The International Association for Political Science Students (IAPSS) – the largest international organization representing students of political science and related disciplines worldwide – offers unique opportunities for students and junior researchers to grow professionally and personally in a global network. IAPSS is hereby launching a Call for Coordinators tasked with the organization and implementation of the 2023 World Congress. All the Coordinators are expected to work together with the Head of the World Congress in the Programs Department.
IAPSS’ largest annual academic conference for students of political science and related disciplines, will take place on May 15-19, 2023.
We are looking for candidates from all over the world for the following positions:
(1) Administration Coordinator (2 coordinators)
(2) Sponsorship and Grants Coordinator (2 coordinators)
(3) Speakers Coordinator (2 coordinators)
(4) Promotion Coordinator (2 coordinators)
(5) Panels Coordinator (2 coordinators)
Administration Coordinator
The Congress Administration Coordinator is in charge of various tasks, including:
- sending invitations for the conference to political science departments;
- preparing our guidebook, newsletters, and other communications for the participants;
- monitoring all registrations and payments;
- replying to inquiries from participants and interested students;
- drafting invitation letters and certificates for participants who require them;
You will be great at this job if: you have a excellent grasp of English; you have a great eye for detail to prevent spelling errors and make sure website links are all correct; you have good customer service skills and like to communicate with people; you are organized and know how to find documents and locate resources to assist others; you can create very organized spreadsheets; you are willing to jump in and help other teams when needed, especially on last-minute tasks.
Sponsorship and Grants Coordinator
The Sponsorship and Grants Coordinator is in charge of various tasks, including:
- researching grant opportunities and applying to grants;
- creating and managing sponsorship and advertisement packages and booklets to share with potential sponsors;
- mapping and securing potential sponsors – international, national, and local;
- researching international organizations and identifying key people to reach out to
You will be great at this job if: you have you want to learn a valuable skill like applying for grants and fundraising; you have a good command of English and strong and persuasive writing skills; you are good at public speaking and presenting IAPSS over the phone to potential sponsors; you have political familiarity with organizations; you are persistent and driven; you are organized and can create spreadsheets to track donor responses; you’re strategic and like to plan when/how to reach out to people; you’re willing to dive right into the work.
Speakers Coordinator
The Speakers Coordinator is responsible for the conceptualization and setting-up of the speakers program of the World Congress:
- drafting the speakers program related to the World Congress theme:
- researching, sharing, and gathering lists of potential speakers;
- contacting and confirming the speakers, overseeing similar processes with IAPSS partners’ speakers;
- communicating with booked speakers, and arranging logistical matters (e.g. accommodation details, meetings, presentation slides)
You will be great at this job if: you have familiarity with topics in political science and what topics would be interesting for students to hear lectured on; you attend a lot of think tank or educational speaker series; you are familiar with the important names in political science and can research good speakers; you have experience with program management; you respond to emails quickly; you have a strong command of English and an eye for detail to avoid spelling and formatting errors; you are thorough and think before you reach out (ex: conduct background checks or ensure that speakers don’t discuss politically-sensitive topics before reaching out); you’re sensitive to political issues and world events.
Promotion Coordinator
The Promotion Coordinator is in charge of the social media marketing of the World Congress and is working towards the increase of the financial capabilities of the event, by securing either partnerships or services. He/she will work closely with the International Public Relations Department.
- drafting and implementing the Congress’ social media communication strategies, in cooperation with PR Department;
- helping to update and improve the World Congress pages on the IAPSS website;
- digitally designing and adapting the materials of the World Congress such as but not limited to the guidebook, certificates, and badges based on existing templates;
- reaching out to new partners for shared promotion;
- organizing social media calendars
- *Knowledge of graphic design, video making, and Adobe Photoshop/InDesign/other design software programs, or willingness to learn independently, is highly preferred.
You will be great at this job if: you are familiar with social media platforms and like coming up with new social media strategies; you are creative; you are familiar with graphic design and are willing to make visually appealing social media visuals and promotional videos; you can take feedback; you’re familiar with political science organizations and can present/represent IAPSS to these potential partners; you are available to frequently update our social media platforms; you have good communication skills (on social media and with your team & supervisor); you can work with limited supervision but collaborate with your teammate.
Panels Coordinator
The Panels Coordinator is primarily in charge of the administration of the student panels, and cooperates closely with the IAPSS Academic Coordinator and the Academic Committee, a body in charge of the academic management (review and selection of abstracts, papers, scholarships and awards recipients) of the World Congress. The responsibilities include:
- creating and managing various submission platforms – abstract, papers, and chair/discussant applications;
- replying to inquiries from paper presenters, chairs, and discussants;
- preparing communications and documentation for panelists;
- working with the IAPSS Academic Committee to group papers into panel time slots and create a schedule for panelists to present;
- drafting letters of acceptance for panelists who require them;
- *Knowledge of WordPress and Mailchimp is not required, although appreciated. Previous experience from attending and/or organizing academic conferences is desirable
You will be great at this job if: You can read academic literature and extract the main themes and ideas from it; you have knowledge of which political/regional topics are related to one another; you can balance multiple details like grouping panelists together based on themes while also taking panelists’ time zones into consideration; you are quick to respond to emails and complete tasks; you are good at keeping track of submissions and requests.
– a high degree of mutual responsibility, motivation, self-initiative, and dedication, combined with reliability and flexibility in regard to the work in a highly international environment with a strong intercultural competence;
– readiness to devote approximately 10 hours per week to the execution of the various tasks that come together with the positions;
– excellent command of the English language (spoken and written) and strong communication skills; Good communication skills in another language are desirable but not required.
– current/recent/previous enrollment in a political science or related program (of any educational level including undergraduate, graduate studies, or PhD position);
– Experience and willingness to work with a high degree of organizational and conceptual freedom, but punctual and committed to adhere to work-related frameworks.
It is beneficial if candidates have:
– experience with organizing events and/or conferences;
The positions are – as all other positions within IAPSS – voluntary and unpaid, and apply for the period from 01 November 2022 to 31 May 2023.
You must be able to travel to Montreal for the dates of the conference. Some financial support for travel may be provided. Candidates from the USA and Canada will be prioritized.
To apply, please submit a CV and a letter of motivation (max. 1 page, referring to your experience, skills, interests, and plans related to the position of interest) no later than 22 October 2022 (23:59 EST)
Shortlisted candidates will be invited for a Zoom interview. The official installment will take place in the early November, but you will be integrated in the running work processes right after the acceptance of the position. Please do not hesitate to contact us in case of further questions or inquiries.
