Course Instructor

Summary

Join McColm & Company, a consulting firm specializing in supporting U.S. federal customers with internationally and thematically focused portfolios, as an Eastern Europe Course Instructor. This role involves delivering area studies training to State Department and USG personnel and contractors, focusing on Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus, Romania, and Bulgaria. The course aims to provide participants with an understanding of the forces that have shaped these countries and continue to influence their development, domestically and internationally. The instructor will be responsible for managing, organizing, and conducting the course, ensuring adherence to instructional design and delivery pillars, and utilizing FSI provided templates and branding formats. The role also involves delivering lectures, leading class discussions, identifying qualified guest speakers, and ensuring course materials are up-to-date. The successful candidate must be available to manage the course for the duration of the scheduled class time and may be called upon to deliver courses remotely or in person at FSI.

Requirements

• Master's degree required
• Evidence of substantive expertise and recognition as an expert on the country or region, as evidenced by published works, media appearances, past teaching or professional training experience, university instruction, or similar
• Evidence of experience with instructional design, professional training or academic teaching and delivery of engaging training for experienced, adult learners, including demonstrated evidence of dynamic and interactive instruction approaches and capabilities. Experience designing and delivering online courses is an advantage
• Ability to work independently, under deadline pressure, with diverse teams, and effectively liaise with multiple State Department and USG personnel for course inputs
• Ability to provide print-ready course materials that are free of grammatical errors and contain consistent formatting, using FSI provided templates
• Must be available to fulfill pre-established course schedule according to FSI requirements
• Proficient in Microsoft Office – including PowerPoint, Word, and Excel
• Advanced familiarity with online/remote learning platforms
• Fluent English required

Responsibilities

• Manage, organize, and conduct the course, virtually or in person
• Ensure course delivery adheres to Area Studies instructional design and delivery pillars and is responsive to technical guidance from the Area Studies Chair and Leadership
• Ensure course materials use FSI provided templates and branding formats for a consistent classroom experience across the Division
• Make substantive lecture presentations remotely/online as part of the course in the areas of their own expertise and be prepared to substitute for any scheduled speaker or other activity in the event unforeseen circumstances prevent that speaker/activity from being presented as scheduled
• Introduce guest lecturers, lead class discussion, and present study materials
• Deliver the course using a variety of dynamic facilitation and instruction techniques that will ensure effective learning in an online classroom environment, such as presentations, facilitated class discussions, group exercises, and self-study and reading materials and other teaching methodologies, as appropriate
• Identify qualified guest speakers from the government, academic, diplomatic, and business fields, as appropriate, for approval by the Chair. Manage and invite guest speakers to whom an honorarium may be paid
• Ensure that course materials, including power point presentations, are well maintained with up-to-date information prior to each course delivery
• Meet with the Area Studies Chair as required – typically twice per delivery – once for planning and once to undertake an after-action review of the most recent courses and discuss course planning and revisions. This meeting may take place in person at FSI or remotely, according to the needs of the Chair
• Coordinate with the Area Studies support staff to ensure that the online classroom has been set up and adequately programmed/resourced
• Ensure that the course evaluations are electronically distributed by the Program Coordinator and encourage students to complete the evaluations

Preferred Qualifications

• PhD preferred
• Fluency in local language is desirable