Established in 1997, the Colin Powell Center’s mission is to prepare new generations of publicly engaged leaders from populations previously underrepresented in public service and policy circles. The Center also seeks to build a strong culture of civic engagement at City College and to mobilize campus resources to meet pressing community needs and serve the public good.
What We Do
For CCNY students, the Center offers generous scholarships, leadership-development training, and opportunities for public service and public policy research. The Center also encourages faculty to teach service-learning courses and to engage in community-based research to meet critical community needs, and to help build the capacity of nonprofit organizations and government agency partners. The Center also sponsors numerous conferences, symposia, and workshops annually to elevate policy conversations and advance innovative solutions to complex public problems.
Position Description
Reporting to the Center’s Director and working closely with the Director of Strategy and Organizational Delopment (OD) the Deputy Director of Programs will be responsible for providing visionary leadership and support for the Center’s substantive programs and initiatives.
The Center is undergoing an exciting period of growth. The Center’s current strategic planning process will define new areas for programmatic expansion over the next several years. The Center also recently launched a capital campaign to construct Colin Powell Hall, a multi-purpose facility that will both provide a permanent home for the Colin Powell Center and serve the needs of a vibrant and growing City College of New York.
FIRST YEAR’S PRIORITIES
During the first six months of employment, the Deputy Director of Programs will
•Provide oversight and continuity for the Center’s current programs; work with the staff to assess the Center’s current programs and to guide cross-programmatic efforts.
Work closely with the Director of Strategy and OD to internalize the Center’s mission, philosophy, programs, structure and operations, finances, constituencies, organizational culture and values, and potential.
•Establish a strong working partnership with the Center’s staff in order to elicit their best ideas and efforts.
ONGOING RESPONSIBILITIES
The Deputy Director of Programs will be expected to
Program Management/Staff Development
•Guide and supervise the organization’s substantive programs including the Colin Powell Program in Leadership and Public Service, Student-Led Service Initiatives, the Service-Learning Program, the Community-Based Research and Public Scholarship Grant Programs for faculty, and college access programming.
•Provide day-to-day support, coaching and supervision to program directors and program staff.
•Ensure the flow of relevant information and encourage effective coordination between and among teams.
•Work with the Deputy Director of Strategy/ OD to establish effective management and communications processes (performance evaluations, professional development) among program directors and staff.
•Work with the Director and the Director of Strategy/OD to identify staffing needs, develop job descriptions and orient new staff.
•Advise the Center’s Director and Deputy Director of Strategy/OD on key planning issues and make recommendations on important long-range decisions; serve as a bridge between the director and program directors.
•Collaborate with the Director, Deputy Director of Strategy/OD and other staff to incubate and develop new initiatives and projects.
•Participate in collective strategy setting and organizational change processes for the Center.
•Translate the Center’s overall vision and strategy into functional programmatic plans, goals and performance targets in collaboration with program staff..
•Evaluate operational progress against performance targets for each of the Center’s program and initiatives.
•Work with program staff and the Deputy Director of Strategy/OD to establish rigorous evaluation plans for each program area.
•Recommend and implement data-driven performance improvements as needed.
•In collaboration with the director of publications, contribute to the Center’s strategic communications and publicity plans.
•Help promote and enhance the Center’s publications, overall visability, and social media efforts. Work with the director of publications to identity media opportunities for the Center.
•Help plan the Center’s annual schedule of conferences, symposia and workshops.
•Support the director and development team, as needed, in cultivation and stewardship of major donors and funders.
•7+ years of increasingly responsible managerial and program development experience in a higher education or nonprofit setting required.
Demonstrated knowledge of and experience with the principles, theories, and research in the fields of service-learning and community-campus partnerships.
•Willingness to serve as campus expert on service-learning and community-campus partnerships. Experience working with higher education faculty on curricular design, course development and/or research required.
•Understanding of the intricacies of nonprofit organizations, and demonstrated experience developing and sustaining community-campus partnerships required.
•Experience in developing and implementing leadership education or other experiential programs for college students preferred.
•Ability to lead, coach and interact professionally and thoughtfully with dedicated staff with diverse skills and perspectives; a record of success as a positive and high energy leader.
•Proven ability to engage in strategic planning; able to think strategically and to set priorities.
An outstanding relationship builder, proven successful experience working in a variety of diverse contexts and communities.
•Excellent oral and written communication skills; experience communicating through traditional and social media is valued.
•Flexibility and sense of humor and ability to adapt easily to shifting priorities and deadlines.
•Outstanding written and personal communications skills are required, including public speaking, presenting, professional writing, and networking.
•Project management skills, public event coordination, meeting facilitation, and high attention to detail required.
Master’s degree in public administration, education, higher education administration, public administration or related field preferred. Bachelor’s degree required.
To Apply
Please email a resume and thoughtful cover letter outlining your unique qualifications for this position to nheaphy {at} ccny.cuny(.)edu
Cover letters may be addressed to:
Ms. Nora Heaphy
Colin Powell Center for Policy Studies,
City College of New York
160 Convent Ave., Shepard Hall 550
New York, NY 10031
Email your materials to nheaphy {at} ccny.cuny(.)edu. In the subject line, please clearly indicate the title of the position for which you are applying.
Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. We anticipate a start date for the position in August 1, 2011.
