ITHAKA
Make a Lasting Impact
Assistant Director, Human Resources
January 2015 | Ann Arbor
At ITHAKA, we think nothing is better than knowing we are having a positive impact on the world. We impact the lives of millions of people and thousands of institutions every day both in ground-breaking ways and in small ways that mean a lot.
Our Organization
We have a bold mission. We work with leaders in the global higher education community to advance and preserve knowledge and to improve teaching and learning through the use of digital technologies. We are passionate about the value of education and are driven to deploy technologies to make our universities, colleges, and high schools better, more affordable, and more effective, and to reach beyond these traditional walls to support learners everywhere.
In two decades, we have launched some of the most transformative and widely used services in higher education: JSTOR, Portico, and Ithaka S+R. Our 300+ employees in the United States, Europe, and Asia work closely with our user communities, day in and day out, to build and continuously improve upon these services, and to identify new opportunities to expand access to knowledge and learning. As a successful organization in a demanding and dynamic environment, we challenge ourselves to retain an entrepreneurial spirit that pursues and embraces change.
JSTOR
Our JSTOR service is the foundational backbone of ITHAKA. Launched in 1997, it is a Cloud-based virtual library where scholars, students, and the public can access thousands of journals, books, images, and other content as well as tools that promote research, teaching, sharing and contribution. Think of it as a giant, shared library of the best collective research and knowledge created over the last three centuries. Six million unique visitors use JSTOR each month from nearly every country in the world. More than 1,000 publishers and content contributors are partners, and nearly 9,000 universities, high schools, and institutions of all kinds support JSTOR financially and work with us to encourage usage and engagement within their communities. This support also enables us to reach beyond those who can afford to contribute financially. JSTOR access is free or available at very low cost in all of the nations of Africa as well as parts of the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Latin and South America. The public may also register and read material in the library for free.
Portico
We created Portico in 2002 with the support of libraries and publishers to ensure that the world’s scholarship, now stored and disseminated largely in digital form, will be accessible to future generations. We do not offer access to this content today except as a source of last resort; we use the latest technologies to collect and preserve tens of thousands of academic journals, books, and digitized historical collections published by hundreds of organizations across the Web knowing that we will need to provide access tomorrow. Portico focuses on preservation of this digital content every single day and is here to ensure that the past losses of human knowledge – like the great fire in Alexandria, Egypt – do not happen again.
Ithaka S+R
Universities, colleges, and other organizations are not known for their ability to turn on a dime, and yet their impact on our societies and ability to remain highly relevant over centuries is unparalleled. We want these organizations to thrive, particularly in light of emerging technologies and opportunities. Our work at Ithaka S+R – offering research and strategic consulting – has been instrumental in helping leaders in education know what is coming next, learn from rigorous and well-designed research rather than hype, and adapt to new realities and opportunities. We work with places like the Association of American University Presses, Harvard University Libraries, and the University System of Maryland. As a society, we all sense how technology is changing the way we work, teach, and learn. Ithaka S+R is dedicated to ensuring that we manage those changes in ways that help more people learn what they need to know to lead more productive and rewarding lives.
Mission and Funding
We are proud to be a not-for-profit organization, but our status is a reflection of our mission, not our funding model. Our work across these services is highly valued in the global higher education community, and we cover our costs by collecting fees in exchange for the access, preservation, and research and consulting services we provide. That exerts a real discipline on our operations in that we must continually adapt to the needs of our audiences to be worthy of their support. Thousands of higher education and related institutions around the world are ITHAKA’s primary financial supporters; their JSTOR participation fees provide 88% of ITHAKA’s revenue. Our 99% renewal rate for JSTOR generates stable recurring income, alleviating the dependency on fundraising that many not-for-profits experience. Because the organizations share our commitment to our mission, we have the financial resources necessary to maintain a great work environment that encourages innovation and excellence.
Come join our team of talented and dedicated people with great ideas who want to make the world a smarter place.
The Role
Technology can improve education and the lives of millions of people. We are changing our organization from the inside out so we can build the best, latest technology-enabled products possible for our users and partners. Have you heard the saying that culture eats strategy for lunch? Our engineers, along with other staff in our Ann Arbor office are at the heart of this change – learning new ways of working and collaborating with one another. Your job is to help people navigate change while contributing to a dynamic organizational culture. You will help create an environment that attracts and retains the most talented, energetic people and enables them to thrive. We invite you to join us as a leader in our efforts to make sure ITHAKA is an amazing place to work.
You will be the lead facilitator for talent in our Ann Arbor community – a guide and teacher, a cheerleader, and the one who sees and anticipates needs that will enrich and improve the work we do every day to fulfill our mission. In a typical day, you’ll put your top notch talent acquisition skills to the test as you seek new staff and help get them up to speed quickly to ensure we stay on track with our initiatives. You will share great advice for problems, drawing on your experience and industry best practices, in ways that fit our organizational culture. You will appreciate the opportunities to celebrate successes large and small.
Our organization and this role are unique and will provide you with an opportunity few other places can offer, including:
A highly committed group of colleagues who are spirited and innovative;
A team of colleagues who show up every day thinking about and working on ways to help their colleagues do truly great work;
A mission to make a tangible difference to education around the world; and,
A generous suite of benefits that are reflective of the value we place on our people.
Specific Objectives and Responsibilities
• Implement solutions that will attract and acquire high quality candidates, including building relationships with people working in similar industries, attending professional meetings and seminars, and building networking strategies.
• Work successfully as a member of the Work Life and Culture team and contribute positively to team goals and objectives.
• Partner effectively with managers and employ best practices needed to attract and retain top talent.
• Engage proactively with staff with an eye toward eliminating obstacles to employee engagement and effective communication.
• Interpret policies and practices and exercise excellent judgment in determining solutions to work place issues.
• Attract talent using a wide range of resources, including online job sites, social media, college recruitment, professional networks and employee referrals.
• Evaluate candidates to match core competencies with key hiring requirements and assess cultural fit.
• Effectively integrate diversity strategies into the recruitment and hiring processes.
• Develop a detailed understanding of each business unit to support employee relations needs.
Challenges You’ll Overcome
We need a self-starter who enjoys competing for top talent in a highly competitive market. Your creative approaches to building a talent pipeline, particularly for technology candidates, will be among the most valued contributions you can make. You will use your strategic problem solving skills and dynamic interpersonal skills to maintain high levels of engagement with the Ann Arbor teams and work to connect this team with people in other locations effectively.
Skills, Experience, and Characteristics
• A Bachelor’s degree coupled with 7 years of related experience in mid-sized complex organizations. SHRM certification preferred.
• Solid training and experience working as an HR leader in a multi-site organization
• High levels of enthusiasm and energy
• Ability to work successfully as a team player
• Computer-based competencies, including HRIS/ATS
• Deep experience recruiting technology talent
• Exceptional communication skills, both verbal and written
• Track record for employing talent management principles
• Accessibility and an eagerness to build strong relationships internally and externally
Work for us
Come join our team of talented and dedicated people with great ideas who want to make the world a smarter place. Individuals will be rewarded with excellent career development and a fantastic benefits package which includes:
• Choice of two medical plans, one at no cost to the employee
• Employer paid dental, vision, life insurance, and employee assistance programs
• Employer contributed retirement … and much, much more
Please email your resume, cover letter, and salary requirements to:
https://rew22.ultipro.com/ITH1000/JobBoard/ListJobs.aspx
ITHAKA is an equal opportunity employee