Specialist - Outreach-Continuing

Outreach-Continuing•East Lansing, MI

About The Position

Reporting to the Assistant Provost for Undergraduate Student Success, the Director of Farmworker Student Services will provide strategic oversight for a series of programs including: College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP), High School Equivalency Program (HEP), MSU Identification & Recruitment Center (ID&R), National Farmworker Scholars Internship (NFSI), FSS Global Initiatives, including the International Experience in Mexico (IEM), and the Great Lakes Beginning Farmers Program. These programs offer comprehensive support for students from farmworker families, including scholarships, tutoring, counseling, academic workshops, and health services with the goal of facilitating access into and successful completion of educational opportunities. The Director of FSS will shape the unit’s long-term strategic direction, including fundraising and overseeing all administrative, fiscal, and compliance functions of the department, as well as serving as Principal Investigator on multiple federal, state, and city grants. The portfolio includes federal, state, private, and municipality funded initiatives, primarily through the U.S. Departments of Education, Labor, and Housing & Urban Development as well as the State of Michigan and private and corporate philanthropic donors.

Requirements

Master’s degree in education, public administration, social work, or related field and minimum of 10 years of work experience in higher education or related field
Minimum of 5 years of experience supervising full time staff and administrative responsibilities
Demonstrated success in grant-writing, fundraising, and donor relations and experience managing state, federal, and donor grants
Knowledge of theories and practices related to student success, persistence, wellbeing, and graduation
Evidence of a commitment to and understanding of farmworker needs and strengths, and experience conducting work to increase access and success for farmworker communities
Experience with developing and monitoring large budgets, financial reporting, and audits
Experience fostering teamwork and managing cross-functional teams
Ability to access, understand, interpret, and report data from multiple sources to promote student success through data-informed and innovative practices
Ability to build and maintain strong relationships with federal agencies, auditors, and internal/external stakeholders
Strong leadership, supervisory, and team management skills
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Experience engaging farmworker communities, students, and various interest groups through culturally responsive outreach, community education, and collaborative programming

Nice To Haves

Terminal degree
Proficiency in educational data systems and program assessment tools
Experience creating and implementing strategic plans
Writing and speaking proficiency in Spanish
Established relationships with regional and national farmworker community leaders

Responsibilities

Direct and manage all FSS programs, ensuring alignment with state and federal regulations and guidelines, as well as alignment with the university strategic plan and the five opportunity areas of student success
Lead FSS’s fundraising efforts and increase the resources provided to FSS from individuals and corporations by cultivating donor and fundraising relationships, and supporting development initiatives
Provide supervision, mentoring, and professional development opportunities to approximately two dozen full/part time FSS staff and students including five direct reports
Develop and implement a vision and strategic plan for FSS and facilitate strategic planning for each program with the program directors
Serve as Principal Investigator for all FSS grants including monitoring compliance with eligibility criteria, regulatory requirements and reporting, as well as interpretation and communication to all state, federal, and university entities and donors
Lead departmental and grant based assessment and data-reporting, including overseeing performance metrics and ensuring progress toward grant and institutional goals
Utilize data to evaluate past interventions, guide future programming, and monitor persistence and student success outcomes to ensure programs meet current and future needs
Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders, including community organizations, agencies, and federal partners to build and strengthen MSU programs; represent FSS at university-wide, regional, national, and international levels
Promote up to date use of educational technology and data management systems