Deputy Director of the Bonner Center for Civic Engagement (CCE)

Applications submitted by September 8th will be given priority review. A cover letter is required to be considered for this position.

About the Role

The Deputy Director of the Bonner Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) plays a critical role in connecting academic study and cross-campus programming at the University with community engagement in order to strengthen communities and support students in leading lives of purpose. The Deputy Director leads strategic coordination, alignment, and collaboration across the CCE's stakeholder teams to further UR's mission. The Deputy Director promotes cohesiveness and collaboration amongst CCE programs, guiding program evolution in alignment with the Center's mission, vision, values, and community-driven action plan. The Deputy Director will also lead the Center's strategy for assessing the effectiveness of programs and initiatives and for assessing University-wide community engagement. This role ensures that the CCE provides the highest quality support for community-engaged faculty and students across the University and for community partners.

Responsibilities

• Leadership, Management, and Staff Culture (55%)
  • Manages the CCE's human resources, including direct supervision of 3 Sr Associate Directors (each overseeing stakeholder-facing teams with responsibility for multiple programs across curricular and co-curricular domains) and 1 Associate Director of Community-Engaged Scholarship.
  • Convenes and facilitates regular meetings and communication streams across programs and teams to align, coordinate, and resolve program challenges, ensuring staff culture reflects CCE values (e.g., all-staff meetings, trainings, and retreats).
  • Engages and promotes cohesiveness and alignment amongst CCE programs and campus/community partnerships that involve multiple university and external programs.
  • Leads and oversees the design, coordination, and implementation of ongoing, field-based training and development programs for CCE staff and offers learning opportunities to other University staff with community engagement responsibilities.
  • Supports CCE's culture of distributed and facilitative leadership by supporting working groups and cross-CCE teams in reaching group goals and fostering transparent and inclusive decision-making.
  • Cultivates and aligns collaborations with campus leaders and faculty to support University goals related to community engagement.
  • Serves as a representative of the Bonner Center with internal and external audiences, articulating an ambitious vision and viewpoints on behalf of the Center.
  • Acts as a thought leader, contributing to the visibility of the Bonner Center at national meetings and bringing insights from the field to inform program development.
  • Represents the CCE and the University on relevant institutional and civic committees and working groups.
• Strategy and Operations (25%)
  • Provides guidance to the Executive Director of the CCE by helping shape strategy for collaboration across the CCE and peer offices, including establishing short-term and long-range shared goals, objectives, policies, and operating procedures aligned with a values-driven culture.
  • Prioritizes areas of improvement, aligning project scopes with available resources, and encouraging effective change management practices.
  • Leads program teams in aligning and operationalizing specific annual plans that advance the CCE's and University's strategic priorities.
  • Develops and implements strategic and tactical plans for the improvement of CCE programs and activities, in alignment with CCE's community-driven action plan.
  • Develops and launches strategic initiatives and special projects; incubates and determines ways to integrate them into the CCE structure if appropriate.
  • Leads development of practices and policies for programs; supports strategic resource development and allocation.
  • Shapes strategy, annual planning, use of internal resources, and performance of community-engaged transportation; co-leads (with Transportation and Parking) the Transportation Working Group to coordinate and advocate for community-engaged transportation needs.
  • Coordinates year-end reporting from program and stakeholder teams.
• Program Administration and Assessment (20%)
  • Leads the Center-wide Assessment team to drive the Center's assessment strategy and support ongoing program improvement and learning, in collaboration with the Associate Director of Operations.
  • Leads and oversees the development and implementation of program assessment frameworks.
  • Sets the strategy and oversees the implementation of effective data collection and management systems to evaluate the effectiveness of the University's community engagement and outreach efforts.
  • Oversees implementation of best practices in design, facilitation, and evaluation of academically grounded community engagement initiatives, including community-based and community-engaged learning classes, student engagement and civic learning, and community partnerships.

Supervision Exercised

• Sr. Associate Director, Community-Engaged Learning
• Sr. Associate Director, Student Engagement
• Sr. Associate Director, Community Relationships
• Associate Director, Community-Engaged Research, Scholarship, and Relationships

Qualifications

• Strong oral and written communication skills and ability to communicate effectively with diverse audiences.
• Ability to lead, motivate, and supervise staff with a focus on professional development.
• Knowledge of higher education administration and faculty career pathways.
• Knowledge and experience in assessment.
• Knowledge of the role of civic education in higher education.
• Knowledge of non-profits.
• Managerial experience.
• Effective collaboration with multiple constituencies on campus and in the local and academic communities.
• Collaborative leadership skills, including ability to communicate effectively in varied settings.
• Ability to build strong relationships with faculty, students, staff, and leaders of community organizations.
• Organizational and operational skills to plan and oversee programming, assessments, and planning.
• Teaching/educating experience.
• Research experience in a field related to the CCE's mission.
• Ability to critically review and implement policies and procedures.
• Ability to articulate the mission and core activities of the CCE and UR to broad constituents, both on campus and in the wider local and academic communities.
• Skills and experience in facilitation and convening groups who might not normally come together.
• Academic and/or practical understanding of contemporary civic and social issues in national and local contexts.
• Working knowledge of experiential education, community-based research, and service learning.
• Collaborative work style.
• Exceptional judgment, strong initiative, poise, and patience.

Education & Experience

MA required; Ph.D. preferred. 8-10 years' experience in higher education and demonstrated experience working with students, faculty, administrators, and community partners, with preference given to work in civic education.

Schedule

Full-time; Exempt. Monday-Friday, 8:30 AM-5:00 PM.

Pay

Grade 9 ($77,854 to $107,058 annually).