Project Director, ACCESS

Compensation Range:

Position Summary

The Project ACCESS Project Director provides leadership for all administrative functions under the US Department of Education Title IV Developing Hispanic Serving Institutions (DHSI) funded project as well as leadership support for the Associate Dean of Students who serves as Principal Investigator on the project. This position assists the Principal Investigator with strategic program administration and oversight, budget administration, project management, and is the primary liaison between the University, Department of Education, and other stakeholders. In areas that support the implementation of the grant, the Project Director also serves as liaison to University department chairs/faculty, Marketing, Finance, Student Services, Human Resources (HR), Office of Strategy and Innovation and Campus Operations. The scope of this role may include the following activities as assigned by the Principal Investigator authorize, monitor, and report on grant budget spending; design and monitor grant outcomes reporting; promote the activities and goals of the grant to internal partners; communicate directly with federal grant staff and other stakeholders; engaging faculty in their development of professional development; creation and management of the grant-funded team. The Project Director will work closely with the University Grants Management Team and Governance Council. Direct supervisor for specific staff supporting the grant funded project.

Essential Functions

• Ensure the completion of all grant-funded activities, including the required Annual Performance Reports and any other required grant reports.
• Ensure grant-related outcomes assessment is ongoing and meaningful.
• Supervise the Project Coordinator and Associate Director directly; and provide indirect supervision for the grant-funded Articulation Specialist.
• Provides support to the Principal Investigator (PI) and assists with the development and implementation of the Project ACCESS goals and objectives.
• Communicates frequently with the PI regarding the Project ACCESS operation and progress.
• Directs administrative functions for grant in accordance with US Department of Education regulations, accreditation requirements, and University policies, in close coordination with Dean.
• Supports the development and tracking of the grant budget/expenses.
• Leads all project management for the grant. 
• Suggest areas in need of improvement to Management Team and/or Governance Council and includes possible intervention strategies.
• Develops and manages Work Teams, including selection of Work Team Chairs.
• Direct agreement development with partner agencies and contract management and approval when applicable.
• Liaises with Grants Accounting to manage the development of annual grant budget, budget tracking, and reconciliation.
• Liaises with Online Learning and Instructional Support (OLIS), Academic Affairs, Registrar’s office and other functional teams on strategic program development and manage various academic administrative functions.
• Liaises and coordinates with Marketing and Enrollment on SoALS web site content and program level marketing initiatives.
• Liaises and coordinates with other functional areas (e.g., IT, Facilities, Campus Operations) to ensure smooth and efficient grant project operations.
• Completes needed special projects and other duties as assigned by the Dean.
• Manage day-to-day project needs related to the implementation and coordination of project activities.
• Other job-related duties as assigned.

Leadership:

• Direct supervisor for grant-funded staff and second level supervisor to full-time and/or part-time faculty supporting the grant project.
• Supervises staff, ensuring they are successfully following appropriate program operations, protocol, policies, and procedures. Consults with HR as needed on employee relations issues.
• Leads in the recruitment and selection of faculty/staff to support grant project goals/objectives.
• Supports staff and faculty professional development strategy for the grant.
• Participates in the annual performance review, working with grant’s External Evaluators and Office of Sponsored Programs and Research.
• Responsible for the retention of faculty and staff.
• Develop when/where appropriate and work in concert with the Principal Investigator on a targeted research agenda to support the grant’s outcomes and dissemination of outcomes. 

Supervisory Responsibilities: This position will directly supervise 2 full-time staff and indirectly supervise 1 full-time staff.

Supervisor duties to include:

• Screens, interviews candidates, and recommends individuals for hiring.
• Trains and assigns work to new and continuing employees.
• Delegates tasks and provides effective direction to team members to produce substantial business results.
• Independently conducts frequent performance feedback weekly, quarterly, and annually, to include annual performance evaluations.
• In conjunction with HR, determines corrective action as needed for direct reports.

Requirements:

Education & Experience:

• Doctoral or other terminal degree in higher education, public policy, multicultural studies, Chicano studies, or a related field required, or a combination of education and experience.
• Minimum five (5) years’ experience in higher education student success programming, grants management, or related field serving Hispanic adults required.
• Minimum five (5) years’ experience with organizing, directing, evaluating, and planning in an operations or academic environment required.
• Experience coordinating or managing federal grant programs, working in or with communities of color or other underserved communities is preferred.
• Bilingual, Spanish preferred.

Competencies/Technical/Functional Skills:

• Proficiency in data entry and completion of online reporting forms related to local, state, federal, or private grants.
• Ability to participate as an active team member of the team and organization and work toward a common goal. Contributes fully to the team effort and plays an integral part in the smooth running of teams without necessarily taking the lead.
• Accepts personal accountability, proactively seeks resolution for personal limitations head-on; and supports honesty and respect towards others, the company and oneself.
• Actively seeks to influence, build effective relationships, and gain alignment with peers, functional partners and/or external partners to accomplish business objectives. 
• Develops new insights into situations; questions conventional approaches; encourages new ideas and innovations; designs and implements new or cutting-edge programs/processes. Ability to generate and/or recognize imaginative or creative solutions that generate successful outcomes.
• Working knowledge, principles, and practices of office management/systems within a higher education environment, preferred. Demonstrates an understanding of underlying organizational issues.
• Ability to drive towards achieving measurable and challenging goals to support organizational success. Demonstrates the ability to focus on achieving results consistent with the organization’s objectives. As a leader, develops goals based on the organization’s vision, mission, strategic goals, and objectives.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to effectively communicate with a wide range of individuals of constituencies in a diverse community.
• Work independently and foster a cooperative spirit within a large and/or small team of diverse cultures, while working in a fast-paced environment with multiple deadlines and frequently changing priorities.
• Intermediate use of computers and Microsoft Office Suite Applications such as Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook.  Experience using Student Information System (SIS) such as SOAR/Peoplesoft systems.

Location: Remote, USA

Travel:  Travel required as necessary; may include annual grant team meetings, grant cohort meetings held by the Department of Education, commencement, and/or conferences. Travel is required 4-8 times per year.

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Candidate receiving offers will be offered a salary/pay rate commensurate with experience that vary based on a candidate’s qualifications, skills, and competencies.  Absent exceptional circumstances, candidates will be offered a salary within this range for this position. The minimum salary will be offered based on the minimum exemption threshold based on state of residency. Base pay is one component of National University’s total rewards package, as we are dedicated to supporting the needs of the “whole you” with our holistic approach to employee benefits by offering comprehensive well-being benefits for you and your family.  For full details about our benefit plan offerings, please visit benefits.nu.edu. For Part-time benefits, please click here.

National University is committed to maintaining a high-quality workforce representative of the populations we serve. National University employs more than 4,500 faculty and staff and serves over 45,000 students. We are united in our mission to meet the global education demands of the 21st Century and are dedicated to creating a supportive academic and work environment that allows students, faculty and staff to develop their interests and talents while experiencing a sense of community. With programs available both online and at our many campus locations, National University is a leader in creating innovative solutions to education and meeting the needs of our student population, including adult learners and working professionals.

National University (NU) is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant per applicable federal, state and local laws. At NU, a mix of highly talented, innovative and creative people come together to make the impact of a lifetime for each of our student learners. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment, education, and admission at National University.