Executive Director

Organization:	American Folklore Society
Date Posted:	6/8/2017
City:	Bloomington
Location:	Indiana
Country:	United States
Primary Category:	Miscellaneous/Other
Type of Position:	Full-Time
Description & Details
The Executive Board of the American Folklore Society, the US-based learned society and professional association for the field of folklore studies, is seeking candidates for the position of Executive Director. This position, responsible to the Executive Board, is located at the Society’s offices on the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington, where the Society is an external agency of the IU College of Arts and Sciences. The Society’s Executive Director also serves as an Academic Specialist, a non-tenure-track academic position in the IU Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology. This position provides access to Indiana University’s system of academic staff benefits (http://www.indiana.edu/~uhrs/benefits/index.html). The preferred starting date for this position is January 1, 2018, though the Society can be flexible to accommodate other schedules. A leading organization in international folklore studies since its founding in 1888, the Society has in the past two decades become one of the most active and energetic learned societies of its size in North America. The transition to a new executive director is an opportunity for the Society to continue this development. We look forward to identifying exemplary people in our field who are excited about joining with the Board to lead the Society in its next phase, and who will bring new strengths and perspectives to the opportunities and challenges facing our Society and field. Over the next ten years, in addition to its everyday work the Society’s Executive Board, Executive Director, and staff will focus on three high-priority challenges: recruitment of young people into the field, advocacy outside the field concerning the importance and contributions of folklore studies, and diversifying the Society’s membership. These challenges are related: for example, our success in recruitment and diversity will depend in part on our success through advocacy in sustaining current institutions in the field and creating more and better professional opportunities for folklorists. 1. Responsibilities The Bylaws of the American Folklore Society say "The Executive Director shall manage the Society's financial, programmatic and other administrative functions and implement its policies as determined by the Executive Board."  As the chief executive officer of the Society, the Executive Director reports to the Executive Board and provides leadership and management for all Society activities in consonance with Society policies set by the Executive Board. These include, but are not limited to, print and electronic publications, meetings, member development, awards and prizes, Board activities, elections, standing and ad hoc committee activities, section activities, relations with the Society's archives, personnel, strategic planning, financial planning and oversight, investments, grant-writing and fund-raising, and the creation and management of special projects. Carrying out these duties will require both domestic and international travel. The Executive Board, understanding its primary responsibility to be governance rather than management, intends for the Executive Director to work as its strategic partner to help determine and implement its goals and priorities for the Society and the field. The Board gives broad independence, flexibility, and decision-making authority to the Executive Director to work with staff, Society members, and outside partners to take actions, and to initiate and develop projects, that advance those goals and priorities. In particular, the Executive Director is responsible for: 1. Developing and carrying out AFS initiatives and projects to benefit the field, and raising and managing funds from outside grantors and donors to support them The Society’s current major projects, in all of which the director will take a leadership role, are: The China-US Forum on Folklore and Intangible Cultural Heritage (www.afsnet.org/?page=FICH) A group of scholarly communications partnerships with the Indiana University Bloomington Library and folklore programs across the country, including Open Folklore and the National Folklore Archives Initiative (www.openfolklore.org, www.afsnet.org/?page=NFAI, and www.folklorecollections.org) The AFS Consultancy and Professional Development Program (www.afsnet.org/?page=ConsProfDev) The AFS’s partnership with the Veterans History Project of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress (www.afsnet.org/?page=Veterans) 2. Continuous donor development work within the Society, including but not limited to the building of the Endowment Fund and the annual Sustainers’ Fund, working in concert with the Executive Board and the Development Committee 3. Effectively representing AFS in its relations and partnerships with other local, regional, national, and international organizations in folklore and related fields, and advocating for the value and perspectives of the field in the wider world 4. Managing the meetings, deliberations, and other work of the Executive Board, and for providing members of the Board throughout the year with any knowledge resources they need to govern the Society effectively 5. Supervising, directly or indirectly, all AFS staff members and their work on annual meetings, communications, membership development, section relations, recordkeeping and administration, and all other areas of AFS activity and concern 6. Creating a climate that encourages AFS members to serve the Society as volunteers and that maintains a collaborative and productive staff culture 2. Qualifications The Executive Board is seeking candidates who can effectively advance the Society and the field of folklore studies through a combination of: 1. Academic and/or public credentials and credibility in folklore studies and a strong current professional network across the field 2. Demonstrated ability to raise funds, including both grant-writing and maintaining good donor and grantor relations 3. Entrepreneurial energy, including the ability to independently develop and manage projects, build partnerships, and take actions that advance the Board's priorities and goals for the Society 4. Demonstrated ability to represent an organization and a field effectively to professional and public audiences in person, in speaking, and in writing 5. Effectively and sensitively managing the multiple perspectives and agendas of a membership organization and a volunteer nonprofit board 6. Familiarity with contemporary issues and developments in higher education (such as the growth of the contingent academic workforce, digital scholarship, and open-access publishing) and in public arts and humanities (such as advocacy, organizational sustainability, and community development) 7. A commitment to supporting, increasing, and strengthening diversity within the Society 8. Organizational management skills, including personnel management, financial planning, and the effective management of budgets 9. A strong degree of self-motivation, and the ability to motivate others To apply for this position, please upload the following materials in PDF format tohttp://indiana.peopleadmin.com/postings/4094 no later than July 27, 2017: 1. A letter of application describing your experience in light of the qualifications above, the reasons for your interest in the position, and your salary requirements 2. A current CV  3. Names and contact information for three references who can speak to your preparation and qualifications for the position For answers to your questions about the position, please contact Executive Director Tim Lloyd at timlloyd@indiana.edu. The American Folklore Society Executive Board has appointed a Succession Committee of current and recent Society leaders to manage the search process, to conduct initial interviews, and to recommend candidates to the Executive Board for final interviews in October. The AFS is an equal opportunity employer and seeks a diverse pool of candidates for this position. Indiana University is an equal employment and affirmative action employer and a provider of ADA services.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ethnicity, color, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation or identify, national origin, disability status or protected veteran status.