[rohrpost] serious games organization in New York City looking for events manager

[Tamiko Thiel]

Games for Change is looking for a:

*** National Events Manager ***
This is a full-time opening in an increasingly high-profile nonprofit 
dedicated to supporting the new field of videogames for social change. 
Work begins as soon as possible in October 2006 based in New York City; 
salary is commensurate with experience and education; benefits include 
health, transit, vacation, etc.  Applications are accepted on a rolling 
basis.

Games for Change, founded in 2004, is the national umbrella group 
dedicated to advancing positive social change through digital games. We 
act as the new movement?s independent focal point for media, 
distribution and research; like documentary film before us, we are 
building a new field: using game technology to address real world 
issues. We?ve been covered this year in the New York Times, NPR, CNN, 
BBC, NBC, and beyond. Our blog (www.gamesforchange.org 
<http://www.gamesforchange.org>) provides a sense of our earliest 
programming, and our new web site is set to launch in early October. We 
are funded by The MacArthur, Surdna and Robert Wood Johnson Foundations, 
as well as NYSTAR and the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars.

After two years of accelerating growth, a transition is underway to 
launch over the next 12 months a new suite of programs. This includes 
work with MTV to distribute games, Parsons/ The New School for a 
prototyping center, the Serious Games Initiative for conferences, the 
Margaret Mead Film Festival, the IFP Market -- in addition to our 500+ 
membership of game designers, nonprofit managers, academics, artists and 
politicians. New activities include briefings for major foundations, 
policy sessions in Washington, gatherings of top academics from around 
the nation studying digital media, and our signature games festival.

Responsibilities: (in order of priority) working closely with the 
Executive Director, this manager-level position will:
?    Oversee planning for all events, including keynote speakers, 
production schedules, budgets and our team of volunteers. Three or four 
of the events are national (taking place in San Francisco, NYC, D.C.), 
drawing high-profile academics, game and media designers and the press. 
Attendance can range from 300+ for public forums to small private 
gatherings of 40 for invite-only briefings. The focus for each event is 
different, both in theme (from funding to policy) and in setting 
(innovation labs to conference centers). Ongoing coordination will be 
necessary with both paid and volunteer teams, including our five 
regional representatives scattered across Puget Sound, Boston, DC and 
the virtual world of Second Life. Some travel will be required.
?    Coordinate mainstream press, including outreach to journalists 
(print and television), fielding calls from major news sources, 
maintaining a press contact database, drafting press statements, 
coordinating with partners for strategy on joint releases.
?    Assist in fundraising, including networking, scheduling meetings, 
researching opportunities, drafting and editing proposals.
?    Manage 1-2 intern assistants who will directly support your work.

Attributes: To be a good match, the candidate should be:
*    Entrepreneurial: enjoy building a new organization; rewarded by 
creating new systems ? original thinkers welcomed.
*    An Effective Communicator: write clear and compelling prose; edit 
for detail and grammar; comfortable speaking up on conference calls and 
in meetings ? confidence is essential.
*    Outcome-driven: always asking ?how? and ?by what date? to ensure 
that vague ideas are translated early into feasible production plans; 
ability to juggle both short and long-term projects simultaneously.
*    Detail-oriented: formatting materials neatly and organizing word 
and excel documents into a logical system of folders ? control freaks 
are fine, as long as they?re friendly.
*    Team-oriented: deliberately plan strategies to leverage others? 
strengths and avoid their weaknesses, works well with others.
*    Self-motivated: comfortable taking on significant responsibility; 
ability to time-manage self and team members, willing to solicit outside 
advice when necessary.
*    Adaptable, with a Sense of Humor: at home in a relaxed environment, 
able to make mistakes and learn from them, likes meeting new people and 
taking on new situations.

Additional Qualifications:
The candidate should have a college degree, and two to six years of 
experience in outreach, fundraising or event production. They must also 
possess proficiency with MS Word and Excel. Knowledge and interest in 
videogames or interactive media is a plus, and an activist or 
social-change bent is an even bigger plus.

How to Apply:
Make sure to indicate the title of the position you're applying for 
(?Events Manager?) in the SUBJECT line of an email to 
gamesforchange at gmail.com <mailto:gamesforchange at gmail.com>. Applications 
are due by September 30th, 2006, but interviews begin immediately. Your 
cover letter should be BOTH included in the body of the email and 
attached along with your resume (in rich text, MS-Word or PDF format). 
In your letter, please let us know where you heard of the position, why 
you are suited to this role, and how the position relates to your career 
objectives and personal interests. Only those candidates selected for 
interviews will be contacted.

--------------------------------
Games for Change, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. We are 
committed to a policy of equal treatment and opportunity and do not 
discriminate against employees or applicants for employment on the basis 
of race, sex, color, national origin, religion, age, citizenship, mental 
or physical handicap or disability, marital status, sexual orientation, 
pregnancy, military or veteran status or any other characteristic 
protected by law. We continue to support and promote equal employment 
opportunity, human dignity, and racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity.








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Suzanne Seggerman
Co-Executive Director, Co-founder
Games for Change
http://www.gamesforchange.org
<http://www.gamesforchange.org/>suzanne at weblab.org
917.478.4772 (cell)