Assistant Director and External Affairs Officer; Operations Management Specialist

Assistant Director and External Affairs Officer (Operations Management Specialist)

The Organization of American Historians (OAH) is the largest professional organization dedicated to the history of the United States, The mission of the organization is to promote excellence in the scholarship, teaching, and presentation of American history, and to encourage wide discussion of historical questions. The OAH believes that history is essential for knowing and understanding the world and stands for the ethical and accurate use of history in civic discourse.

The OAH represents more than 5,500 historians working in the United States and abroad. Members include college and university professors, pre-collegiate history teachers, public historians, museum professionals, librarians and archivists, students, and a variety of historians working in government and the private sector. The OAH supports original, peer-reviewed, and rigorous scholarship, as well as the presentation of historical scholarship and knowledge in non-scholarly formats including a magazine, blog, and podcast.

The OAH publishes the Journal of American History which is as a journal of record in the field, undertakes a wide range of public-history projects with the National Park Service and private partners, convenes an annual conference, and maintains a robust schedule of academic and public programming.

Department Specific Responsibilities

• Serves as the organization's 2nd senior leadership position, working with the Executive Director to advance the Organization's strategic vision, institutional priorities, and external influence through leadership in communications, advocacy, philanthropy, membership, and institutional engagement.
• Functions as the principal operational lead for the Organization's external affairs, translating strategic priorities into coordinated initiatives while serving as a senior representative of the Organization with members, donors, partner institutions, policymakers, and the public.
• Partners with the Executive Director to develop and execute the Organization's strategic plan, annual priorities, and long-range institutional objectives.
• Translates Board and executive-level priorities into integrated operational plans, organizational initiatives, and measurable outcomes.
• Monitors progress toward organizational goals and provides strategic analysis and recommendations to the Executive Director and Executive Board.
• Provide leadership and directs supervision for the Organization's communications, membership, and donor engagement functions.
• Ensures alignment and coordination across external-facing activities and initiatives.
• Develops integrated strategies for communications, marketing, membership growth and retention, philanthropy, and public engagement that advance organizational priorities and strengthen institutional impact.
• Coordinates the Organization's advocacy strategy in support of its mission and the interests of historians and history education.
• Coordinates institutional responses to emerging public policy issues and developments affecting the Organization and its stakeholders.
• Develops and advances advocacy initiatives and cultivates strategic partnerships that support organizational priorities.
• Develops, manages, and monitors annual budgets supporting membership, communications, advocacy, and fundraising functions.
• Establishes departmental priorities, performance expectations, and evaluation metrics.
• Conducts annual performance reviews and provides ongoing coaching, feedback, and professional development for supervised staff.
• Performs other duties and responsibilities as assigned by the Executive Director.

General Responsibilities

• Leads complex operational functions, programs, and service activities that support departmental, divisional, or organizational objectives; establishes priorities, coordinates resources, and ensures successful execution of operational strategies and initiatives.
• Analyzes and resolves complex operational issues with significant impact on business processes, services, or organizational outcomes; exercises substantial independent judgment in evaluating risks, determining solutions, and recommending courses of action.
• Designs, leads, and implements operational improvements and business process enhancements; evaluates organizational needs and develops solutions that improve efficiency, effectiveness, compliance, service delivery, and stakeholder experience.
• Evaluates operational performance…