Special Assistant to the President for Title III & Sponsored Programs

Job Summary:

Reporting to the President of the University, the Special Assistant (partially grant-funded) is the executive leader presiding over the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP). This position is responsible for the overall direction and effective management of the Universitys Title III Program and other externally funded projects, contracts, and strategic initiatives. This Transformational Leader will assist campus stakeholders with defining the scope, goals, deliverables and expected outcomes of initiatives and projects, using tools to manage project timelines, budgets, and resource allocations. The Special Assistants role is to ensure forward progress, maintain stakeholders accountability, and manage the communications of sponsored transformation efforts, internally and externally. As the Transformation Lead, this position carries the mandate of the President to make decisions, and this position is the single point of accountability for the transformational efforts monitored by the Office of Sponsored Programs.

Essential Job Functions:

• Monitor all programs, projects, initiatives, and contracts under management by the OSP.
• Daily administration of all Title III programs, including compliance, CDP development, Phase II

preparation, report creation and submission, and monitor all U.S. ED federal systems.

• Provide leadership to campus stakeholders and teams that are actively working to secure

externally funded grants and contracts to achieve goals aligned with the mission, vision, and

strategic plan of the University.

• Work across units and at multiple levels to navigate, track, assess and complete goals and

initiatives that drive transformation at the university.

• Drive success by working hand in hand with functional leads, PIs, Project Directors, and

initiative owners to identify, mitigate, and help break through barriers, remove obstacles, and

escalate to leadership when needed.

• Work with the University community to ensure that all the agreed upon initiatives, programs,

grants, and contracts are completed on time, on budget, and the impact is realized.

• Communicate progress weekly to internal stakeholders and ad hoc communications to external

stakeholders.

• Lead Administrator and Trainer for WAVE project management software tool.
• Ensure WAVE is being used to plan, track, report, and implement initiatives from ideation to

impact.

• Lead and train campus leaders on developing effective business cases, funding proposals, or

project plans with key elements including Executive Summaries, Financial Impact,

Implementation Plan, and Key Performance Indicators.

• Liaison for internal and external partners relative to sponsored programs at the university.
• Other duties as assigned.

Supervisory Responsibilities

Supervise all positions in the Office of Sponsored Programs

Minimum Job Qualifications

The ideal candidate will have the following:

Education and/or Experience

• Masters degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Ten plus years of related experience in project management or large multi-stakeholder work

environments implementing significant transformations.

• Ten plus years of experience in higher education demonstrated strategic thinking and the ability

to align efforts to university strategic goals.

Other Competencies (skills, abilities, behavior)

Must have a philosophy that is consistent with the Mission, Vision and Core Values of the organization. Vision,

commitment, and experience in achieving goals and pursuing excellence is critical. Strong oral and written

presentation skills. Ability to work well independently and as a member of a team. Excellence in organization,

decision-making, problem-solving and creating a collaborative environment. Ability to manage multiple projects

simultaneously. Must be able to read, write and speak fluently in English.

Physical Demands

Ability to sit or stand for up to 8 hours/day. Some lifting (up to 25 pounds occasionally), bending, and carrying. The

employee is regularly required to talk and hear, and to use hands and fingers to handle or feel.