Job Announcement #208-07

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE POSITION

This position is part of the Chancellor’s Office and is assigned to work with and for the GEAR UP Office. This position requires a high degree of initiative, decision-making, organizational skills, attention to detail, and the establishment of an internal work schedule/job priorities on a day-to-day basis. The GEAR UP Program is a statewide effort to support low-income serving schools provide more opportunities for their students to enter and succeed in post-secondary education. The GEAR UP School Liaison, Communications Specialist will serve as an expert resource to the partner schools; managing the GEAR UP electronic communication including the website, newsletter and electronic mailing lists; preparing publications for GEAR UP schools. As part of the GEAR UP team, this position will work closely with the other GEAR UP staff including the Project Director, the GEAR UP School Liaison/Events Specialist, Administrative Assistant, and student workers in the implementation and successful operation of GEAR UP. The position reports directly to the GEAR UP Project Director.

DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC DUTIES AND PERCENTAGE OF TIME

Job functions are primarily self-initiated based on established policies and require daily prioritization of tasks. Timeliness and accuracy are cornerstones of the position. A majority of the work is performed independently and reviewed through periodic progress reports. Quality of work is evident in the comprehensiveness, accuracy, and timeliness of reports.

This position has a broad range of functions and responsibilities that include but are not limited to the following:

30% - Provide technical assistance to half of the twelve school clusters receiving direct service through the GEAR UP grant. Assistance will include: goal setting, use of data, compliance with grant requirements, regular contact by phone and email, dissemination of national and state best practices related to the goals of GEAR UP, and yearly site visits.

20% - Facilitate communication to GEAR UP schools, partners, and the public through the GEAR UP website, newsletter, and electronic mailing lists.

20% - Creation of educational publications for students, parents, and school staff that support the goals of the program. Work with translator to have publications translated into Spanish.

10% - Develop and monitor budget for program sponsored activities.

10% - Interact with K-12, higher education, and other partners in the effective provision of services that benefit students in the GEAR UP program.

5% - Assist in creation of reports to meet Federal reporting requirements.

5% - Serve as a representative of the Chancellor’s Office and public higher education in state and national meetings.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED

• Prior experience related to middle and high schools, college access, serving underrepresented populations, or public administration preferred.
• Sound knowledge of basic computer operations such as word processing; spreadsheets; databases; E-mail; Internet searches.
• Experience in working with students from diverse backgrounds.

• Bachelor degree in any discipline plus 2 years of experience, or a combination; preferred degree(s) in education, public policy, sociology, or a related field.