Athens Global Center Director

Columbia University is recruiting a director for its Columbia Global Center in Athens. The Columbia Global Centers serve as hubs for vibrant academic discourse by faculty and students from Columbia and host countries and as part of the fabric of their local communities, grounded in partnerships with a wide array of local and regional institutions. To date, these centers are situated across four continents—Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America—located in the following cities: Amman, Beijing, Istanbul, Mumbai, Nairobi, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Santiago, and Tunis. 

In November 2022, Athens, Greece was selected as the tenth Center location. Greece sits in an important region of the world, with a mix of rich history and new vigor. Through the Athens Center, Columbia Global will expand its collaborations with local institutions in Greece, broaden its educational offerings for undergraduate and graduate students in Athens, engage faculty, staff, and alumni, and explore partnerships in  the country and the region. Several preliminary priority issues have been identified for the Center in Athens, including arts and culture, Classics, ancient and Hellenic studies, migration and international affairs, climate change, technology and innovation, global health and preparedness, and medical research.

The Athens Center will collaborate with other Global Centers around the world, the robust higher education landscape, and public, corporate and international organizations based in Greece. 

Position Summary: The Director will provide strategic and academic leadership, intellectual vision, and management oversight for the Center. This includes creating a vibrant intellectual and pedagogic community, overseeing program quality and innovation, managing financial and human resources, fundraising, and executing a communication plan to disseminate information about the Center and its activities. The Director will develop and expand partnerships with Columbia University faculty, schools, institutes, and centers with the goal of establishing teaching, training, research, and programmatic activities in collaboration with academic and other entities in Greece. The Director will lead a staff of between 5-10 individuals and will receive support from the Columbia Global headquarters team. The Director will develop a strong management team, work closely with the Athens Center’s faculty steering committee and advisory board, and maintain strong communications with the Columbia Global headquarters team. 

The ideal candidate will have at least ten years of related experience, a record of accomplishment in academic, public, or private sectors, and fluency in English and Greek. This is a full-time position based in Athens, Greece.

Responsibilities:

• Work with Columbia faculty and students to foster the university’s research and pedagogic strengths 
• Develop partnerships in-country to advance the priorities for the Center
• Ensure program quality, innovation, and efficient use of resources
• Design and execute communication plans to disseminate information regarding the Center in Greece and the region
• Ensure proper use of resources and monitor progress on all activities
• Pursue fundraising and revenue generation efforts to ensure financial sustainability 
• Work closely with Columbia Global leadership to advance its overall mission in the country and the region
• Collaborate with other global centers and entities at Columbia Global
• Serve as the general manager of the non-profit that operates the center
• Perform other responsibilities and manage special projects as necessary

Minimum Qualifications:

• Advanced academic degree and training
• At least ten years of related experience
• Fluency in English and Greek
• Willing to reside in Athens, Greece
• Excellent communication skills

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in a large, complex university/educational system, preferably research and/or teaching experience
• Record of accomplishment in partnership-building
• Effective leadership and people management experience
• Ability to problem solve, anticipate emerging issues, and make decisions 
• Experience in fundraising and resource mobilization
• Willingness to travel up to 25%

Salary: Commensurate with experience