Odyssey Beyond Bars Program Manager

University of Wisconsin Madison • Madison, WI

2d • Hybrid

About The Position

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is a public, land-grant institution that exemplifies the "Wisconsin Idea" that the resources of the university should benefit all the citizens of the state. The Division of Continuing Studies provides and supports high-quality continuing education, outreach, service and scholarship related to personal enrichment and professional development. Under the general direction of the Odyssey Beyond Bars Director, and in coordination with other staff and faculty of the UW Odyssey Project and the Prison Education Initiative, the Program Manager is responsible for developing and administering the Odyssey Beyond Bars academic program, with special emphasis on communications with other UW-Madison units involved in prison-based education, Department of Corrections staff, and other partners. Odyssey Beyond Bars offers UW-Madison courses and advising to students incarcerated in Wisconsin prisons. Responsibilities will include but are not limited to: liaising with prison-specific DOC staff, collaborating with the Prison Education Initiative to plan and coordinate academic offerings, developing processes to support our instructors in a rapidly expanding higher education landscape, developing and maintaining tutor, volunteer, and intern support systems, orienting new students each semester, and creating mechanisms to support program alumni and track program metrics. This position requires work to be performed in-person, onsite, at a designated campus work location. Some work may be performed remotely, at an offsite, non-campus work location.

Requirements

• Excellent problem solving and independent decision-making skills
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Adaptable interpersonal skills
• Proficiency working in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, and Outlook), Google Docs/Sheets, Salesforce or a similar CRM, Blackboard or a similar LMS, WordPress, and the Adobe Suite.
• Experience providing services to currently or formerly incarcerated people
• Bachelor's degree required

Nice To Haves

• At least one year of experience managing an academic program in prison.
• Professional experience in developing teams—leading professional development opportunities, coordinating/facilitating team building activities, etc.
• Student services background—experience with providing academic support and training volunteers and student workers.
• Knowledge of college-level tutoring and teaching methods, including evaluation and assessment
• Background handling logistical coordination and communications with multiple entities regarding a variety of work streams, including academic units and the Department of Corrections
• Familiarity with ACPA/NASPA competencies for higher education program design and student affairs
• Master's degree preferred

Responsibilities

• Identifies, proposes, and implements new or revised unit operational policies and procedures to comply with regulations, institutional policies, and academic program objectives
• Leads the development and implementation of academic program initiatives
• Supporting non-traditional student populations and students with disabilities by addressing structural barriers and designing accessibility into every facet of the student experience
• Serves as the liaison to internal and external stakeholder groups to identify and maintain academic program-related partnerships
• Manages degree programs and/or certificates, high impact practice programming and events, and curriculum development and implementation
• May exercise supervisory authority, including hiring, transferring, suspending, promoting, managing conduct and performance, discharging, assigning, rewarding, disciplining, and/or approving hours worked of at least 2.0 FTE or equivalent employees
• Provides full service advising resources and services, provides information about educational options and academic requirements, and communicates directly with students regarding all aspects of the advising process
• Assists stakeholders with preparing and/or maintaining documentation, financial management, and/or reporting requirements related to sponsored grants, contracts, or agreements
• May manage the unit budget and approve unit expenditures
• Evaluates existing academic program strategy and makes recommendations to unit leadership for program enhancement
• Planning, managing, and marketing events

Benefits

• Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals. The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world. The University of Wisconsin-Madison is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, including but not limited to, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, or status as a protected veteran and other bases as defined by federal regulations and UW System policies. We promote excellence by acknowledging skills and expertise from all backgrounds and encourage all qualified individuals to apply. For more information regarding applicant and employee rights and to view federal and state required postings, visit the Human Resources Workplace Poster website . To request a disability or pregnancy-related accommodation for any step in the hiring process (e.g., application, interview, pre-employment testing, etc.), please contact the Divisional Disability Representative (DDR) in the division you are applying to. Please make your request as soon as possible to help the university respond most effectively to you. Employment may require a criminal background check. It may also require your references to answer questions regarding misconduct, including sexual violence and sexual harassment. The University of Wisconsin System will not reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing, except that the identity of the successful candidate will be released. See Wis. Stat. sec. 19.36(7). The Annual Security and Fire Safety Report contains current campus safety and disciplinary policies, crime statistics for the previous 3 calendar years, and on-campus student housing fire safety policies and fire statistics for the previous 3 calendar years. UW-Madison will provide a paper copy upon request; please contact the University of Wisconsin Police Department .

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level