Project Director, Peer Navigator Network

Position Summary

The Project Director, Peer Navigator Network provides leadership for all administrative functions underthe US Department of Education Postsecondary Student Support Grant (PSSG) funded project as well as leadership support for the Dean andAssociate Dean of Students who serve as Co-Principal Investigators on the project. This position assists the Principal Investigators withstrategic program administration and oversight, budget administration, project management, and is the primary liaison between theUniversity, Department of Education, and other stakeholders. In areas that support the implementation of the grant, the Project Directoralso serves as liaison to University department chairs/faculty, Marketing, Finance, Student Services, Human Resources (HR), Office ofStrategy and Innovation and Campus Operations. The scope of this role may include the following activities as assigned by the PrincipalInvestigators authorize, monitor, and report on grant budget spending; design and monitor grant outcomes reporting; promote the activitiesand goals of the grant to internal partners; communicate directly with federal grant staff and other stakeholders; engaging faculty in theirdevelopment of professional development; creation and management of the grant-funded team. The Project Director will work closely with theUniversity Grants Management Team and Governance Council. Direct supervisor for specific staff supporting the grant funded project. In doingso, the Project Director will support the development of diverse peer-to-peer support, interactive virtual meeting spaces, andcredential-rich mentor training programs.

Essential Functions:

• Ensure the completion of all grant-fundedactivities, including the required Annual Performance Reports and any other required grant reports.
• Ensure grant-related outcomesassessment is ongoing and meaningful.
• Supervise the Project Coordinator and Associate Director directly.
• Provides support tothe Principal Investigator (PI) and assists with the development and implementation of the Peer Navigator Network goals andobjectives.
• Communicates frequently with the PI regarding the Peer Navigator Network operation and progress.
• Directsadministrative functions for grant in accordance with US Department of Education regulations, accreditation requirements, and Universitypolicies, in close coordination with Dean.
• Supports the development and tracking of the grant budget/expenses.
• Leads allproject management for the grant. 
• Suggest areas in need of improvement to Management Team and/or Governance Council and includespossible intervention strategies.
• Develops and manages Work Teams, including selection of Work Team Chairs.
• Direct agreementdevelopment with partner agencies and contract management and approval when applicable.
• Liaises with Grants Accounting to manage thedevelopment 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 academicadministrative functions.
• Liaises and coordinates with Marketing and Enrollment on SoALS web site content and program levelmarketing initiatives.
• Liaises and coordinates with other functional areas (e.g., IT, Facilities, Campus Operations) to ensuresmooth and efficient grant project operations.
• Completes needed special projects and other duties as assigned by theDean.
• Manage day-to-day project needs related to the implementation and coordination of project activities.
• Otherjob-related duties as assigned.

Leadership:

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

Supervisory Responsibilities:  

• Direct supervisor for 2 full-time staff: the Associate Director, NU Peer Navigator Network, and the Project Coordinator, NU PeerNavigator Network.
• Indirect supervisor for 60-80 part-time Peer Navigators (FWS, VAWS, or grant-funded) in support of the AssociateDirector.
• Supervises staff, ensuring they are successfully following appropriate program operations, protocols, policies, andprocedures. Consult with HR as needed on employee relations issues.
• Leads in recruiting and selecting staff to support grant projectgoals/objectives.
• Participates in the annual performance review, working with grant's External Evaluators and Office of SponsoredPrograms and Research.
• Develop when/where appropriate and work in concert with the Co-PIs on a targeted research agenda to supportthe grant's outcomes and dissemination of outcomes.

Requirements:

Education & Experience:

• Doctoral degree from a regionally accredited institution aligned with project goals and activities, including but not limited toeducation, communication, psychology, sociology, social work, school counseling, school psychology, or related fieldrequired.
• Minimum five (5) years of experience working in a higher education setting or supporting college students required.Experience with student success initiatives such as peer mentoring, peer-to-peer support, student employment, and/or SupplementalInstruction preferred.
• Minimum five (5) years' experience with organizing, directing, evaluating, and planning in an operations oracademic environment.
• Experience with scholarly research, publication, presentation, or other dissemination activitiespreferred.

Competencies/Technical/Functional Skills:

• Ability to participate as an active team member of theteam and organization and work toward a common goal. Contributes fully to the team effort and plays an integral part in the smooth runningof teams without necessarily taking the lead.  Demonstrates an ability to participate as an active team member working toward commongoals.
• Actively seeks opportunities to influence, build effective relationships and gain alignment with peers, functional partnersand/or external partners to accomplish business objectives.
• Accepts personal accountability, proactively seeks resolution forpersonal limitations head-on; and supports honesty and respect towards others, the company and oneself.
• Develops new insights intosituations; questions conventional approaches; encourages new ideas and innovations; designs and implements new or cutting-edgeprograms/processes. Ability to generate and/or recognize imaginative or creative solutions that generate successfuloutcomes.
• Working knowledge, principles, and practices of office management/systems within a higher education environment,preferred. Demonstrates an understanding of underlying organizational issues.
• Work independently and foster a cooperative spiritwithin a large and/or small team of diverse cultures, while working in a fast-paced environment with multiple projects, deadlines, andfrequently changing priorities.
• Ability to drive towards achieving measurable and challenging goals to support organizationalsuccess. Demonstrates the ability to focus on achieving results consistent with the organization's objectives. As a leader, develops goalsbased on the organization's vision, mission, strategic goals, and objectives.
• Demonstrates an understanding of underlyingorganizational issues.
• Anticipates and takes steps to prevent counter-productive confrontations.  Manages and resolves conflicts anddisagreements in a constructive manner.
• Intermediate use of computers and Microsoft Office Suite Applications such as Word, Excel,Power Point, Outlook.

Location: Remote

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

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

Compensation Range:

Annual Salary: $79,930.00 - $107,900.00

National University is committed to maintaining a high-quality,diverse workforce representative of the populations we serve. National University employs more than 5,000 faculty and staff and serves over41,000 students. We are united in our mission to meet the global education demands of the 21st Century and are dedicated to creating asupportive academic and work environment that allows students, faculty and staff to develop their interests and talents while experiencing asense of community and a commitment to diversity. With programs available both online and at our many campus locations, National Universityis a leader in creating innovative solutions to education and meeting the needs of our diverse student population, including adult learnersand working professionals.

National University offers an opportunity to work in an innovative environment that supportsdiversity.

National University (NU) is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and does not unlawfully discriminate against anyemployee or applicant for employee per applicable federal, state and local laws. At NU, a diverse mix of highly talented, innovative andcreative people come together to make the impact of a lifetime for each of our student learners. All qualified applicants will receive equalconsideration for employment, education, and admission at National University. We are focused on equality and believe deeply in diversity ofrace, color, ancestry, age, family care status, veteran status, marital status, creed, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, religion,ethnicity, national origin, and other legally protected group status.