Academic Autonomy Coordinator

The Middle East Studies Association is seeking a full-time employee reporting to the executive director of the Middle East Studies Association.

This position primarily supports the MESA Committee on Academic Autonomy (CAA) and its Academic Autonomy Initiative, which is supported by a two-year grant from the Open Society Foundations.

This professional, full-time position offers competitive compensation with benefits. The expected duration of this position is for the duration of the grant.

The Academic Autonomy Coordinator will take the lead in developing a platform for the promotion of centers, programs, and departments as the institutional structures of knowledge production regarding the Middle East and North Africa in higher education with the assistance and guidance of the CAA. The role will involve textual and video resource production as well as events organizing.

The ideal candidate would be a well-qualified individual who is familiar with the field of Middle East studies, with experience in media production (such as audio/video editing skills), and strong administrative skills, ideally including the organization of events.

MESA is a non-profit association that fosters the study of the Middle East and North Africa, promotes high standards of scholarship and teaching, and encourages public understanding of the region and its peoples through programs, publications and services that enhance education, further intellectual exchange, recognize professional distinction, and defend academic freedom in accordance with its status as a 501(c)(3) scientific, educational, literary, and charitable organization.

Anticipated Duties

The work of this full-time position with benefits is anticipated to be split into two areas:

The first is the production and dissemination of accessible resources on institutions in the field and on the topics of MESA’s fields of expertise. We anticipate producing regular, short textual resources, and short-form video for social media platforms as well.

The second is the coordination of regular virtual events, to include a major summer workshop, as well as staffing of a committee and a series of meetings and trainings.

Academic Autonomy Coordinator, Requirements:

• Degree in a relevant field
• Media or communications experience (video editing skills preferred)
• Aptitude for working within a small, professional team
• Exceptional administrative and organizational skills
• Event planning experience
• Demonstrated ability to work across institutions
• Expertise with relevant software

The starting salary range is $65,000-75,000 annually, commensurate with experience. MESA also offers a competitive benefits package including retirement contributions and insurance coverage.

The duration of this grant-funded position is expected to be two years.

MESA’s DC office is located at 3700 O St. NW Suite 241, Washington DC 20057 (Georgetown University, Center for Contemporary Arab Studies).

The candidate may be hybrid in the Washington-DC area, or remote within the United States, and should be available to start by October 2025.