Associate Director of Programs

Reference #: REQ0000058371
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JOB DESCRIPTION AND POSITION REQUIREMENTS:
Penn State Extension seeks a highly motivated and positive Associate Director of Programs to join our nationally recognized Extension team. With a goal of expanding reach and access to education, the primary responsibility of the Associate Director of Programs is to coordinate programming efforts and ensure Penn State Extension develops and delivers high-quality, relevant, and impactful extension educational programs, products, and services through a variety of formats consistent with the organizations vision. This is accomplished through senior-level leadership and daily oversight in the development and implementation of a customer-centric, innovative business strategy that meets the mission of a land-grant university. The Associate Director of Programs will be a member of Extensions Senior Administrative Team along with the Associate Dean and Director of Extension, the Associate Director for Client Relations, and the Associate Director for Business Operations.

This position will provide leadership, supervision, and support to Assistant Directors of Programs (ADPs) and Program Teams in the planning, prioritizing, budgeting, developing, delivery, evaluation, and sustainability of programs, products, services, and activities. The resulting product mix will address Extension customers changing educational needs, enabling the organization to increase agility, ensure financial stability, improve performance, and focus internal resources on our core programming competencies and strategic goals. The individual will lead organizational goals of interfacing research with educational programming to create and deliver non-credit educational programs and products in-person and online to meet the needs of customers across the rural-urban continuum. The position will work with diverse faculty, extension educators, and others in academic departments to ensure alignment of research efforts and extension programming.

As the person responsible for the educational program vision and product portfolio for the organization, the individual will lead the implementation of the Program Development Process (PDP), a structured market assessment and program prioritization process to identify and prioritize programming opportunities. Responsibilities within this process include the evaluation and approval of program team priorities and investments, as well as leading program/product evaluation and impact reporting.

Approximately 50% of the individuals time will be spent supervising and providing leadership to ADPs in program prioritization and their subsequent development, production, and implementation to build a high-quality program and product portfolio that meets customer expectations in ways consistent with organizational goals and objectives. The successful candidate will spend about 30% of their time developing programming strategies and processes. This will consist of the improvement, development, and implementation of organizational structures, processes, and best practices to accomplish programming goals. This includes working with the College of Agricultural Sciences Marketing and Digital Education teams to develop a comprehensive and strategic approach to program development and promotion. The remaining 20% of time will be focused on internal and external o ganizational communications. Working with extension staff and the Office of College Relations and Communications, the Associate Director of Programs will develop and implement an effective communications strategy and plan to explain and champion Extensions program development strategies, implementation plans, and impact.

Skills and Competencies:
Skills – The successful candidate is expected to understand program life cycle management (needs or market assessment, development, delivery, and evaluation) as it relates to Extension programming. The individual must possess outstanding skills in program and educational product development and workflow processes and knowledge of quality control/assurance processes. The ability to engage professionally with a diverse population of faculty, staff, and students and promote collaboration across the university is required. The individual must also work effectively in a team and with diverse populations and audiences.

Competencies – The successful candidate must possess and demonstrate excellence in leadership, communications, relationship building, and financial management. The successful candidate must also demonstrate the ability to work well with faculty, educators, and staff in translating and packaging research-based knowledge and technology into high-quality educational programming for diverse audiences.

Relationships:
The Associate Director of Programs reports directly to the Associate Dean and Director of Extension, who in turn reports to the Dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences. Five Assistant Directors of Program and the Evaluation Director report directly to the Associate Director of Programs. Extension Educators are assigned to one of five Extension program units supervised by the Assistant Directors of Programs.

Qualifications: Masters of Science required, Ph.D. preferred in a relevant field, and a strong knowledge of program development and implementation.

Salary: Commensurate with qualifications and experience. An excellent benefits package is provided.

Background checks: This position requires the following clearances: PA State Police Criminal Background Check, PA Child Abuse History Clearance Form, and Federal (FBI) Fingerprint Criminal Background Check. This position requires that you operate a motor vehicle as a part of your job duties. A valid drivers license and successful completion of a motor vehicle records check will be required in addition to clearances.

Applications: Submit a letter of application highlighting relevant skills and competencies as stated above, names and addresses of four professional references, and curriculum vitae. Review of applications will begin October 21 and continue until a suitable candidate is identified.

Penn State is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer, and is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.

CAMPUS SECURITY CRIME STATISTICS:

Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act and the Pennsylvania Act of 1988, Penn State publishes a combined Annual Security and Annual Fire Safety Report (ASR). The ASR includes crime statistics and institutional policies concerning campus security, such as those concerning alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, the reporting of crimes, sexual assault, and other matters. The ASR is available for review here.

Employment with the University will require successful completion of background check(s) in accordance with University policies.

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