Program Director

This position is required to be in-person in Tallahassee, FL.

About the Organizational Unit

The Institute for School-Community Partnerships, Integrated Services, and Child Mental Health and Educational Policy (ISCP), part of the College of Education, envisions that all schools in Florida and nationally will have the capacity to provide a safe, effective, and efficient environment to continuously improve the academic, social, and emotional growth of all students and to actively engage families and communities in education.

The ISCP's nearly $23 million budget is derived from grants from federal, state, and private sources. Its mission is to implement and evaluate research-based and innovative practices in school and community settings through:

• Training, technical assistance, and support to key partners;
• Community-engaged research and program evaluation to inform key partners' decision making;
• The development of research and evidence-based documents, tools, and resources to support implementation and evaluation activities;
• Supporting the infrastructure and capacity of key partners to implement and evaluate federal and state educational policy.

About the Role

The Director supports Strategic Improvement initiatives and provides direction and oversight of specific federal program(s). This position has full administrative responsibility, under the direction of the Bureau Chief, State Grant Director, and Vice-Chancellor for Strategic Improvement, for oversight of staff, program development and implementation, and monitoring of the project budget. The Director must facilitate meeting deadlines, balance multiple and competing priorities, and maintain goal-directed behavior and high performance. The Director must interact professionally with all stakeholders while demonstrating, modeling, and reinforcing the Department's fundamental values of quality, fairness, cooperation, respect, commitment, excellence, honesty, and teamwork. This position is grant funded.

Responsibilities

• Lead federal program development and oversight, including:
  • Developing and reviewing program applications and amendments;
  • Establishing and maintaining a budget that reflects the goals of the FDOE to meet the needs of the federal program;
  • Facilitating the collection and review of data relative to the federal program to improve outcomes annually;
  • Ensuring program compliance with organizational, state, and federal rules and regulations.
• Monitor school district compliance with federal program requirements, including:
  • Facilitating the review of applications (including plans, budgets, deliverables, and other documents) submitted by stakeholders;
  • Developing annual Tier I and II compliance monitoring activities;
  • Performing real-time monitoring and reporting requirements.
• Facilitate and provide training, technical assistance, guidance, and support to FDOE and school district personnel in:
  • Grant management;
  • Compliance with federal and state rules and regulations.
• Facilitate training and technical assistance on a variety of topics related to the federal program(s) to build FDOE and school personnel staff capacity to implement educational policies and practices through face-to-face (e.g., school district site visits, conferences) and virtual (e.g., conference calls, webinars) platforms.
• Supervise and manage federal program staff, including:
  • Directing the operation, management, and hiring of staff;
  • Completing timely performance appraisals for direct reports;
  • Developing work plans for staff (plans include objectives, scope, and details of tasks to be performed);
  • Approving monthly attendance and leave for each position under their direct report.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements

This position is required to be in-person in Tallahassee, FL.

• Bachelor's degree in a field directly related to the program responsibilities and seven years of professional experience; or Master's degree and five years of professional experience.
• Degree Equivalency Clause: Four years of direct experience may substitute for a bachelor’s degree as per Senate Bill 1310.
• Criminal History Background Check - Level 1 and Level 2 required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Degree in education or a related field to work with school, district, and state personnel to implement federal and state educational policy.
• Three years of administrative and grant management experience to carry out essential job duties.

About Us

With approximately 16,000 employees, the University of South Florida (USF) is one of the largest employers in the Tampa Bay area. USF is dedicated to cultivating a talented, engaged, and driven workforce that strives to be bold. In 2025, Forbes recognized USF as one of Florida’s best large employers, ranked No. 1 among the state’s 12 public universities.

Our first-class benefits package includes medical, dental, and life insurance plans, retirement plan options, employee and dependent tuition programs, generous leave, and hundreds of employee perks and discounts.

USF is a top-ranked research university serving approximately 50,000 students from across the globe at campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota-Manatee, and USF Health. USF is recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a top 50 public university and the best value in Florida. The USF Health Morsani College of Medicine is ranked the No. 1 medical school in Florida and in the highest tier nationwide. USF is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), a group that includes only the top 3% of universities in the U.S.

With an all-time high of $738 million in research funding in 2024 and as a top 20 public university for producing U.S. patents, USF uses innovation to transform lives and shape a better future. The university generates an annual economic impact of more than $6 billion. USF’s Division I athletics teams compete in the American Athletic Conference.

Learn more at www.usf.edu.