Program Director, Policing Leadership Academy

University of Chicago•Chicago, IL

2d•$100,000 - $115,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Policing Leadership Academy is a violence reduction initiative that aims to prevent violent crime, support officers, and improve fairness and effectiveness in policing. We do this by developing better police management practices nationwide and in select cities globally, with a focus on many of America’s highest-violence geographies. The academy, which is being rigorously evaluated to measure its effectiveness, addresses a persistent training gap by providing a five-month, robust management and leadership education to policing middle managers. Investing in law enforcement management education can transform public safety in an entire city simply by training a few handfuls of key people. Currently, there are no national standards, curriculum, or best practices for training and supporting police commanders/captains/majors – the rank that oversee police precincts and station houses. Police commanders don’t directly supervise patrol officers – they supervise the supervisors and can exert much greater influence over local patrol behavior than department leadership. The PLA is the only police management and leadership education program in the country solely focused on this critical rank of police leader. The PLA builds on prior research from the Crime Lab showing that changes in police department management can drive reductions in both violent crime rates and police use of force. The five-month curriculum provides hands-on training in data-driven management, violence reduction, and community trust. The University of Chicago Crime Lab and Education Lab is seeking a Program Director to manage all programmatic elements of the Policing Leadership Academy. The Program Director will report the to the Director, Policing Leadership Academy and work closely with Crime Lab and Education Lab research teams. Strong candidates will have demonstrable project management or program management successes and comfort working with a diverse range of professionals. This is a hybrid role with in-person requirements for programming weeks in Chicago and Washington, D.C. Additional travel needed for relevant meetings and convenings; anticipated once or twice per year. The job leads the administration of academic, research, clinical or administrative programs.

Requirements

College or university degree in related field.
Knowledge and skills developed through 7+ years of work experience in a related job discipline.
Strong project management skills with exceptional attention to detail.
Ability to work independently in a fast-paced environment.
Outstanding interpersonal skills and ability to maintain positive relationships with various internal and external stakeholders.
Strong time management skills with a proven ability to multitask and to prioritize activities to successfully complete projects on tight deadlines with little supervision.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to interact with a variety of audiences.
Demonstrated ability to exercise sound judgment.
Knowledge and understanding of crime policy and violence research literature.
Ability to work effectively with a diverse workforce in a complex research environment.
Strong oral and written communication skills and comfort interacting with a variety of colleagues.
Demonstrated ability to organize and manage large-scale programming events towards a successful outcome.
Demonstrated ability to manage to a budget.
Resourceful problem-solver and critical thinker; proactive in anticipating and averting problems.

Nice To Haves

Previous experience working in a research organization or managing research projects.
Previous experience in policing or working with the criminal justice system.
Advanced degree.

Responsibilities

Ensures the success of PLA programming from cohort recruitment through graduation.
Maintains and updating project plans and trackers.
Identifies opportunities for process improvement and cost savings.
Leads coordination meetings and managing the ensuing tasks.
Delegates tasks and responsibilities as appropriate.
Leads problem solving for unexpected obstacles or challenges.
Manages the recruitment of new participants and districts for each planned cohort.
Serves as the key point of contact and relationship manager for current and past districts and municipalities participating in the PLA; managing both routine communication and the completion of all necessary compliance-related documentation.
Coordinates with the PLA Advisory Committee, ensuring clear communication and strong collaboration between them, PLA research and program teams, and Crime Lab leadership as necessary.
Leads PLA team in creating and maintaining detailed work plans, schedules, project estimates, resource plans, and status reports.
Identifies appropriate resources needed and develops schedules to ensure timely completion of tasks and responsibilities.
Acts as a resource for all staff assigned to PLA project and provides programmatic guidance.
Ensures all staff assigned to the PLA team have a clear understanding of their routine responsibilities and are proficient enough on the relevant resources to be able to backfill for others if and when needed.
Works closely with the Finance Team to manage contractor and vendor relationships, track expenditures, and monitor project budgets.
Works closely with the UChicago Crime Lab research team evaluating program effectiveness, adjusting program implementation as necessary.
Provides specialized professional expertise in program management.
Implements plans for educational programs and initiatives and acts as a liaison between the program and program participants.
Serves as a key resource for program information.
Resolves problems or questions referred by program staff, University administrators, or other contingencies.
Performs other related work as needed.