The food assistance branch of the United Nations is hiring an Ombuds Consultant to be based in Johannesburg. The full-time position will provide Ombuds services to WFP employees in the region and reports to the WFP Ombudsman and Director, Katya Melluish in Rome. The initial contract will be for 11 months last four years and significant travel is required.
The Forum of Canadian Ombudsman and Osgoode Professional Development are offering their intensive program on advanced Ombuds practice in April 2025. The course building on the success of the Osgoode/FCO Certificate – Essentials for Ombuds, this program is designed to teach skills for complex challenges and provides hands-on learning with leading experts and real-world case studies.
The large research university in Southern California has opened a search for Campus Ombudsperson and Director of Ombuds Services. The search will fill a position held on an interim basis by Thomas Griffin since June 2022. Other members of the office currently include Brenda Woods-Patin, Natalie Gibson, and Ariella Morrison. The full-time, hybrid eligible position reports as part of the Chancellor's office and practices to IOA standards.
Michael Edwards has been appointed as the new Ombudsman for the Texas community college system. He will restart a program that has been dormant for several years following the departure of Christena Alcorn. Edwards will provide services to nearly 5,000 faculty and staff across eight campuses, practicing to IOA standards.
The head of the Austrian Student Ombuds Office (Ombudsstelle für Studierende), Anna-Katharina Rothwangl, said her office saw a 6% increase in cases in 2023-24. This followed a 21% increase last year. The 822 issues came from a student body of 425,000 students enrolled at 77 different colleges and universities. The report also provides new recommendations to the legislature and updates on prior recommendations. (Austrian Student Ombuds 2024 Executive Summary.)
