Apply for Council

Being involved in the APECS Council provides you with opportunities to engage internationally and across disciplines with other early career researchers and professionals who are interested in the polar and alpine regions and the wider cryosphere. Within our projects, you can develop valuable skills in project management, leadership, and communication in a friendly and supportive environment that will help you in your future career in any profession. APECS Council members value the international networks they develop through the Council, as well as the recognition and accomplishments they gain through their work.

There are several opportunities to take on leadership roles in our Council. No previous experience is required, and anyone with the enthusiasm and ideas to continue to improve APECS is encouraged to apply. We will mentor and train you with all the information and skills you need to fulfill your role in Council leadership. The roles and a short description about them are:

Project Group Leaders: APECS members are involved in a wide variety of projects over the Council term. Taking on the role of Project Group Leader is an excellent opportunity to learn project management skills such as organizing and chairing project group meetings, developing and managing the project timeline, and coordination with members across various time zones. Note that as a Project Group Leader, your responsibility is to manage the project, not deliver it single-handedly, and you need not have particular experience in the subject matter of a given project group to take on its lead. No previous experience in leading a Project Group is needed as you will be supported in this role with comprehensive guidance documents, ExCom Contacts who will support you throughout the project, and regular Council meetings during which you’ll have the opportunity to exchange with your fellow Project Group Leaders throughout the term. In addition, most Project Groups will have more than one Project Group Leader, and thus you will be able to work with fellow Project Group Leaders to manage the activities of the Project Group.

As a 2026-2027 Project Group Leader you would need to be available at the end of September and beginning of October 2026 to review applications for your Project Group.

National Committee Representative: APECS National Committee (NC) Representatives are nominated by their NC leadership and are the point of contact between their NC and the APECS International Directorate. APECS NCs can appoint up to two representatives to the Council (partner organizations can appoint one). Each NC has one vote in the APECS Council even if the NC has more than one representative.

Council Chairs: The Council Chair is a shared role between 3 Co-Chairs. You will act as a communication point between the Council and the ExCom and help to encourage new ideas and initiatives. This is a great way to get to know and interact with all the APECS Council members. This role also provides an excellent opportunity to contribute to the day-to-day running of APECS. You will work with your Co-Chairs to organize and chair Council meetings (across time zones) every 2 months. You will also manage reporting for Council members, including summarizing reports and answering/disseminating feedback as appropriate. You will develop a range of transferable skills including chairing meetings, summarizing minutes and reports, and communication skills.

National Committee Coordinators: Three National Committee (NC) Coordinators serve as the point of contact for NC representatives and supervise their role on the Council. APECS is a large and growing network, and a key task for the NC Coordinators is to act as a communication point between the NCs and APECS leadership, to keep track of activities and events, and to maintain this network. The NC Coordinators will arrange individual calls with each NC at least once a year, as well as an overall NC call twice a year. During overall NC calls, the representatives of all NCs can exchange project ideas and discuss relevant topics. You will oversee the drafting and renewal of partnership agreements between NCs and APECS International and will help new NCs to establish themselves. You will also run reporting for each National Committee, including summarizing reports and answering/disseminating feedback as appropriate. This role provides an excellent opportunity to network and become involved in the wider APECS community, in addition to developing organizational and communication skills.

Social Media Coordinators: APECS is very active in different Social Media (SM) platforms to communicate news and to interact with the international polar community promoting early career researcher opportunities and activities. The SM coordinator’s role is shared between a handful of people who update the APECS SM platforms regularly and work closely with the APECS Directorate and the APECS leadership to keep our members informed. This role requires engaged, organized and trustworthy people since you will have access to APECS SM accounts and posting will be at your discretion. Also, your input into creative ways to engage our public, or in the use of other novel or alternative communication platforms will be highly appreciated. You will gain a deeper understanding of the daily management of APECS and of the multiple activities that APECS engages in with partner agencies. Candidates applying to this role should be familiar with the use of popular SM.

Representative Coordinators: The Representative Coordinators serve as the point of contact for APECS representatives spread over partner organizations and committees, and supervises their role on the Council. APECS is involved in numerous committees within its network, and a key task for the Representative Coordinators is to maintain these connections, act as a communication point between the APECS Reps within the committees and APECS leadership, and to keep track of activities and events. The Representative Coordinators will also be the point of contact for organizations who are looking for ECRs within their committee. By being such a point of contact, the APECS Representative Coordinators will coordinate the call for candidates, the selection criteria, the selection of applications and the follow-up with ExCom members. This role provides an excellent opportunity to network and become involved in the wider APECS community, in addition to developing organizational and communication skills.