Director, Kahane United Nations Program

Description

The Diplomacy and World Affairs Department of Occidental College seeks a Director with high level experience with the United Nations and/or related institutions to lead the prestigious Kahane United Nations Program. This is an administrative position with teaching responsibilities. The Kahane UN Program is a one semester, upper-division undergraduate academic internship experience completed in New York City for an average of 16 senior students with significant course background in international relations. Oxy-at-the-UN is a competitive program that operates in the fall semester. It includes two advanced academic courses related to the work of international organizations taught by the Director and an adjunct instructor (Assistant Director), and a demanding full-time, eight-credit internship at a UN agency, country mission, or non-governmental organization that supports UN-related work. Courses convene one to two weekday afternoons at a site near the United Nations. This is a one-year position with potential for renewal. 

The responsibilities of the Director are highly concentrated in the fall semester and intermittent during the spring semester and summer.

Fall responsibilities:

1. Oversee, contribute to and assess student learning and professional development gained through the internship experience, including shared responsibility for providing individualized meetings several times a semester for each student, maintaining regular contact with internship supervisors, and holding evaluation internship meetings with students and their supervisors. 
2. Facilitate in person orientation for students in the period from their arrival through their internship start date.
3. Teach and assess an upper division academic course developed in consultation with the DWA Department (approximately two hours per week of lecture/direct instruction). 
4. Supervise and collaborate with the Assistant Director who will teach a second upper division academic course (with two hours per week of lecture/direct instruction) and who shares responsibility for student learning and professional development through the internship. 
5. Meet regularly with contracted local student wellness coordinator to advance inclusion, wellbeing, and student success in the Program. 
6. Collaborate with DWA and the UN Program Advisory committee to manage the Program, meet reporting requirements, coordinate visits to the Program, and organize or support College events in NY, as necessary.
7. Represent the Program and College to various stakeholders such as donors, agencies, missions, students, other prospective internship hosts, and college officers.

Spring responsibilities:

1. Program assessment, review and development.
2. Participate in the review of applications, remote internships, and the selection of program candidates.
3. Contribute to the planning of DWA’s annual UN Week and travel to Los Angeles to participate in on-campus events, including the UN Week keynote event and panel featuring fall UN program participants.
4. Secure internships (and maintain relationships with internship supervisors) for full-time placements for each student. As necessary, secure written agreements with internship hosts.
5. Conduct individual conversations with students accepted into the Program before placement to further assess interests and skills.

Summer responsibilities:

1. Prepare the new cohort for success.
2. Prepare written Director contributions to the annual Kahane UN Program Report.
3. Develop Program orientation to take place after student arrival in New York and before internships begin.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications: Earned Master’s degree in International Relations or related field. Fifteen years demonstrated record of engagement with the United Nations and international organizations. Teaching or training experience in subjects related to the program. Evidenced commitment to fostering an inclusive teaching and learning environment for Occidental’s diverse students. Ability to be physically present in New York City during the published dates of the fall semester program, except by permission. 

Preferred Qualifications: Record of expertise and advocacy reflected in publications and presentations on the subject of human rights, security, and/or development. 

Application Instructions

To be assured full consideration, your application materials must be received by 9:00 PST on May 18th, 2025. 

An application should include the following:

• A cover letter specifically addressing qualifications as relates to the criteria listed above;
• A curriculum vitae;
• List of three references with re