The Open Source Hardware Association (OSHWA) is looking for a Chair to the annual Open Hardware Summit set for April 22, 2022 in NYC @ NYU. This is an excellent opportunity to help shape the first in-person Summit since 2019, as well as to connect with the Open Hardware Community.

The Summit Chair helps to oversee the annual Open Hardware Summit. They work with OSHWA’s Executive Director, the Speaker Chair, and venue staff to produce the Summit.  The Summit Chair is also an ex officio member of the OSHWA board for the duration of the position. 

The Summit Chair is a paid, part-time position of $10,000. It begins in September of 2021 and concludes in early May of 2022.  The Open Hardware Summit Playbook establishes milestones that allow for flexible time commitments in the months leading up to the Summit. The Chair should expect to be on site and work full days on April 20, 21, and 22 of 2022. As we approach the Summit dates, the time commitment of the position will ramp up. OSHWA pays travel expenses related to the Summit.

OSHWA strongly encourages all people to apply (please circulate widely), especially those who hold the following intersecting identities: Black, Native or Indigenous, People of Color, LGBTQIA+, non-binary, persons living with disabilities, neurodivergent, young, speak English as a second language, and others with lived experience in overlooked and/or underestimated communities.

The main tasks for the Summit Chair are:

  • Regularly updating the Summit website (runs on WordPress) 
  • Promoting the Summit to open hardware and open hardware-adjacent communities in the NYC area and around the world
  • Overseeing the Summit social media presence 
  • Recruiting Summit keynote speakers
  • Managing the Ada Lovelace Fellowship application process
  • Designing the Summit staging and visual identity (either directly or by coordinating with an outside designer) 
  • Planning any pre or post parties (COVID permitting)

The Summit Chair is not expected to:

  • Fundraise for the Summit
  • Make venue or catering decisions
  • Manage venue A/V
  • Manage ticketing infrastructure
  • Maintain Summit website infrastructure
  • Manage the non-keynote speaker selection process

Candidates for this position must have:

  • Demonstrated experience organizing and managing community events
  • A connection to the open source hardware community
  • Demonstrated ability to set and meet deadlines
  • The ability to be in NYC for the Summit (COVID permitting)

Ideal candidates for this position will also have:

  • Experience promoting events 
  • Experience with community building
  • Experience designing stage and event spaces either directly or as a collaborator with other designers

To Apply, please fill out this form.  OSHWA will begin reviewing applications on August 16 and then on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

OSHWA is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to a policy of equal treatment and opportunity in every aspect of its recruitment and hiring process without regard to age, alienage, caregiver status, childbirth, citizenship status, color, creed, disability, domestic violence victim status, ethnicity, familial status, gender and/or gender identity or expression, marital status, military status, national origin, parental status, partnership status, predisposing genetic characteristics, pregnancy, race, religion, reproductive health decision making, sex, sexual orientation, unemployment status, veteran status, or any other legally protected basis. Women, racial and ethnic minorities, persons of minority sexual orientation or gender identity, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply for vacant positions at all levels.