Director of Mentorship and Research

CLASSIFICATION TITLE: Head - Campus Teaching Center

WORKING TITLE: Director of Mentorship and Research, Morganton

DEPARTMENT: Academic Programs

POSITION LOCATION: Morganton

POSITION NUMBER: 65032900

POSTING DATE: 7/1/2021

CLOSING DATE: 7/30/2021

POSITION TYPE: EHRA Non-Faculty, FLSA Exempt, 1.0 FTE, 12 Months

HIRING SALARY RANGE: $62,852 - $71,274

We invite and welcome all applications for employment within our institution. NCSSM is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, age, sexual orientation, genetic information, status as an individual with a disability, or status as a protected veteran. If you are an individual with disabilities requiring accommodations in the application and interview process, please contact us at (919) 416-2662.

Description of Duties:

The 12-month full time position is responsible for providing leadership, management, planning, implementation and advocacy in providing research and innovation opportunities to students, as well as ensuring minor compliance procedures are followed.

The Director of Mentorship and Research leads the efforts in expanding the number of students served in the Mentorship Program, the summer opportunities, and providing the coordination and support for all NCSSM Morganton departments and divisions. This position will steward and formalize research, industry, and business relationships and partnerships in Morganton, the surrounding communities, and the region. These partnerships will become the mentorship, research, and innovation placements for the students. This position works collaboratively with each department to ensure the research and innovation opportunities are accessible to all NCSSM students, offered in a wide and diverse range of disciplines, facilitated by instructor and programmatic support to ensure high quality experiences, focused on student development, and provided at no cost.

Academic Programs serves 680 students in NCSSM Durham. We have added 400 students to NCSSM Online, and we are preparing to open NCSSM Morganton with 300 students. In less than two years, we will have grown from serving 680 students to serving 1,380 students, as well as increasing our personnel in Academic Programs from 120 to 175. This person will lead the Mentorship and Research Program for the students at NCSSM Morganton and may assist with students in the NCSSM Online program as well. This position will lead and extend the existing 40-year Mentorship and Research program to Morganton to include the evaluation and leverage of regional assets. There are numerous opportunities in research, industry, business, etc. and this position will steward those relationships and formalize partnerships to full implementation and logistics of student mentorship, research, and innovation experiences. In other words, this position will create numerous partnerships in order to find mentorship placements for all our students at businesses, industries, entrepreneurial opportunities, corporations, manufacturing, universities, with alumni, etc. locally or in the surrounding region. Examples include Apple, Facebook, Google, Appalachian State University, UNC-Asheville, etc.

Durham has a parallel position that serves the students in Durham during the school year and facilitates all the partnerships at UNC-CH, Duke, NCCU, RTI, etc. as well as leads the Summer Research and Innovation Program (SRIP) each June and July. 

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: 

The Director of Mentorship and Research is an EHRA (exempt from the North Carolina Human Resources Act), non-faculty instructional position that reports to the Associate Vice Chancellor of Academic Programs. The Director provides leadership, management, planning, implementation and advocacy in providing mentorship and research opportunities to students.

Knowledge of:

• Google Suite, Zoom/Google Meet, Microsoft Office Professional or similar applications and effective use of meeting and instructional technology

Skilled in:                    

• Thinking strategically and implementing data-informed decisions for program implementation and assessment
• Teaching and facilitating effective student experiences in research and innovation in the virtual and in-person environments
• Assessing student learning outcomes in research and innovation experiences and personal/professional development
• Organizing and leading events and communication avenues to promote student participation/application/matriculation/celebration of their research and innovation experiences
• Advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in research and innovation programming
• Promoting, developing, assessing, and maintaining professional relationships and partnership building
• Providing and carrying out safety and compliance processes for high school student level programming
• Managing program logistics and student transportation for research and innovation
• Managing budgets and hiring of personnel to support research and innovation programs
• Organizational and interpersonal communication skills with adults as well as students at the high school level
• Collaborating and communicating effectively across a wide range of stakeholders including students, families, volunteer mentors, institutions, businesses, and organizations

Preferred experience in:

• Research and/or mentoring experience
• Expertise in personal and professional skill development and training
• Enthusiasm to provide instruction and office hours for synchronous and online distance learning courses in the evening

Ability to:

• Lead the full implementation of the Mentorship and Research opportunities for NCSSM Morganton students as well as contributing to opportunities for NCSSM Online students, including setting up new programs, recruiting volunteer mentors to partner with NCSSM Morganton to offer student opportunities, and providing leadership and support to NCSSM Morganton departments in offering student opportunities in research and innovation. 
• Train students, faculty, staff, and mentors to provide excellent student support and opportunities in research and innovation. 
• Establish ownership of areas of responsibility with an aptitude to anticipate and proactively implement tasks while identifying areas of improvement, efficiencies, and solutions.
• Adapt to a changing environment while paying critical attention to details.
• Demonstrate a high level of professionalism, initiative, resourcefulness, and personal accountability.
• Interact in a positive manner with diverse constituents including students, faculty, staff, and the public while upholding the intent and integrity of NCSSM policies and procedures.
• Communicate effectively in writing and verbally with internal and external constituents, build relationships, manage expectations, and take responsibility for a high level of service.

Minimum Education and Experience: 

Master’s degree and two years of research experience in a STEM, Social Sciences, Arts, or Humanities discipline. A bachelor’s degree plus alternative or equivalent professional training and experience may be substituted for the advanced degree on an exceptional basis.

About NCSSM:

North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics (NCSSM) challenges academically talented students from across the state with a comprehensive curriculum including highly specialized courses in science, technology, engineering/computer science, and mathematics. NCSSM opened in 1980 as something of an academic experiment: Would something excellent happen if we gathered together a highly motivated and diverse student body with a critical mass of equally motivated, accomplished, credentialed, and diverse faculty within a space dedicated to the power of the scientific method? Four decades later, NCSSM has built a firmly rooted reputation as an academic powerhouse, educating intellectually gifted students from every corner of the state, representing rural and urban communities, and all socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds. Eleven states and several countries worldwide have since used NCSSM as the model for their own programs.

Today, as in 1980, the mission of NCSSM, an intellectually stimulating, diverse, inclusive, and collaborative community, is to:

• educate and nurture academically talented students to become state, national, and global leaders,
• increase access to high quality public education in North Carolina, and
• cultivate engaged citizens who will work for the betterment of the world,

through challenging programs, with an emphasis on STEM, driven by the pursuit of excellence and innovation.

Altogether, nearly 1,500 North Carolina students from all 13 congressional districts and nearly all 100 counties are enrolled in one of our three signature programs: our residential diploma program, our online certificate program, or our Open Enrollment Distance Education program. Our Open Enrollment courses, taught via interactive video conferencing, expand local offerings to include enrichments and advanced coursework otherwise unavailable in students’ home communities. NCSSM instructors teach live to classrooms statewide daily, broadcasting more synchronous video than any other public provider in the state.

By 2022, NCSSM will expand to an additional campus in Morganton, NC. Funded by the Connect NC Bond, legislative appropriations, and private philanthropic gifts, the campus will initially accommodate 300 additional residential diploma program students as well as increased distance education enrollment.

NCSSM has more than 11,000 alumni, nearly all of whom attended colleges and universities (a great majority within our own top NC public universities) and nearly three-quarters of whom have earned or are seeking a graduate degree. According to a 2019 survey of alumni who attended the school between 1980 and 2018, 64 percent of NCSSM college graduates earn a bachelor’s degree in a STEM field -- over three times the national average for high school graduates. And 58 percent of NCSSM underrepresented minority (URM) graduates earn an undergraduate degree in a STEM field -- nearly four times the national average for URM students. A 2020 economic impact study found that 54 percent of our alumni continue to live and work in North Carolina, catalyzing nearly $1.3 billion in economic activity and making priceless contributions to our quality of life as teachers, physicians, scientists, entrepreneurs and other community leaders. Many of our graduates, the oldest of whom are in their mid-50s, refer to their time at NCSSM as “life-changing” and continue to support their alma mater with charitable gifts, volunteerism, and other purposeful engagement.

Our school is a full constituent of the University of North Carolina System and is governed and supported by the UNC Board of Governors, NCSSM Board of Trustees, NCSSM Foundation, NCSSM Alumni Association, NCSSM Parent Association, NCSSM Faculty Senate, NCSSM Staff Senate, and NCSSM Student Government Association. Notably, a representative from each of our Faculty Senate, Staff Senate, and Student Government Association serve as ex-officio, non-voting members of our Board of Trustees.

NCSSM operates as a free public school open to qualified NC students, regardless of financial means. We generate more than 10 percent of our institutional budget from private donations, a ratio that will likely increase as we undertake a comprehensive fundraising campaign.

Consistent with our founding and governance, the institution is guided by a standing strategic plan. Though goals may shift from time to time, our core beliefs have remained fundamentally unchanged since our establishment:

• Our greatest resource is the capability and creative capacity of the human mind.
• Everyone is unique and has intrinsic value.
• Diversity and inclusion enrich and strengthen lives and communities.
• Embracing challenge inspires growth and the pursuit of excellence.
• Individuals are responsible for their choices and actions.
• With opportunity, support, and effort all people can realize their full potential.
• A nurturing community develops the well-being of the whole person.
• Service to others builds and strengthens our community.
• Environmental stewardship and resource sustainability are a shared responsibility.
• A passion for learning throughout life leads to success and fulfillment.
• Collaboration fosters learning, ignites innovation, and cultivates community.
• Adhering to high ethical standards is essential for a community to function and flourish.
• Access to high quality public education is essential to a free, democratic society.

How to Apply:

Submit electronic application, cover letter, and resume via: http://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/northcarolina/. Please create an account, search for the Director of Mentorship and Research, Morganton position vacancy, and submit the online application.

Please complete your application in full. All required Competencies, Work History, and Credentials must appear on the application in the Education and Work Experience sections of the application to receive consideration during the selection process. Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of completing the State Application form in its entirety. “See Attached Resume” or an embedded text resume will be considered incomplete and will not be processed. Degrees must be received from appropriately accredited institutions.

Applicants seeking Veteran’s preference must attach a DD-214 form, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, along with the application. Final candidates are subject to criminal and sex offender background checks. Some vacancies also require a motor vehicle check. If the highest degree is from an institution outside of the U.S., final candidates are required to have their degree equivalency verified at www.wes.org or equivalent service. NCSSM participates in E-Verify. Federal law requires all employers to verify the identity and employment eligibility of all persons hired to work in the United States.

Please refrain from submitting multiple applications. However, if multiple applications are submitted to a posting, only the most recent application received prior to the posting close date will be accepted. There is a 24-hour waiting period before an applicant can re-apply to a position.

If you have questions, please contact Eric Hunsley at 828-448-6191 or eric.hunsley@ncssm.edu.

NCSSM is an EEO/eVerify/VEVRAA Employer