Job Details

Assistant Director for Honoring Nations
Go to our website »

Position Number: 5102348
Location: Cambridge, MA
Position Type: Communications - Media & Communication Studies

Please use this link to directly apply and to see full posting.

Assistant Director of Honoring Nations

Harvard Kennedy School Project on Indigenous Governance and Development

Reporting to the Senior Program Director for the Harvard Kennedy School Project on Indigenous Governance and Development (the Project), the Assistant Director of Honoring Nations is responsible for the day-to-day management of Honoring Contributions in the Governance of American Indian Nations Program (also known as Honoring Nations), a national award program that identifies, celebrates, and shares outstanding examples of tribal governance in the United States. Candidates must demonstrate knowledge of American Indian affairs, exceptional communication and organization skills, and willingness to approach problems with creativity and collegiality. The Ash Center is a global and values-driven community that believes diverse perspectives are paramount to better understanding and addressing real-world problems. In fostering an environment of rigor, curiosity, and integrity, we value and respect different opinions, lived experiences, and diverse research and policy areas and approaches. We actively seek candidates who share our commitment and values.

Since its founding in 1998, the Honoring Nations program has awarded 142 programs from over 100 tribal nations in a broad range of topic areas including economic and social development, education, healthcare, natural resources, justice, and governmental reform. Honoring Nations serves as a vehicle for shifting the focus to what works in Indian Country, fostering pride and confidence in the ability of American Indian governments to make positive contributions to the well-being of their respective communities and citizens. Working with the Harvard Project's leadership and the Board of Governors, the Assistant Director of Honoring Nations determines programmatic priorities and manages those priorities to completion.
This position has primary responsibility for executing a three-round evaluation process that culminates with a major public event and financial awards. The Assistant Director of Honoring Nations also develops and implements dissemination strategies that provide tribal leaders, public officials, scholars, and the public with resource materials designed to spotlight and facilitation the spread of tribal government best practices. As a key member of the Harvard Project on Indigenous Governance and Development team, the Assistant Director spends up to 20% of their time contributing to and coordinating with the Project's other activities, including applied research and its application to Indian nations.

Specific responsibilities include:

Outreach

Identifies and recruits of Honoring Nations applications to the Honoring Nations awards program.

Works with the communications team to manage social media outlet content development and communications.

Maintains connections with the family of awardees.
Awards Process

Leads each of the 3 rounds of evaluation.

Facilitates evaluation selections, including site visits during summer months.

Acts as the primary liaison with all applicant programs.

Manages and maintains relationships with the Honoring Nations Board of Governors.

Dissemination

Curates digital content related to Honoring Nations awardees and the Project educational tools to facilitate the spread of tribal government best practices, including multimedia cases, online exhibits, Nation Building Toolboxes, and social media.

Coordinates dissemination efforts and media relations with communications team and with key institutional collaborators to amplify and share lessons from the awardees.

Speaks with and gives interviews to tribal and national reporters on the best practices in Indian Country.

Represents Honoring Nations and the Harvard Project at 8-10 domestic and international conferences and public speaking engagements per year.

Program Management

Participates in organizational communications: writing, editing, publication design, public speaking, general correspondence.

Interacts with and builds strategic relationships with our communities of interest: tribal leaders, public officials, scholars, and others in American Indian affairs.

Assists with fundraising and grant writing, as needed.

Takes on other duties as needed and remains flexible in tasks required by the team.