Director for Center of Excellence

Position Title:

Director for Center of Excellence (COE) (Grant-Funded)

Position Summary:

The Director for COE is primarily responsible for the overall day-to-day management of the Center by implementing the core initiatives as well as supporting the expansion of COE-related efforts. This position works closely with the COE leadership and reports directly to the Associate Provost for Research. The Director for COE will be required to interface with internal and external stakeholders. In particular, the Director for COE will play a critical role in the oversight of the breadth of activities associated with the COE virtual hub/data dashboard on Black women in STEM and other newly established initiatives. In addition, the Director for COE will be responsible for managing the Center budgets from various funders (currently totaling more than $5M and securing additional revenue to support the growth of the Center. The incumbent is expected to have extensive knowledge of academic research, project management, partnership development, and fundraising.

NOTE: This is a multi-year, grant-funded position.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities :

• Serves as the primary point of contact for faculty, staff, students, alumnae, visitors, funders/donors, and external constituents interested in learning more about the Center of Excellence;
• Works in coordination with the Division Chair for Natural Sciences & Mathematics (NSM) and the Division Chair for Social Sciences & Education (SSE) to brainstorm and design the structure and framework for new Center activities;
• Organizes and facilitates the meetings for the COE Steering Committee to maintain the effective implementation of core initiatives;
• Identifies/develops, implements, and manages improvements to program policies and processes in collaboration with the COE-MWS leadership;
• Develops guidelines, eligibility criteria, and procedures for identification, recruitment, and selection of participants for any new Center-funded initiatives;
• Seeks other sources of revenue/funding by identifying and cultivating potential partnerships in collaboration with COE Leadership and Institutional Advancement for the long-term sustainability of the Center of Excellence and expansion of its activities;
• Leads the development of programming, trainings, workshops focused on emerging technologies and workshops in collaboration with the COE Steering Committee and/or other internal partners (e.g., Office of Research, Innovation, and Collaboration (ORIC), Teaching Resource & Research Center (TRRC), and the Innovation Lab, students, NSM and SSE faculty);
• Manages and leads the development of marketing strategies to publicize and recruit for the different Center activities of opportunities, which may include working closely with the Office of Strategic Communications and Marketing to design marketing materials;
• Collaborates with the Office of Alumnae Engagement and NSM/SSE Department Chairs to identify and invite alumnae to participate in Center activities, contribute to scholarships for NSM/SSE students through the 25@25: Circle of Sisterhood, and/or serve as career mentors for any students participating in Center-funded initiatives;
• Prepares and/or presents updates and reports on the activities of the COE for ORIC team meetings, Senior Team meetings, NSM or SSE Divisional Meetings, or other appropriate meetings;
• Leads the efforts for evaluating and assessing the impact of Center activities by working collaboratively with the internal and external evaluators to develop surveys and dashboards for the Center;
• Creates the summary reports as requested by Institutional Research in Institutional Effectiveness on the impacts of the Center using metrics and baseline data;
• Conducts research related to Center initiatives and develops initial drafts of articles and collaborates with the COE Steering Committee to develop journal articles and publications;
• Organizes all visits for external funders to the College and coordinates logistics of faculty site visits;
• Visits other relevant Centers of Excellence, colleges/universities, and professional organizations having special interests in Spelman Center activities;
• Responds to requests from internal offices/departments such as the Office of the President, Office of the Provost, or the Office of Strategic Communications and Marketing;
• Attends conferences and workshops as needed and completes appropriate professional development activities; and
• Represents the Center of Excellence, along with the COE Leadership, at relevant and appropriate internal, local, state, regional, or national conferences/workshops (e.g., National HBCU Week conference hosted by the White House Initiative on HBCUs).

Required Qualifications:

Master’s Degree in a STEM field or MBA with a minimum of five years of relevant experience required.

This position requires strong customer service, communication, and time management skills. A professional demeanor with the ability to interface with internal and external stakeholders with diplomacy, tact, and confidentiality is essential. Independent judgment is necessary to plan, prioritize and organize a diversified workload with attention to detail. Work requires fact-finding and compilation skills, plus the ability to perform various tasks simultaneously. Must possess the aptitude to learn quickly. The individual must be resourceful in finding alternative solutions. In taking the initiative, the individual must ensure that the outcome does not detract from the primary goals or established programming.

Excellent oral communication skills are required when providing information and responding to questions from internal and external constituents in one-on-one or group situations. The individual must be able to write business correspondence, journal articles, proposals, policies and procedure manuals, plus compose memos, letters, and e-mails. Also, must be able to read, analyze, and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedural manuals. Good proofreading skills and attention to detail are essential.

This position requires initiative, innovative and creative thought to successfully execute the COE mission, vision, and programming. It is critical for the Associate Director- COE to be a team player and work well collaborating with a multitude of different constituents.

The incumbent must have previously demonstrated the ability to:

• Successfully plan and effectively implement programs and activities, particularly those that are novel;
• Effectively present information and respond to questions from all levels of administration, faculty, staff, students, and the general public;
• Write reports, proposals, business correspondence, and procedure manuals;
• Develop compelling presentations and marketing materials and/or social media posts;
• Interact with governmental agencies, private foundations, businesses, and/or other organizations;
• Work in a college setting and with diverse communities.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must have the ability to perform advanced skills using Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint). In addition to producing correspondence, memos, and e-mails duties may involve assignments that require creating proposals, articles, spreadsheets with formulas, PowerPoint or CANVA presentations, and the use of Lotus Notes/Outlook and Banner Financial Module.
Preferred Qualifications:

Ph.D. preferred.
Being a quick learner and agility with any new platforms and systems are highly desired.

Certifications, Licenses, Restrictions :

Project Management Professional Certification preferred.

Physical Demands:

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to: walk, talk, hear, sit, and operate computer and other office equipment. The employee is frequently required to: reach with hands and arms, and occasionally required to: climb, and lift and/or move up to 15 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include the ability to adjust focus.

Shift:

Days

% Travel Required:

1% - 25%

Full Time/Part Time:

Full-time

Work Location/Schedule::

This position is eligible for a hybrid work arrangement.

FLSA:

Exempt

Number of Vacancies:

1

Posting Number:

SC0687P

Posting Open Date:

06/04/2024

Open Until Filled:

Yes

EEO Statement:

Spelman College is an EEO/Minority/Female/Disabled/Veteran/Title IX Employer and we participate in E-Verify. We are a smoke-free campus.

COVID-19 Vaccination Protocol:

Due to the heightened risk of contracting COVID-19 and the spread of variants, Spelman College requires up to date COVID-19 vaccination of all faculty, staff, and students (collectively “Campus Community”) that have job duties, attend classes, or are otherwise present on campus. You will need to submit proof of up-to-date COVID-19 vaccination: full vaccination and a booster (when eligible) or a single dose of the bivalent vaccine) prior to your first day on campus or you may seek a medical or religious exemption to the vaccination requirement by providing the necessary documentation to: Yemi Brown, PharmD Manager of COVID-19 Operations, at ibiyemibrown@spelman.edu. Upon receiving your Spelman Technology log-in credentials, please keep your vaccination or exemptions records up-to-date using Etrieve.

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