Job Description

The Education Program Specialist 4 provides strategic leadership, direction, and oversight for complex, multi-faceted education programs. This role is responsible for setting and implementing short- and long-term educational goals, developing and administering programs, and evaluating outcomes to support departmental, college, and university priorities. The Specialist operates with a high degree of autonomy, serves as a primary authority for assigned programs, and partners closely with faculty leadership and administrative units to advance educational quality, innovation, and growth.

Core Responsibilities

Strategic Program Leadership and Planning

• Establishes and implements strategic education program goals aligned with departmental and institutional priorities.
• Develops, executes, and evaluates short- and long-term strategic plans in collaboration with faculty directors and administrative leadership.
• Translates strategic objectives into operational plans, policies, and sustainable program structures.
• Leads or co-leads complex, high-impact educational initiatives that may set precedent for the unit or institution.
• Responsible for creating new undergraduate and graduate courses and T32 opportunities for faculty.

Program Administration and Oversight

• Provides full administrative oversight of assigned education programs, serving as the primary point of contact for internal and external stakeholders.
• Develops, implements, and maintains program policies, procedures, workflows, and documentation to ensure consistency, compliance, and continuity.
• Oversees curriculum implementation and evaluation; partners with faculty to recommend and support curricular enhancements.
• Manages data systems related to enrollment, student progress, outcomes, and alumni tracking; produces reports on program effectiveness and growth.

Assessment, Evaluation, and Reporting

• Designs and implements program-level assessment and evaluation frameworks to measure effectiveness and inform continuous improvement.
• Analyzes educational, curricular, and administrative data to identify trends, gaps, and opportunities.
• Prepares summaries, reports, and recommendations for faculty leadership, committees, and external stakeholders.
• Supports preparation of educational components of grant proposals, accreditation materials, and institutional reports.

Educational Infrastructure and Systems Development

• Designs, implements, and substantially improves educational infrastructure, including systems, workflows, templates, and documentation.
• Ensures systems are sustainable, well-documented, accessible, and reduce reliance on informal or person-dependent processes.
• Applies advanced expertise to develop new practices, metrics, or models that improve program operations and decision-making.

Recruitment, and Outreach

• Leads recruitment strategy for assigned programs, including planning, execution, and evaluation of recruitment and yield activities.
• Oversees applicant review processes, interview coordination, and communication with prospective students and faculty.
• Develops outreach and pipeline initiatives to strengthen applicant pools.
• Contributes to program marketing, communications, and visibility efforts for internal and external audiences.

Financial and Resource Management

• Plans, develops, and administers program budgets; monitors expenditures and authorizes spending within approved limits.
• Serves as a cost center or budget manager as assigned.
• Collaborates with fiscal and administrative partners to ensure accurate invoicing, reconciliation, and financial reporting.

Supervision, Coordination, and Influence

• May train, supervise, and evaluate program staff, student employees, or fellows, depending on program scope.
• Coordinates and influences the work of faculty, staff, and collaborators across units without direct reporting authority.
• Serves as a senior resource and mentor to less experienced colleagues.
• Represents the department or unit on university, college, or cross-institutional committees and initiatives.

Scope, Complexity, and Autonomy

• Work involves highly complex programs with significant scope, visibility, and long-term impact.
• Independently determines methods for completing new initiatives; receives guidance primarily on overall goals and strategic alignment.
• Frequently conveys complex, sensitive, or high-stakes information and facilitates consensus among diverse stakeholders.

There will maybe some teaching opportunities as needed and when available as fill in or back up.

Minimum Education Required

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required; advanced degree in a relevant field preferred.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum 6 years of relevant experience required; 8-12 years preferred, with demonstrated progression in responsibility and scope.

• Experience in program planning, implementation, administration, and evaluation required.

FUNCTION: Education

SUB-FUNCTION: Education Program

S4

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