About UMass Amherst
UMass Amherst, the Commonwealth's flagship campus, is a nationally ranked public research university offering a full range of undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University sits on nearly 1,450-acres in the scenic Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, and offers a rich cultural environment in a bucolic setting close to major urban centers. In addition, the University is part of the Five Colleges (including Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, and Smith College), which adds to the intellectual energy of the region.
Job Summary
The Associate Director (AD) for The Institute of Diversity Sciences (IDS) will advance the Institute's mission to promote STEM research for social justice. IDS affiliates include 650+ faculty, students, and staff at UMass Amherst and 450+ external affiliates (community partners, business leaders, and faculty, students, and staff at other institutions). The AD oversees and ensures the smooth operation of all IDS programs and, in collaboration with the Director, identifies strategic priorities, and develops new programs. The AD manages research seminars, the IDS grants program, communicates with faculty about the grant review process, assesses the efficacy of all IDS programs, manages outreach and communication, and assists the director with maintaining relationships with internal and external stakeholders. The AD supervises 2 staff members and 1-2 student workers and works closely with the IDS Business and Operations Manager.
Essential Functions
- Programmatic Activities:
- Oversees mission-driven programs including research seminars, student-facing professional development programs, and research-practice partnerships.
- Manages annual seed grant competition including soliciting new proposals, providing feedback to prospective faculty PIs, overseeing grant review process, and post-award reports.
- Assesses programs and assists director with strategic planning.
- Collaborates with the director to develop and launch new programs that fit with mission and strategic priorities.
- Grant- writing and Managing Sponsored Research:
- Conducts research in search for new grant opportunities.
- Helps write new grant proposals to fund programs.
- Reports progress on sponsored research projects as needed.
- Works with the director to assist with maintaining the relationships of the IDS programs and other relevant work.
- Communications and Outreach:
- Serves as a liaison with stakeholders on and off campus (e.g., campus leaders, alumni, corporate and community stakeholders, advisory board members).
- Oversees communications and outreach related to programs.
- Oversees development of annual reports and public-facing impact reports that are shared with all stakeholders.
- Supervises strategic communication by overseeing content creation on all media channels to maximize visibility.
- Supports the director with all communication, relationship-building with internal and external stakeholders. Takes initiative by preparing correspondence, reports, and presentations on behalf of the director and tracking all communication.
Other Functions
- Work collaboratively and effectively to promote teamwork, diversity, equality and inclusiveness.
- Work in partnership with colleagues within the CNS community and across the campus to support the Dean’s strategic priorities.
- Perform other duties as assigned in support of the mission and goals of the College of Natural Sciences.
Minimum Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, Education, Experience, Certifications, Licensure)
- Bachelors degree and five (5) years of experience as a high-level staff member or manager of a large project. A Master’s degree in STEM, social sciences, business or a related field may be substituted for two (2) years of the required experience.
- Demonstrated ability to work independently to organize and manage multiple projects, set priorities for action, take initiative, and operate with accuracy and self-direction in a fast-paced office environment.
- Demonstrated experience with communication and outreach to varied stakeholder groups.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills.
- Ability to find innovative ways to solve problems.
- Experience using technological tools to organize office functions, meetings, and project workflow.
Preferred Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, Education, Experience, Certifications, Licensure)
- Previous supervisory experience.
- Experience with grant writing.
- Experience managing large grants with varied team members and participants.
- Experience with media communication, content creation, and storytelling.
- Experience with academic research.
- Knowledge of, and experience with, university electronic workflow systems, grants administration system, and financial systems.
- Excellent recordkeeping; able to maintain well-documented electronic files and manage data and workflow for all tasks to allow effective collaboration with others.
Physical Demands/Working Conditions
- Typical office environment.
Work Schedule
- Monday – Friday, 8:30am – 5:00pm.
- Required to work some nights and weekends, as needed.
Salary Information
Level 28
PSU Hiring Ranges
Special Instructions to Applicants
Along with the application, please submit a letter of application, resume, diversity statement (see below) and contact information for three (3) professional references. The search will remain open until filled.
As part of a commitment to their own multicultural community, CNS seeks an individual with a demonstrated commitment to diversity and one who will understand and embrace university initiatives and aspirations. In addition to application materials above, candidates will need to submit a Statement of Contribution to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. The Diversity Statement should identify past experiences and future goals. These contributions may result from lived experiences, scholarships, and/or mentoring, teaching, and outreach activities. (https://www.cns.umass.edu/diversity-equity-inclusion)
UMass Amherst is committed to a policy of equal opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, caste, creed, sex, age, marital status, national origin, disability, political belief or affiliation, pregnancy and pregnancy-related condition(s), veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, genetic information, natural and protective hairstyle and any other class of individuals protected from discrimination in employment, admission to and participation in academic programs, activities, and services, and the selection of vendors who provide services or products to the University. To fulfill that policy, UMass Amherst is further committed to a program of affirmative action to eliminate or mitigate artificial barriers and to increase opportunities for the recruitment and advancement of qualified minorities, women, persons with disabilities, and covered veterans. It is the policy of UMass Amherst to comply with the applicable federal and state statutes, rules, and regulations concerning equal opportunity and affirmative action.