GEAR UP Assistant Director for Program Evaluation (Time-Limited)

Position Title GEAR UP Assistant Director for Program Evaluation (Time-Limited) Position Number 094651 Department College Access Partnerships - 240105 Description of University

Appalachian State University, in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains, prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The transformational Appalachian experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and embrace diversity and difference. As one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina system, Appalachian enrolls about 20,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.

Minimum Qualifications

• Master’s degree in related field.
• 3-5 years of experience in an evaluation leadership role including data collection, database management, conducting analyses of large data sets, and writing and sharing formal evaluation reports.
• Proven leadership skills including the ability to quickly establish rapport and work collaboratively with a highly skilled evaluation team.
• Superior organizational skills.
• Demonstrated interpersonal skills including successes with internal and external communication.
• Exceptional writing skills.
• Strong collaboration skills and the ability to establish an inclusive environment among team members.

License/Certification Required

N/A

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Reporting to, and under the direction of the Project Director of GEAR UP, this position is responsible for managing the implementation of the research and evaluation components of a $29 million, 7-year federal research grant awarded in October 2020 by the U.S. Department of Education.

The grant aims to study the effectiveness of a comprehensive college access system that offers a variety of academic and supportive services to 14,000 6th-12th graders in western North Carolina.

LEADERSHIP

• Oversee the research and evaluation component of the GEAR UP project which serves 14,000 students, their parents, and all staff of 10 rural school districts in western North Carolina.
• Serve as the point of contact for and regularly collaborate with the external evaluator.
• In collaboration with the external evaluator, design a strategic and comprehensive evaluation and research plan to address all components of the GEAR UP project.
• Develop a regular reporting schedule to provide to GEAR UP staff ensuring they have the most up-to-date reports to drive data-informed decisions.
• Supervise a team of 2-3, providing a positive, inclusive, and supportive environment where all team members can thrive.
• Provide ongoing feedback and establish annual performance plans/reviews for all direct reports.
• Assist in the development of annual goals and a monitoring plan to assess outcomes.
• Collaborate with App State IT, other CAP program staff, and outside software development experts to ensure the database system is maintained and always functioning properly.
• Establish a team culture that upholds strong data security practices.
• Develop IRB in accordance to the project specifications. Update as needed throughout the project and ensure project personnel are following what has been approved in the IRB .
• Implement and regularly advocate for departmental mission, vision, and core values.

TRAINING

• Provide regular and ongoing training and assistance to GEAR UP personnel for data collection, documentation, data entry, and analysis.
• Maintain a training manual for GEAR UP staff pertaining to grant evaluation components.
• Communicate with school district GEAR UP personnel and App State staff regularly to ensure timely and accurate data entry and reporting.

REPORTING

• Regularly report progress towards meeting GEAR UP goals through consistent data reports for internal and external stakeholders.
• Lead the reporting required by the U.S. Department of Education for the GEAR UP annual report.
• As requested, conduct special analyses of GEAR UP data and provide formal reports as needed.
• Use evaluation results to encourage GEAR UP staff to implement recommendations, solutions, or other program improvements.

DATA COLLECTION

• Strategically plan and implement longitudinal surveys for 3 audiences (students, teachers, and families). Includes survey development, logistics, administration, and analysis.
• Communicate with school district staff to receive regular data files required for measuring grant objectives.
• Ensure all data is imported and saved into the database properly and accurately.
• Ensure all data is stored meeting the institution, state and federal guidelines, maintaining strong data security to protect personally identifiable information ( PII ).

OTHER

• Perform other duties as requested.
• May serve on advisory boards or attend state or national meetings.

Suggested Salary Range $60,000-$70,000 Physical Demands of Position

Typical physical demands of professional position within a university.

Special Instructions to Applicants

Please provide a resume, cover letter, answers to required supplemental questions in the application, and enter a minimum of 3 professional references in the application.

This position is time-limited according to the funding provided by the U.S. Department of Education for GEAR UP, which is anticipated to expire in October 2027.

AA/EEO Statement

Appalachian State University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. The University does not discriminate in access to its educational programs and activities, or with respect to hiring or the terms and conditions of employment, on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity and expression, political affiliation, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information or sexual orientation.

Diversity and Inclusion at Appalachian

We at Appalachian State University are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusive excellence both locally and globally.

We understand that the successful implementation of diversity, equity, and inclusive excellence is the responsibility of the entire university community, including alumni and official university governing bodies. A diverse campus community supports an influx of broad and distinct ideas that increase learning opportunities and strengthen the impact of our community as we work collectively to achieve a just experience for all.

We actively encourage, support, and promote a global mindset and an equitable environment where all will know that they belong and are safe to express their culture, identity, values, ideas, opinions, and creativity. We are committed to creating a culture of equity opportunity for all, one that has an expectation of fairness, justice, and equity-minded practice at all levels of the university community.

Quick Link https://appstate.peopleadmin.com/postings/27698