The Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL) is the national voice of Canada’s twenty-nine largest university libraries and two federal institutions. A bilingual not-for-profit organization, CARL coordinates national initiatives across its member institutions and promotes their causes to achieve excellence in research and higher education.
CARL invites applications for a Visiting Program Officer (VPO) focused in the area of open education (OE). The position will entail working for CARL for the equivalent of one day per week, and is expected to start in October 2021, for a period of one year. The deadline to apply is Friday, September 10, 2021.
Visiting Program Officer positions are an arrangement between CARL and the individual’s home institution, normally for a minimum period of one year at 20% of their time. There is no salary remuneration from CARL associated with this position; the home institution continues to pay the Visiting Program Officer’s salary. Benefits arising from this experience for the incumbent and the home institution include broadened experience and knowledge gained from working on national initiative; while for CARL and its members, the position helps advance a common priority.
In 2018, CARL identified OE leadership as an important area for capacity building within its institutions. CARL has since formed an Open Education Working Group (OEWG) and led activities and programs designed to bolster practice and support the development of national leadership in this area. CARL has also initiated engagement with other post-secondary stakeholder groups in considering strategies for increasing the momentum of open education in Canada. The VPO for OE will guide CARL’s evolving program of open education initiatives.
RESPONSIBILITY:
In collaboration with Joy Kirchner, chair of CARL’s Open Education Working Group (OEWG), and with Lise Brin, CARL’s full-time Program Officer supporting the Advancing Research Committee’s initiatives, the VPO will take a leading role in planning and delivering CARL’s OE efforts, working closely with the CARL Open Education Working Group to shape its slate of OE-related activities and communications plan and deliver these activities, including but not limited to “OeLE Light,” a workshop-in-a-box version of the Open Education Leadership Essentials workshop offered by the OEWG in 2020, and CARL’s communication activities related to OER.
REQUIREMENTS:
- Must be based at a Canadian post-secondary institution;
- Must have obtained library director’s agreement for the arrangement with CARL as described;
- Possesses excellent communication skills, both verbal and written;
- Has proven group facilitation skills or will have successfully delivered training programs to peers, and demonstrates the ability to ensure diverse experiences and perspectives are treated respectfully;
- Has project management experience;
- Has significant experience and expertise in the areas of open education and open educational resources;
- The ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing in French and English will be deemed an asset.
If there are multiple candidates who fulfil the criteria above, selection will be based on demonstrated leadership, prior involvement, and level of institutional support; and may involve an interview.
To apply, please send a copy of your CV, an introductory letter outlining your suitability for this role and a letter from your library director confirming support for the nomination and the proposed arrangement, to Susan Haigh, Executive Director of CARL, , no later than September 10, 2021.
