Positions vacant

Programme Director
Endangered Languages Documentation Programme

The Endangered Languages Documentation Programme (ELDP) provides grants to fund projects, fellowships and field trips on a global basis. The programme is part of the Hans Rausing Endangered Languages Project (HRELP) funded by Arcadia, managed by SOAS. Decisions about ELDP grant applications are made by an independent international review panel which typically meets once a year.

The successful applicant will take responsibility for all aspects of the documentation programme, including strategic planning, day-to-day administration, working with the programme administrator, independent panel chair and panel members, awarding grants with a budget of up to £1.5 million each year, maintaining and developing relationships with grant awardees. As part of the mission of HRELP, the successful applicant will be expected to engage in and promote outreach, community-building and training activities in language documentation throughout the world.

The post carries a formal affiliation with the Department of Linguistics. and the holder will be part of the linguistics research community at SOAS. The post does not carry a formal teaching requirement in SOAS academic programmes, but the holder will be expected to participate in training programmes and short teaching events, such as summer schools, according to expertise.

Ideally, applicants should hold a PhD or equivalent in Linguistics, Anthropology, or an allied field, and have fieldwork experience. In addition, adminstrative skills and experience appropriate for the daily running of the programme are essential.

Enquiries about the position may be made to the Interim Programme Director, Peter Sells (sells@soas.ac.uk). Further information about ELDP can be found at the HRELP website. To apply for this vacancy or download a job description, please use this direct link or visit SOAS Jobs. Interviews provisionally scheduled for the week of 18 January 2010.

SOAS values diversity and aims to be an equal opportunities employer.

Further information on key tasks of the position:

To provide administrative management and development of ELDP, working with the Programme Assistant, and to represent ELDP among stakeholders in documentary work; to act as a conduit between ELDP and the community of documentary linguists (and linguists in training), maximising the activities and visibility of ELDP; and to promote the mission, values, and opportunities of ELDP; to be the main point of contact between SOAS and the grant holders funded by the project;

To ensure appropriate assessment of applications by the Panel, undertaking reviews and advising the ELDP Panel as to necessary action; and to ensure that any Panel conditions on awards are adhered to by awardees. To review all funding allocations on a regular basis, acting as liaison between ELDP and awardees, involving both the hosting institutions and the individuals carrying out the work; to liaise with the Endangered Languages Archive and timely and correct deposits of documented material into the archive; to liaise with the Endangered Languages Archive and the Endangered Languages Academic Programme on training and other events and activities of joint interest to the Hans Rausing Endangered Languages Project (e.g. publicity, website, Endangered Languages Week, 3L summer school);

To approve limited amendments to grants; to take responsibility for development of guidance and assessment mechanisms, and to oversee the development and maintenance of the entire necessary support infrastructure, working with the Programme Assistant and taking advice from the independent review panel.