School of Public Policy and Global Affairs Practitioner Fellowship – Application

Applications for the 2024 Practitioner Fellowship are now closed. Please sign up for the SPPGA newsletter to be notified when the next round of applications open.

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Overview

SPPGA recognizes that to have a transformative impact on society, academic excellence and policy practice must be integrated throughout the School’s research, teaching and community engagement.

In the spirit of facilitating knowledge exchange, strengthening community ties, and building an ethos of practice into our professional graduate programs, the SPPGA offers a Practitioner Fellowship program, which will host 2-4 practitioners in residence per year for periods of 4 or 8 months with start dates in September and January. While at the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs at the University of British Columbia, Practitioner Fellows will be appointed as Adjunct Professors.

SPPGA Practitioner fellows should be professionals with leadership experience in public policy, international development, global affairs and/or government, across a variety of issue areas and sectors.  Policy Practitioner fellows typically work in civil society, various levels of government, think tanks etc. but should not be employed as an academic at another institution.

Eligibility

  • Open individuals with a minimum of 10 years of experience in a broad range of backgrounds, who have demonstrated experience with public policy and/or global affairs.
  • Preference will be given to mid-career professionals; however, senior career professionals are also welcome to apply.  All candidates are expected to articulate how this fellowship would inform current or planned work/research/priorities in the workplace or sector they are coming from.
  • Citizenship or visa requirements. Open to applicants from any country but applicants must be able to obtain the appropriate Canadian visa as residency is required for the fellowship.
  • International applicants are eligible for a 120 day maximum term.

Compensation & Benefits

The Practitioner Fellow will be appointed as an Adjunct Professor.

-Financial compensation package includes:

  • Up to $2.5k relocation allowance for out-of-province/country fellows
    • $10k per month salary
    • Up to $2k per month to support living arrangements if temporary relocation is required.

-Shared office space in SPPGA buildings and access to the UBC library system.

Responsibilities

  • Fellows must reside full-time in the Vancouver area for the duration of their fellowship.
  • Fellows who have full-time employment are expected to refrain from significant roles and employment responsibilities, unless granted permission from the SPPGA Director.
  • Vancouver is a city with low occupancy rates and high housing costs. SPPGA can recommend some ways to search for housing, but securing housing is the responsibility of the Fellow.
  • Fellows are expected to meaningfully undertake at least one activity from each of the three program activity categories below.
  • Fellows are expected to develop a new area of expertise for themselves and in doing so, perform research on a topic of interest related to their professional practice. Fellows will develop a work plan for the duration of the fellowship and meet monthly with the SPPGA Director or designate.  The outcome of their research will be a written product such as a peer-reviewed journal article, magazine article, opinion piece, or podcast on the topic of interest.
  • Fellows will be invited to stay connected to the school through the Practitioner Fellow alumni network at SPPGA.

Program Activities

In addition to advancing an individual professional project, fellows can expect to undertake at least one activity from each of the following three categories per term:

Student and Community Engagement

  • Individually mentor 1-2 MPPGA students
  • Lead a student-oriented workshop on a career-related topic of your choice
  • Participate in workshops and/or community engagement events/lectures
  • Provide a public lecture on a topic of policy, practice and/or research

Research

  • Collaborate with SPPGA faculty or researchers on a topic of shared interest
  • Organize a workshop on the Fellow’s topic of interest

Teaching and Learning

  • Serve as a resource for a GP2 team
  • Deliver guest lectures/co-teach an existing PPGA course
  • Develop and deliver/facilitate a series of workshops on a topic related to PPGA

Commitment & Resources

Fellowships are considered to be a full-time commitment for the duration of the contract.  Hours on campus may vary per week, however, all fellows are expected to hold regular on-campus office hours. Fellows will be provided with shared office space at SPPGA and will have full access to UBC resources.

Application & Criteria

The program seeks distinguished practitioners with 10+ years of leadership experience in public policy, international development, global affairs and/or government, across a variety of issue areas and sectors.

  • Statement of Interest including a professional autobiography (500 words)
  • Research/professional project proposal (500 words)
  • CV
  • Contact information for 3 references