GSA Operations Director position announcement

 

German Studies Association

Position Available: Operations Director

The GSA seeks applications for an Operations Director (OD). The OD is primarily responsible for supporting the Executive Director (ED) in the smooth running of the association and the conference. The OD supports our members as they submit proposals through our web-based conference system, Open Water. They assist our volunteer Program Committee with evaluating conference submissions and the Program Director with creating the conference schedule. Working with the conference hotel, the OD coordinates exhibits, events, and receptions. At the conference itself, the OD manages the registration desk and works with hotel staff to make our attendees’ experience smooth and enjoyable. The OD collaborates with the GSA Treasurer and ED on financial issues, including banking and bookkeeping.

The German Studies Association (GSA) is the bilingual multi- and interdisciplinary association of scholars in German, Austrian, and Swiss anthropology, art history, culture studies, economics, history, literature, musicology, and political science. The GSA holds an annual conference and publishes a scholarly journal, the German Studies Review. Members are generally professors and advanced students at universities and colleges in North America, although there are several hundred members in Europe, Asia, and Australasia and representatives of fields outside of academia. Membership is open to anyone. The GSA’s main activity is the annual conference, where anywhere from 1000 to 1600 academics come together to share their research and collaborate on new and exciting projects. The GSA is a member of the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS).

SALARY: $58,000-$60,000 commensurate with experience.

BENEFITS: The GSA will match up to 4% of gross pay for a 401k and contribute to a QSEHRA (amount to be negotiated).

HOURS: This is a remote position. It is the GSA’s intention that the work will involve 30 hours of working time per week on average, with the number of hours per week fluctuating in connection with particular GSA events and activities. It is expected that the OD will complete a monthly record of hours and submit it electronically to the ED. Generally, somewhere between 30% and 35% of the hours will be used during the three months before and during the month of the conference (held either in September or October).

TRAVEL: The position requires on-site presence at least two in-person events: 1) presence at the annual GSA conference, which typically takes place over a week in September or October; 2) the site visit to the conference, usually in March for one to two days; and possibly 3) a visit to Johns Hopkins University Press in Baltimore to be arranged at mutual convenience, but recently taking place in May for one day. The costs of travel/flight, hotel, and a per diem are covered as part of the position.

Position Requirements:

  • Proficiency using Zoom/webinar technology
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Word and Excel and GSuite
  • Proficiency in proofreading/editing and composition (English and German)

Preferred skills:

  • Previous conference-organizing experience
  • Experience with OpenWater or other conference-vendor software / applications
  • Post-graduate degree
  • Experience managing social media
  • Bookkeeping experience

Tech Skills Preferred:

  • HTML
  • Adobe
  • Canva
  • Drupal
  • QuickBooks

The successful candidate will be able to work independently and manage their time with little direct supervision. Responsiveness and some flexibility in scheduling is required: particularly work-intensive periods of the year include late January through the end of March, mid-May through mid-June, and the weeks leading up to the conference, which takes place around mid-September to early October, depending on the year.

Attention to detail, diplomacy, and discretion are critical. Courteous and efficient responses to members, vendors, and others are integral to our work as an organization. 

More detailed information about responsibilities may be found below.

Application Process:

Send application materials no later than 11:59 p.m. (Pacific), Friday, 8 November 2024, to the following email address: jobs@thegsa.org. (Please use “GSA Operations Director Application” as the subject line.)

Application materials should include the following attachments as a SINGLE PDF:

  • cover letter of no more than 500 words
  • curriculum vitae / resume of no more than 5 pages, 12-point font
  • name and email address of one reference who may be contacted after initial application screening
  • one professional writing sample (in English) of no more than 5 pages, double-spaced, 12-point font

Review of applications will begin immediately after the deadline and continue until the position is filled.

German Studies Association, Operations Director

Work requirements and details

Principal duties and responsibilities in the position of Operations Director include:
  • administering, subject to the oversight of the Executive Director, the day-to-day operations of the GSA;
  • ability to meet and consult during work hours in the U.S. Central Time Zone;
  • overseeing operations relating to the GSA’s annual conference, including by performing tasks such as: 
    • supporting GSA’s web-based conference system (either OpenWater or an alternative product);
    • coordinating with vendors to ensure the smooth operation of the conference and all related technology and programs;
    • assisting GSA’s volunteer Program Committee with evaluating conference submissions and assisting the Program Director with creation of the conference schedule
    • communicating with the conference hotel to coordinate exhibits, events, and receptions
    • managing the registration desk and coordinating with hotel staff to make attendees’ experience smooth and enjoyable;
  • supporting the Executive Director and the President in the organization of meetings of the Board and Executive Council, including by creating reports, helping to set up meetings, and disseminating communications to the membership;
  • working directly with Johns Hopkins University Press on various GSA activities;
  • liaising with GSA members and vendors;
  • managing the GSA social media accounts;
  • editing and assembling the triannual newsletter;
  • collaborating with the GSA Treasurer and Executive Director on budget and vendor payment issues, including:
    • weekly reconciliation of GSA’s Wells Fargo account with QuickBooks
    • monthly QuickBooks review and GSA budget reconciliation (to be reviewed by the Treasurer or Executive Director)
    • annual Form 1099 disbursement (January) and reincorporation (April)
    • notification of Awards (August 16-20) and Award Disbursement in connection with GSA Conference Community Fund;
  • traveling on GSA’s behalf at least two and preferably three times per year: (i) site visit to the conference hotel; (ii) visit to Johns Hopkins University Press, and (iii) on-site presence before and during the GSA conference in late September/early October;
  • performing such other duties as directed by the Executive Director.