Director of Community Engagement and Outreach - Division of Access & Engagement - UTK

University of Tennessee•Knoxville, TN

23h•Onsite

About The Position

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville invites applications and nominations for a highly motivated, visionary leader in outreach, community engagement, and engaged scholarship to fulfill the position of Director in the Office of Community Engagement and Outreach (OCEO). Reporting to the Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic and External Relations, the Director will play a vital role in providing high-level leadership and direction for outreach, community engagement, and community-engaged scholarship. The successful candidate will be a thought leader in developing and providing strategies to advance UT's R1 (very high research activity) and land-grant mission while fostering impactful and mutually beneficial partnerships in the local community, region, and across the state, including supporting the Division of Access and Engagement (DAE) and OCEO grants program, community-engaged scholarship initiatives, professional development, seminars, and workshops. This position provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for the Office of Community Engagement and Outreach, directing staff, budgets, programs, and initiatives that advance the University of Tennessee’s mission of community engagement, outreach, engaged scholarship, and land-grant service. The role cultivates and sustains partnerships with faculty, students, community organizations, and local, regional, state, and national stakeholders; leads university-wide engagement efforts, funding opportunities, awards programs, and special projects; and serves as a key representative of the university in strengthening collaborative solutions to community challenges. Additionally, the position oversees communications, outreach materials, and engagement-related events while leading assessment, reporting, and data management efforts to evaluate impact, guide strategic decision-making, and demonstrate outcomes across engagement and outreach initiatives.

Requirements

Master’s Degree
Five years of community engagement and outreach experience.
Demonstrated experience collaborating with a variety of leaders and stakeholders to develop and execute programs or activities involving the campus community and external organizations.
Background in the development of mutually beneficial and collaborative partnerships with faculty, staff, students, and external groups and organizations that involve teaching, research, and service.
Proven track record of effectively creating, managing, and leading programs involving partnerships with the community.
Familiarity of, and experience with, the Carnegie elective community engagement classification.
Full understanding, experience with, and commitment to community engagement, outreach, and community-engaged scholarship.
Self-starter who has proven leadership skills and the ability to make sound decisions.
Experience developing and advancing strategies, projects, and programs across multidisciplinary teams within the higher education and/or community setting.
Demonstrated interpersonal, initiative, and self-motivation skills.
Experience managing and supervising staff.
Attention to detail, writing, listening, and interpersonal skills.
Ability to plan visits, events, and presentations independently and strategically for prospective students.
Have oral presentation/public speaking skills.
Knowledge of university admissions process.
Ability to problem solve and research solutions.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Understanding and familiarity working with faculty while focusing on shared governance.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work with minimum supervision and with individuals and groups from different backgrounds.
Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis without need now or in the future for sponsorship for employment-based visa status.

Nice To Haves

Doctoral Degree
Seven years of community engagement and outreach experience.
Seven to ten years of progressive experience in higher education.
Teaching and/or research experience in higher education.

Responsibilities

Provide leadership and daily supervision of the Office of Community Engagement and Outreach, including budget oversight and supervision of staff which includes an Associate Director, Assistant Director, two Coordinators, Faculty Fellow, and student workers.
Direct, develop, and oversee community engagement, outreach, and engaged scholarship initiatives that align with the University’s goals, while focusing on strategies that enhance and support the University’s commitment to access and community, based on best practices and emerging research on community engagement, outreach, and community-engaged scholarship.
Provide leadership for sustained stakeholder relationships that promote UT’s community engagement, outreach, community-engaged scholarship, innovation, and entrepreneurship on local communities and across the state.
Provide leadership for best practices and emerging research on community engagement, outreach, and community-engaged scholarship.
Engage faculty, staff, students, and community members to develop solutions to grand challenges while connecting stakeholders to university resources.
Collaborate with faculty and university leadership to uphold the collective understanding of the scholarship of engagement and shared governance.
Provide leadership, oversight, and the chair of UT’s Carnegie Community Engagement Classification Committee.
Provide oversight of OCEO’s engagement and outreach awards.
Maintain a competitive funding process to support faculty who engage with the community, have academic outreach initiatives, and/or focus on community-engaged scholarship and provide oversight for the Division of Access and Engagement and Office of Community Engagement and Outreach Request for Proposals.
Lead, collaborate with, and serve as an ex-officio member of the Engagement and Outreach Council.
Lead efforts to create and strengthen partnerships across campus, colleges, schools, departments, individuals, and groups of faculty and external stakeholders to develop collaborations while focusing on trust and shared governance.
Work with a variety of stakeholders, including faith-based organizations, schools, civic organizations, and other groups to create opportunities for open dialogue and engaged communities.
Provide advisement on capacity building across local communities and statewide.
Cultivate and enhance mutually beneficial partnerships with community groups and organizations across the state that may not frequently interact with UT.
Oversee special projects that advance UT’s R1, land-grant, and community engagement status as designated by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
Represent the university and serve on behalf of the Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic and External Relations on campus committees as well as local boards, work groups, and committees.
Connect UT resources with community changemakers to catalyze new collaborations.
Recognize exemplary community impact partnerships in Knoxville, the region, state, and beyond.
Host regular meetings and programs with OCEO’s strategic partners.
Highlight and showcase community partnerships that leverage university innovation, talent development, and other resources to make the world a better place.
Cultivate relationships and connections with key national, state, and regional partners engaged with communities, while serving as the primary point of contact for the Engagement Scholarship Consortium.
Manage UT’s C. Peter Magrath Community Engagement Award process.
Partner with the Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships to support student’s community-engaged discovery locally, statewide, nationally, and globally.
Partner with Teaching and Learning Innovation to leverage faculty’s research capacity, community-engaged teaching, and learning.
Oversee and manage communication as it relates to those who participate in community engagement and outreach programs, professional development, workshops, and seminars.
Create, oversee, and manage letters and/or certificates acknowledging those who participate in community engagement and outreach programs, professional development, workshops, and seminars.
Develop and manage outreach and promotional materials for faculty, staff, current and prospective students, community partners, and state, municipal and local elected officials.
Manage calendar of community engagement and outreach events.
Oversee, manage, and update community resource handbook.
Provide leadership for the development of deliverables at the end of each fiscal year cataloging the outputs and outcomes of all projects.
Coordinate the distribution and collection of program evaluations in support of assessment initiatives.
Survey, analyze, and interpret data. Use assessment and evaluation data to help determine program direction.
Prepare annual reports and impact summaries.
Coordinate ongoing development and management of the tracking and records of engagement and outreach projects.
Provide project summaries and have tangible outputs and products at the end of the projects.