Program Specialist - Office of Professional Licensure - UTK

University of Tennessee•Knoxville, TN

11h

About The Position

The Program Specialist for the UT Plays Program serves as a central hub of support, communication, and coordination for teacher candidates, mentor teachers, faculty, and district partners. This position combines academic evaluation, program administration, and relationship-building to ensure exceptional candidate experiences and high-quality licensure outcomes. This position manages and oversees all aspects of candidate support, licensure pathways, and program operations to ensure teacher candidates progress smoothly through preparation and endorsement requirements. The role requires exercising sound judgment in making decisions about grading, enrollment, fiscal operations, and learner support, as well as proactively identifying challenges and implementing solutions to improve candidate outcomes. In addition, the position serves as the lead point of contact for initial licensure, mentor training, and district partnerships, making independent determinations on compliance, communication, and collaboration with external stakeholders. Finally, the role drives program growth and continuous improvement through curriculum updates, data management, reporting, and professional development, using evidence-based decision making to guide program enhancements and strengthen institutional and district partnerships. The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has shaped leaders, changemakers, and innovative thinkers since its founding in 1794. The university is home to more than 38,000 students and 10,000 statewide employees—the Volunteers—who uphold the university’s tradition of lighting the way for others through leadership and service. UT Knoxville offers over 900 programs of study across 14 degree-granting colleges and schools. As Tennessee’s flagship land-grant university, its footprint spans the entire state. The university holds the highest Carnegie classification for research activity and has deep partnerships with industry leaders and the US Department of Energy’s largest multidisciplinary laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The Knoxville campus serves and recruits for UT Knoxville, including the Institute of Agriculture and the Space Institute, as well as the UT Institute of Public Service. UT Knoxville considers its employees its number one asset. With values that focus on work-life balance, compensation, and innovation leadership, all Vols are supported to advance professionally. Employees have access to career development and coaching, continued education, and an extensive list of development and training possibilities. The Volunteer employee experience implements structures and practices to attract and retain top-tier talent, fostering a strong staff community and supporting a culture of involvement and engagement for everyone. The university holds a strong commitment to its land-grant mission of learning and engagement, with a tradition of service and leadership that carries that Volunteer spirit throughout the state and around the world. It has been ranked nationally as “Best Employer for New Graduates,” “One of America’s Best Large Employers,” and “Best Workplace for Women,” and has been designated as “Best Place for Working Parents” by Forbes Magazine.