Program Officer, Membership & Network Relations

About the organization: Scholars at Risk (SAR) is an international network of over 600 higher education institutions and associations in 40 countries dedicated to protecting scholars, preventing attacks on higher education, and promoting academic freedom worldwide. By arranging temporary academic positions at member universities, SAR offers safety to scholars facing grave threats, enabling them to continue their important work. SAR also provides advisory services for scholars and hosts, campaigns for scholars who are imprisoned or silenced in their home countries, monitoring of attacks on higher education communities worldwide, and leadership in deploying new tools and strategies for promoting academic freedom and improving respect for university values globally. Information at www.scholarsatrisk.org

Job description: Scholars at Risk is seeking a highly-organized, proactive and detail-oriented individual skilled in relationship building to join the SAR team as a Research Scientist/Program Officer for the Membership and Network Relations team. The Program Officer plays a key research role within the SAR membership team towards the aim of building and engaging our network of over 300 universities and academic associations in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. The Research Scientist/Program Officer should develop fluency in all of these areas of SAR’s work in order to develop and lead strategies for identifying, recruiting, and engaging universities, faculty, and students. In addition, the Research Scientist/Program Officer will be expected to liaise with leadership of SAR country sections and partner networks, supporting their engagement in the International Advisory Committee. The Research Scientist/Program Officer will be encouraged to handle increasing responsibility for these and other activities as appropriate. The position reports to SAR’s Director of Membership and Network Relations.

Key responsibilities & duties:

Research & Data Analysis (50%)

• Conduct research to identify key institutional leaders and networks committed to academic freedom across Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, cultivate, and maintain relationships with primary representatives at over 300 universities and academic associations partnering with SAR.
• Perform research to advance knowledge of higher education in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand to tailor engagement strategies to the changing needs of universities, colleges, academic associations and societies, faculty and students, including in hosting scholars, seminars, legal clinics, workshops, research projects, and publications.
• Research, design, and implement regionally targeted outreach efforts to grow the SAR network.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of data collection methodologies to assess the efficiency of SAR’s network engagement strategies.
• Analyze datasets related to membership growth, engagement metrics, resource-sharing, and network activity to identify trends, gaps, and opportunities for strategic planning.
• Design and deliver data collection to evaluate programs and services for strengthened stakeholder engagement, identify and initiate opportunities for collaboration across and outside the global network.

Member engagement & relationship management (40%)

• Under the guidance of the supervisor, study emerging threats to academic freedom and lead the further development of the SAR national sections, enhancing solidarity, coordination, and resource-sharing among universities.
• Under the guidance of the Deputy Director, facilitate cross-section collaborations by engaging with the leadership of the SAR national sections and partner networks to facilitate their contribution to the International Advisory Committee.
• Lead in the planning and coordination of meetings and events to enhance the sharing of experience across the network globally.
• Develop and manage programs and partnerships aligned with SAR’s strategic plan as necessary, including strengthening campus committees to enhance efficiencies and knowledge-sharing.
• Represent SAR accurately and professionally at conferences, events and meetings, and assist in planning member and prospective member events and meetings as needed.
• Identify new opportunities to enhance university and association participation in SAR’s work.

Engagement-related administration and operations (10%)

• Assist in membership invoicing.
• Lead and/or contribute to administrative tasks, including mailings/digests to members, prospective members, and others as required.
• Increase the visibility of the SAR network by contributing to team social media, press outreach, e-blasts, mailings, website updates, and additional communications-related tools.

Qualifications

• Graduate degree in a related field, or extensive comparable experience required.
• 5+ years of related work experience in a non-profit or higher education setting or a combination of related education/experience.
• Exceptional communication skills and proven proficiency in public speaking and delivering impactful presentations.
• Skilled in relationship cultivation and stakeholder management while navigating competing interests and priorities.
• Experienced in project and event management with a demonstrated solution-focused mindset.
• Demonstrated ability to synthesize and distill complex information for general audiences; excellent research, writing, and editorial skills.
• Strong attention to detail and organizational and multitasking abilities.
• Demonstrated commitment to human rights and/or international education.
• Previous membership/network building experience is desirable.
• Fluency in an additional language preferred, Spanish and/or French desirable.

Compensation and benefits: This is a full-time, at-will position on an open-ended term, subject to program priorities, exemplary performance and availability of funds. In compliance with NYC’s Pay Transparency Act, the annual base salary range for this position is $55,000-$75,000. Scholars at Risk in an independent not-for-profit corporation hosted at New York University (NYU). SAR staff are NYU employees seconded to SAR and as such are eligible for NYU employee benefits, including generous vacation leave and holidays; medical, dental, vision and life insurance options; and retirement benefits (all subject to terms established by NYU as described at https://www.nyu.edu/employees/benefit/full-time/professional-research-staff.html). NYU considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, as well as market and organizational considerations when extending an offer.

Application Instructions

Apply online at https://apply.interfolio.com/172170 by uploading the requested materials in one combined PDF: (1) a letter of interest, (2) resume, (3) list of references or letters of reference, and (4) a brief, unedited writing sample. DEADLINE FOR INITIAL APPLICATION REVIEW IS January 9,2026. Applications received after the deadline will be reviewed on a rolling basis, until the position is filled. No phone calls or email inquiries, please. Regrettably, SAR is not able to sponsor work-eligible visas for these positions.

This is a full-time, at-will position on an open-ended term, subject to program priorities, exemplary performance and availability of funds. In compliance with NYC’s Pay Transparency Act, the annual base salary range for this position is $55,000-$75,000. Scholars at Risk in an independent not-for-profit corporation hosted at New York University (NYU). SAR staff are NYU employees seconded to SAR and as such are eligible for NYU employee benefits, including generous vacation leave and holidays; medical, dental, vision and life insurance options; and retirement benefits (all subject to terms established by NYU as described at https://www.nyu.edu/employees/benefit/full-time/professional-research-staff.html).