2014
Rebecca Wall
Position Description
The Smithsonian’s Office of International Relations (OIR) serves as the central point for Institution-wide advice, insight, analysis, and coordination of all international activities of the Institution. OIR is the central external representative of international programs for the Institution, and leads institutional relationships with US government and international organizations, including the US Department of State, the US Agency for International Development, foreign embassies, and other governmental and private organizations in the US and abroad. With the mandate to build new opportunities to expand our international programs and reach, OIR works in concert with leadership of other museums and programs in setting international strategy for the institution, developing new programs, and communicating our impact. A key focus of OIR is creating greater recognition and a brand for the Smithsonian’s international activities, and in doing so helping to move these types of activities from the margins to the center of critical global debates around cultural heritage conservation, diplomacy, and development.
The Program Officer will report directly to the Director of International Relations to develop strategic plans and carry out activities aimed at expanding thinking and amplifying experience at the Smithsonian Institution in the area of cultural heritage. The goal of these programs will be to highlight the Smithsonian Institution’s thought leadership in one of these areas while broadening networks and addressing emerging areas of needed scholarship and activities. The Officer will be engaged in activities around international cultural heritage conservation, celebration, and recovery. He or she will work on supporting international cultural tourism, international cultural sector professional development and advisory services, as well as other global art, history, and culture programs throughout the Smithsonian. In all of the work, the Officer will collaborate closely with OIR leadership and leaders from the Smithsonian’s culture or science units. Overall, the Officer will be responsible for taking emerging programs, ideas, research and debates and creatively finding how to bring them to key audiences in ways that provoke conversation and lead to positive action.
The Program Officer will report directly to the Director of International Relations to develop strategic plans and carry out activities aimed at expanding thinking and amplifying experience at the Smithsonian Institution in the area of cultural heritage. The goal of these programs will be to highlight the Smithsonian Institution’s thought leadership in one of these areas while broadening networks and addressing emerging areas of needed scholarship and activities. The Officer will be engaged in activities around international cultural heritage conservation, celebration, and recovery. He or she will work on supporting international cultural tourism, international cultural sector professional development and advisory services, as well as other global art, history, and culture programs throughout the Smithsonian. In all of the work, the Officer will collaborate closely with OIR leadership and leaders from the Smithsonian’s culture or science units. Overall, the Officer will be responsible for taking emerging programs, ideas, research and debates and creatively finding how to bring them to key audiences in ways that provoke conversation and lead to positive action.