Program Officer, Programs on Ethics, Religion, and the Holocaust

Information about the organization

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is a federally chartered, nonpartisan institution that was created by the US Congress to serve as America's national memorial to the victims of the Holocaust and an educational institution dedicated to the history and lessons of the Holocaust. The Museum seeks to educate Americans from all 50 states and all walks of life as well as international audiences. The Museum has three areas of expertise: Holocaust remembrance, Holocaust scholarship and education, and genocide prevention.

In carrying out its important memorial and educational mission, the Museum is guided by its institutional values for our workplace: Honor the memory of the victims; carry out our work with dignity, humility, integrity and respect for others; and strive for excellence through teamwork, rigor, and a culture of continuous learning. Consistent respect for others is the foundation for trust, collegiality and inclusion.

Information about the role

This position is located within the Programs on Ethics, Religion, and the Holocaust (PERH) branch in the National Academic Programs (NAP) division at the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies (Mandel Center) of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM).

The mission of the Mandel Center is to strengthen and help shape the field of Holocaust Studies through activities and programs that stimulate new research on Holocaust-related topics; encourage networking and cooperative endeavors among Holocaust scholars; and ensure the training of future Holocaust scholars.

The Programs on Ethics, Religion, and the Holocaust promote engagement with the intersections of religion and the Holocaust for a wide range of academic and religious audiences. Through various programs and projects, PERH fosters (1) new scholarship on religious dynamics during the Holocaust and the ways in which scholars and religious leaders have addressed these legacies since 1945; (2) teaching on the Holocaust in seminary and religious studies curricula and faith-based higher education settings; and (3) learning and reflection on the Holocaust and its ethical implications for a wide range of religious and interreligious audiences.

PERH is expanding its academic programming, educational resources, and outreach to religious and interreligious audiences. These new activities will strengthen engagement on religious topics that pertain to the Holocaust for both academic and non-academic audiences.

Reporting to the Director of PERH, the Program Officer develops, plans, promotes, implements, manages, and evaluates PERH programs for both academic and non-academic audiences. The incumbent is also responsible for developing and promoting historical content and educational materials on the intersection of religion and the Holocaust for PERH and other Museum projects.

This is a full-time donated position (non-Federal) paid with the Museum's private funds. Salary is commensurate with experience.

This position is located in Washington, DC and is hybrid telework eligible, within the local commuting area of the Museum worksite.

Duties, and Responsibilities for the role

• Collaborate with internal and external experts to develop, plan, promote, implement, manage, and evaluate PERH programs, including both an annual faculty seminar and an annual workshop for clergy and other religious professionals.
• Research, create, consult on, and edit historical content related to religion and the Holocaust for a variety of PERH and Museum programs and projects, such as the online Holocaust Encyclopedia and Experiencing History, as well as promote that content among PERH's target audiences and track and evaluate its effectiveness.
• Lead tours of the Museum's exhibitions, deliver presentations, and lead discussions for PERH audiences as needed.
• Contribute to larger Mandel Center and Museum projects and initiatives.
• Establish and maintain collaborative relationships with scholarly and religious institutions and networks related to religion and the Holocaust and interfaith relations to support programming for PERH.
• Participate as a subject-area specialist in the Mandel Center and other Museum programs.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications for the role

• Expertise in 20th century European or North American history, religious studies, or a related field with special emphasis on the history of Christianity, antisemitism, and/or interreligious relations during the Holocaust or its aftermath.
• The experience and ability to move forward independently with strong organizational and programming skills and knowledge of Holocaust studies to implement and conduct PERH programming and projects.
• Ability to work strategically towards goals; track, measure, and analyze success indicators; and report progress.
• Professional knowledge of the North American religious landscape, theological education, and/or the academic field of religious studies, and the ability to apply such knowledge in the development and design of PERH programs and audience engagement.
• Ability to create, maintain, and expand a broad network of academic and religious professionals and use digital outreach methods to achieve Mandel Center and PERH goals.
• Ability to independently devise, organize, target, promote, implement, monitor, and assess all aspects of several academic programs and outreach activities simultaneously.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications for the role

• PhD in a field related to Holocaust studies.
• Scholarly presentations at major conferences related to Holocaust studies.
• Reading knowledge of at least one foreign language related to Holocaust studies.
• Professional knowledge of and relationships with North American and international institutions and networks in the field of Holocaust studies.

Interested applicants must send their resume and cover letter; applications without a cover letter will not be considered.

The application deadline for this position is March 27, 2023

The Museum is committed to cultivating and maintaining a culture of diversity, equity, accessibility and inclusion (DEAI). Please click here to view the Museum Statement on Diversity, Equity, Accessibility and Inclusion (PDF).

Benefits Highlights:

The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum values employee wellness, work-life balance and the diversity of what this means for individual employees in life and work. We are proud to offer a comprehensive benefits package for benefits-eligible employees that includes generous paid leave benefits, health, dental, and vision insurance, flexible spending accounts, a health savings account with an employer contribution, 403(b) retirement plan with a generous employer match and contribution, group term and supplemental life insurance, short and long-term disability, commuter subsidy, access to two employee assistance programs, as well as voluntary critical illness and accident insurance coverage, long-term care and pet insurance options. Our policies also support telework and other flexible schedule options based on the job, work and team collaboration requirements.