GEAR UP Kentucky District Program Manager

Location:  Works primarily in Mercer County High School. When school is not in session (summer break, winter break, etc.) or if assigned school chooses to limit in-person instruction and opt for non-traditional formats (e.g., virtual learning, hybrid in-person, and virtual formats), this position will also work from home or take a hybrid approach. 

Position:  Time-limited, full-time position as a CPE Associate; funded with federal funds through September 2025 

Travel:  Some in-state and overnight travel is expected to attend GUK-sponsored trainings, meetings, and conferences, including a three- week, residential, on-campus assignment during the GUK Summer Academy in the summers of 2022 - 2025. May be required to attend out-of-state conferences at the discretion of the Executive Director. 

Review of applications will begin in January with a target start date of February 2023. 

Overview 

GEAR UP Kentucky is a federal grant program coordinated by the Council, which works with students and schools in low-income communities to support college preparation and success. GEAR UP Kentucky is a competitive federal grant program designed to increase the college-going rate. In 2018, the Council was awarded a seven-year, $24.5 million grant to serve at least 10,000 middle and high school students in at least 10 school districts. This is the fourth GEAR UP state grant for Kentucky that has been administered through the Council. GEAR UP positions are for the term of the grant. 

Duties and Responsibilities 

The District Program Manager is the lead professional working with school and GUK staff in an assigned school district and is responsible for the implementation of all program strategies and implementation in middle and high schools including timely submission of required plans, data, and reports. The District Program Manager will establish and maintain relationships with school leaders to ensure effective implementation of services and integrate GUK into school culture and community.  

Some in-state and overnight travel is expected to attend GUK-sponsored trainings, meetings, and conferences, including serving as a student counselor for one or more three-week, residential summer programs (GUK Summer Academies) in the summers of 2023 - 2025. District Program Managers may be required to attend out-of-state conferences at the discretion of the Executive Director. 

Budget and Team Management

• Schedule, facilitate, and document school site team meetings in district schools; establish and maintain implementation timelines. 
• Lead the development and timely processing of district quarterly activity and expenditures plans in partnership with the local school site teams. 
• Manage local project expenditures, including review and certification of reimbursement requests for direct expenditures and monitoring funds expended within GEAR UP annual district contracts based on annual allocated budget. 
• Assist schools in coordinating all available resources to ensure maximum efficacy. 

Management and Supervision 

• Coordinate the recruitment, interview and hiring process for College and Career Coaches per Contracted Staff Hiring Process. 
• Review and monitor the activities and service delivery of College and Career Coach(es), and provide coaching and other support as needed. 
• Communicate regularly with the College and Career Coach(es) to clarify expectations, check understanding, communicate changes, and resolve issues as well as introduce new products, programs, services, policies, and procedures. 
• Review and approve timesheets and requests for work absences and ensure/provide coverage of scheduled classroom curricula delivery as needed. 
• Monitor the allocation of work hours to ensure maximum impact across the school and region; recommend adjustments to work hour allocations to Regional Program Coordinator. 
• Regularly communicate observations and concerns (if any) regarding the performance or capacity of College and Career Coach(es) 
• Monitor, assess, and support the College and Career Coach capacity to implement services with program fidelity. 
• Monitor individual data collection practices for security and compliance. 
• Provide feedback on the retention of individual College and Career Coach(es). 

Services to Students, Families and Schools

• Communicate GUK vision and mission effectively to all stakeholders.  
• Implement all direct services to students in GUK Priority Service Cohorts (high school seniors), including curricula delivery, student advising, student engagement and leadership programs, campus experiences, student surveys and assessments, and other activities as determined by the GUK grant project and local school site team. 
• Establish curricula delivery schedule and set classroom expectations with classroom teacher, prior to delivery of first lesson. 
• Conduct orientations and disseminate GUK resources and information to create ongoing awareness of the GUK program, activities, and outcomes. 
• Create and implement advising plan in collaboration with School Site Team. 
• Implement student and family engagement services. 
• Coordinate and promote all GUK family engagement activities. 
• Utilize school/community partnerships and initiatives when appropriate. 
• Routinely send communication to families and students, both virtually and in hard copy. 
• Attend all school staff meetings, professional development, and any other trainings deemed necessary, unless otherwise determined by School Site Team or supervisor. 
• Follow all school protocol and procedures as directed. 
• Seek documented approval and adhere to district/school policies and protocols when assisting with and organizing trips/events. These may include, but not be limited to, campus visits, job site visits, job shadowing, college and career fairs, FAFSA Frenzy, College Application Month, Destination Day, CERT/ACT preparation, etc. 

Communication and Information Management 

• Collect and maintain accurate and complete data on delivery of all services in accordance to GUK timelines and FERPA guidelines, including weekly submission of service delivery data and submission of quarterly GUK district reports. 
• Adhere to FERPA/confidentiality expectations regarding any student/school data as outlined in GUK Data Collection and Use policies and procedures. 
• Maintain all work-related activities on calendar in Microsoft Outlook and communicate schedule with direct supervisor according to agreed- upon practice. 

Program and Resource Development 

• Serve as a member of at least one project team to inform and contribute to the development of GUK services and strategies. 

Professional Development 

• Participate in professional development opportunities, seminars, conferences, and networking opportunities as assigned. 

Other 

• Other duties as assigned by the Associate Director of District Implementation, Executive Director, and/or leadership of the Council on Postsecondary Education.  

Education and Experience 

• A college degree in the area of education, psychology, sociology, guidance counseling, business management, communications, or a closely related field. 
• Minimum of three years of professional experience; experience in the area of teaching, guidance counseling, college and career advising, youth development, and/or social work preferred. 

Preferred Qualifications 

• Proficient skills in the use of Microsoft Office Suite programs (i.e., Word, Excel, and PowerPoint); proficient written and oral communication skills. 
• Proficiency in human relations and interpersonal skills with a positive, outgoing, and highly motivated personality. 
• Skills in problem solving, multi-tasking and ability to negotiate difficult situations between all project stakeholders. 
• Strong work ethic and the ability to work independently. 
• Ability to achieve project deliverables in a timely fashion. 
• Strong presentation skills and the ability to provide training to learners of all ages. 
• Ability to plan, organize, and coordinate work assignments. 
• Ability to work collaboratively with school administration and staff, as well as program business partners. 

Application Information 

Interested applicants should submit the following to CPE.HR@ky.gov :   

• Letter of application specifically addressing the responsibilities and qualifications of the position. 
• Resume. 
• Names, titles, and contact information for at least three professional references.