AFS World Café Project Manager (Chelsea)

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AFS is an international exchange program operating in more than 50 countries that organizes and supports intercultural learning experiences. AFS has transformed the lives of tens of thousands of students, families and individuals through the participation of AFS hosts and volunteers.

The AFS Network has decided to create a virtual platform to sustain, support and develop the global AFS community through connecting our stakeholders, including volunteers, staff, alumni, host families and schools, as well as others interested in the mission of AFS.

The AFS World Café is conceived as a means to remove geographical and hierarchical barriers between and among the members of the AFS worldwide community. It must be designed to encourage communication, incite discussion and debate, and engage learners and thinkers in exploring ideas and developing new skills.

The hope is that the whole will be more than the sum of its parts and the result of having an AFS World Café will be an increase in bottom-up pressure for change and continuous improvement of the worldwide organization. Key functionality includes:

  • People can connect and find each other. E.g. a local volunteer in Argentina can get in touch with another local volunteer in Japan. Or a person interested in going on an exchange to Iceland can get in touch with a person who participated in a program to Iceland in recent years.
  • People can engage in inspiring discussions, create their own groups and interact to discuss topics and projects of relevance to them. E.g., volunteers from around the globe can engage in an online forum with the International President. Or they can create a group to discuss new programs they want to develop.
  • People can learn about different topics related to AFS. A learning section of the AFS World Café will provide people with an opportunity to learn about different areas linked to volunteerism, school relations, program delivery, intercultural learning etc.

We want to be challenged!

With respect to the conception and the creation of the AFS World Café, AFS wants to be challenged! We want to be led, through the application of cutting-edge technology and elegant solutions into the future of collaborative co-creation.

While the challenge is a stimulating one, it will take strong leadership ability and cultural sensitivity, the descriptive powers of a visionary and the tactical skills of an expert project manager to bring the diverse cultural perspectives of the AFS Network into alignment around this project.

The ideal AFS World Café Project Manager will have the following skills, aptitudes and attitudes:

  • Interest and passion in connecting people using technology and contributing to a global social movement.
  • Ability to translate user needs into a coherent project vision.
  • Interest, knowledge and a passion for Web 2.0 Technology such as Facebook, YouTube, Wikis and other social media.
  • A keen interest in knowing and using today’s and tomorrow’s technologies.
  • Interest in and knowledge of e-learning tools.
  • Experience as an employee or volunteer setting up or working with social media sites such as the AFS World Café.
  • A relevant degree, for example in Information Technology and Social Media, or about to acquire such a degree.
  • Ability to manage a project involving diverse stakeholders and continuously moving the project forward.
  • Interest and ability to work in a diverse cultural environment.
  • Ability to work independently.

What does the position entail?

The AFS World Café Project Manager will be the person coordinating the overall project, preferably based in our New York office, in the following way:

  • Articulate overall strategic direction to the AFS World Café while taking into account feedback and input from users and stakeholders.
  • Coordinate development work of the AFS World Café, working closely with staff, volunteers and external consultants.
  • Provide project framework and monitor progress against benchmarks.
  • Work closely with the Branding & Marketing Team to ensure AFS World Café fits with the overall AFS Global Brand.
  • Work closely with Organizational Development Team to ensure that the AFS World Café contributes to the global social movement of people and in particular supports international volunteer development efforts.
  • Liaise with IT to ensure smooth integration with other IT tools linked to the AFS World Café.
  • Provide direction regarding platform used for the AFS World Café.
  • Ensure that the AFS World Café remains optimally connected to outside social networking tools and other relevant web sites such as Wikis.

Deadline for Applications

Please provide your resume in PDF format and any other relevant documents to us before April 30th 2010.