University of Central Florida

The Opportunity

The Center for Community Schools in the College of Community Innovation and Education (CCIE) invites applicants for a 12-month, research associate position. This is a non-tenure earning contract and grant funded position.

The research associate will work with the program director and other Unlimited Potential Initiative (UPI) staff in providing assistance to universities and partners across the state to plan, implement, and evaluate community school best practices. Responsibilities include managing day-to-day operations; identifying indicators of program and student success; developing and implementing technical assistance and training opportunities for university partners; designing program evaluation to measure student and program outcomes; compiling and reviewing evaluation findings and preparing reports for the United States Department of Education.

The research associate reports directly to the program director to lead UPI strategies and support services that facilitate the achievement of exceptional outcomes in improved student learning, stronger families, and healthier communities.

• Assist in meeting all U.S. Department of Education accountability requirements and deliverables outlined in the grant program.
• Supervise a team of project staff and graduate students.
• Provide management of the day-to-day operations within UPI project.
• Provide leadership and management for the project’s operations team, including information, consultation and direction on how to plan, develop and implement community school projects throughout Florida and beyond in the areas of technical assistance and assessment and evaluation.
• Assist in developing and producing strategic planning frameworks for center and project planning purposes. 
• Manage up-to-date monitoring of the project to ensure ongoing strategic goals and objectives are being addressed and action steps are being implemented.
• Responsible for the administration, planning, and coordination of the project and its role in the development of community schools.
• Develop and implement communication plans to ensure internal and external coordination and project cohesion.
• Align UPI partner strategies to the work of the project operations team activities and programming. 
• Coordinate project tasks and provide technical assistance for development and implementation of programs, services, and collaborative partnerships.
• Assist program director and project staff in creating systems for statewide evaluation and technical assistance efforts.
• Responsible for assisting in the identification of support for the sustainability of the project and community schools across the state.
• Other duties as assigned to help advance the vision, mission, and goals of the project.

Minimum Qualifications:

• A master's degree in a related field from an accredited institution and three (3) years of related leadership experience and/or carrying out the goals and guidelines of an awarded grant.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Doctoral degree in education, public administration, social work, or relevant field from an accredited institution.
• The preferred candidate will have three (3) to five (5) years of experience with community schools.
• Experience providing technical assistance and training programs to external stakeholders.
• Knowledge of research-based education and community school practices.
• Ability to design and facilitate planning and implementation of program start-up and improvement activities in a range of educational settings.
• Ability to use software in planning and analysis tasks.
• Ability to prepare materials directed at a variety of target audiences – federal and state officials, universities, school districts, and researchers.
• Extensive knowledge of university and school district administration, familiarity with grant writing, management and reporting, and knowledge and ability to interpret and apply institutional policies.

Additional Application Materials Required:

UCF requires all applications and supporting documents be submitted electronically through the Human Resources employment opportunities website, https://www.ucf.edu/jobs/. In addition to the online application, candidates should upload a cover letter, a current curriculum vitae, and a list with contact information for three (3) professional references.

The selected candidate will be required to submit official transcripts (and, as applicable, U.S. degree equivalency evaluations) documenting the conferral of their qualifying academic credentials.

NOTE: Please have all documents ready when applying so they can be simultaneously uploaded. Once the online submission process is finalized, the system does not allow applicants to submit additional documents later.

Questions regarding this search should be directed to: Amy Ellis, Program Director II, at amy.ellis@ucf.edu.

Special Instructions to the Applicants:

This position is funded by contracts and grants and is contingent upon available funding. 

Job Close Date:

Open until filled.

Note to applicants: Please keep in mind that a job posted as ‘Open until filled’ may close at any time without notice. As such, we encourage you to submit your application and all required documentation as quickly as possible to ensure consideration for the posted position.

Are you ready to unleash YOUR potential?

As a next-generation public research university and Forbes-ranked top employer in Florida, we are a community of thinkers, doers, creators, innovators, healers, and leaders striving to create broader prosperity and help shape a better future. No matter what your role is, when you join Knight Nation, you’ll play an integral role at one of the most impactful universities in the country. You’ll be met with opportunities to connect and collaborate with talented faculty, staff, and students across 13 colleges and multiple campuses, engaging in impactful work that makes a positive difference. Your time at UCF will provide you with many meaningful opportunities to grow, you’ll work alongside talented colleagues on complex projects that will challenge you and help you gain new skills and you’ll have countless rewarding experiences that go well beyond a paycheck.

Working at UCF has its perks! UCF offers:

• Benefit packages, including Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, Flexible Spending, and Employee Assistance Program.
• Paid time off, including annual (12-month faculty) and sick time off and paid holidays.
• Retirement savings options.
• Employee discounts, including tickets to many Orlando attractions.
• Education assistance.
• Flexible work environment.
• And more…For more benefits information, view the UCF Employee Benefits Guide click here.

Unless explicitly stated on the job posting, it is UCF’s expectation that an employee of UCF will reside in Florida as of the date the employment begins.

Additional Requirements related to Research Positions:

Pursuant to Florida State Statute 1010.35, prior to offering employment to certain individuals in research-related positions, UCF is required to conduct additional screening. Applicants subject to additional screening include any citizen of a foreign country who is not a permanent resident of the U.S., or who is a citizen or permanent resident but is affiliated with or has had at least 1 year of education, employment, or training in China, Cuba, Iran, Russia, North Korea, Syria, or Venezuela.

The additional screening requirements only apply to research-related positions, including, but not limited to faculty, graduate positions, individuals compensated by research grants or contract funds, post-doctoral positions, undergraduate positions, visiting assistant professors, and visiting research associates.

Department

College of Community Innovation and Education (CCIE) - Center for Community Schools

Work Schedule

Varies

Type of Appointment

Regular

Expected Salary

Negotiable

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement:

The University of Central Florida is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer including Disabled/Vets. Click on UCF's Equal Opportunity Statement to view the President’s Statement.

The UCF affirmative action plans for qualified individuals with disabilities and protected Veterans are available for inspection in the Office of Institutional Equity, Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., upon request.

As a Florida public university, UCF makes all application materials and selection procedures available to the public upon request. 

The University of Central Florida is proud to be a smoke-free campus and an E-Verify employer.

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