LSE is committed to building a diverse, equitable and truly inclusive university
Department of Media and Communications
Programme Director (Justice, Equity, and Technology Table)
Salary is competitive and no less than £36,647 to £44,140 pa inclusive with potential to progress to £47,456 pa inclusive of London allowance
This is a part-time (.8FTE) fixed term appointment for one year, beginning July 1, 2020.
LSE’s Department of Media and Communications, established in 2003, comprises internationally acclaimed faculty who conduct critical, empirical and engaged research into the central role of media and communications within contemporary society. We are currently seeking a Programme Director to join us by working on the Justice, Equity, and Technology project, a research and organizing initiative run by Dr Seeta Peña Gangadharan, the Programme Director will be responsible for the development, management, and continuous improvement of a civil society network, the Justice, Equity, and Technology Table, which is co-sponsored by the International Inequalities Institute and funded by a grant from the Knowledge Exchange and Impact Fund.
The goals of the Justice, Equity, and Technology project include:
· Address the consequences of automated decision-making systems for people’s basic human needs and democratic society
· Examine research and political opportunities for addressing issues of equality, social, economic, and racial justice, data-driven technologies, and their governance
· Increase public understanding of the intersections between issues of equality, social, economic, and racial justice, data-driven technologies, and their governance
The Programme Director will provide operational, programmatic, and strategic support to the project, with specific responsibilities of engagement, content production, communications, and evaluation of the Justice, Equity, and Technology Table. This Table, which is distinct from though inspired by the Privacy, Civil Rights, and Technology Table in the United States, will function as a coordinating network of civil society representatives from across Europe’s human rights network. Past research generated by the project has demonstrated the need for a more diverse set of stakeholders and approaches to the governance of technology.
Our core purpose is to build a fiercely independent network of Table members that will build collective knowledge, share timely information, and coordinate around research and political opportunities related to issues of equality, justice, data-driven technologies, and their governance. The Programme Director (Justice, Equity, and Technology Table) will be responsible for all aspects of relationship management, communications, event coordination, and content production, and will lead in developing and continuously improving the coordinating capacities of the Table. The aim of the role is to foster a trusting and generative environment that allows Table members to improve their understanding of social and economic impacts of data-driven technologies, facilitate their engagement in research and political opportunities, and continues to grow and thrive beyond the completion of the programme, in line with the vision and strategy of the global Atlantic Fellows network.
We are looking for a driven and inspiring individual with experience in building meaningful relationships across civil society networks. Ideally, this person will have a good understanding of inequalities and social, economic, and racial injustices in the European context and of diverse theories and practices for social change. This person will also demonstrate a good understanding of why and how inequalities and injustices intersect with the governance of data-driven technologies, such as issues of algorithmic discrimination, surveillance and social control, hollowing out of public services, or impacts of tax avoidance by tech companies on the welfare state. Ultimately, the candidate will appreciate the diversity of an emerging field of civil society actors who have not counted technology among their top priorities but who increasingly are forced to engage with tech companies or the policies and institutions that govern them. This person will have experience in designing and leading debate and discussion that transcend a range of issues and inspire practical outcomes.
The other criteria that will be used when shortlisting for this post can be found on the person specification, which is attached to this vacancy on the LSE’s online recruitment system.
We offer an occupational pension scheme, generous annual leave and excellent training and development opportunities. For an informal discussion about the post, please contact Dr Seeta Peña Gangadharan at s.p.gangadharan@lse.ac.uk
For further information about the post, please see the how to apply document, the job description and the person specification.
If you have any queries about applying on the online system, or require an alternative format for the application, please e-mail: hr.jobs@lse.ac.uk
The closing date for receipt of applications is 27 May (23.59 UK time). Regrettably, we are unable to accept any late applications.
Interviews are scheduled for the week commencing 1 June 2020.