal communication skills, including public speaking
- Fluency in English and Hungarian
- Strong network-building skills
- Experience in program organization
- Experience in budget management and logistics is an advantage
- Familiarity with social media, Internet, Twitter and e-mail
Personal skills: good problem-solving skills, ability to work on own initiative; an eye for detail, precise, reliable, success-oriented, able to handle competing priorities and multi-task, flexibility and ability to react to last-minute requests, client-focused attitude, personable, strong work ethic.
A contract will be offered to the successful candidate beginning on or around August 1, 2018. Salary is regulated by Hungarian law on civil servants. A letter of application in English accompanied by a CV should be sent electronically to vizsyl@state.gov no later than June 15, 2018. Only applications received by the closing date will be considered. Questions about the position should be submitted to the email address above.
