Program Officer for Democracy Youth Engagement, Mansfield Center

Application instructions are located at the bottom of the page. Please apply directly through the University of Montana's career portal UM Jobs at https://umjobs.silkroad.com/ for positions at the University of Montana – Missoula, University of Montana Western (Dillon), and Helena College. Do not apply through Indeed.com or use easy apply through Indeed.com * .

The Mansfield Center invites applications for the Program Officer for Democracy Youth Engagement . This position reports directly to the Director of Democracy Programs to bring initiative, energy, organization, and attention to detail to K-12 democracy programs and outreach. We seek an experienced educator who is passionate about American democracy and has a demonstrated ability to quickly identify critical challenges and do the hard work to implement solutions. While grounded in public higher education’s role in preparing the next generation to be informed and engaged in a democracy, this position is specifically focused on K-12 audiences, particularly high school and middle school students, teachers, and administrators. A commitment to integrity and building trusted relationships is essential.

This is a highly self-directed position with significant exercise of discretion and independent judgment with respect to sensitive issues regarding the promotion of American democracy, civic engagement, and civil discourse. The candidate must exercise authority to support Mansfield and UM relationships across the community, state, country, and globally.

Specific responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Strategy and Program Development

• Collaborate with Center leadership, and specifically the Director of Democracy Programs, to assess critical needs in democracy education and develop a coordinated strategy to identify Center priorities for K-12 audiences.
• Engage K-12 teachers in developing strategies to identify relevant curriculum materials for target audiences.

Content Development

• Identify program materials required to fulfill strategy outcomes and develop a plan for developing requisite material, including outcomes, timeline, and target audiences.
• Identify appropriate partners for content development, such as educators in grades 6-12, curriculum creators, etc.
• Identify curriculum development partners, such as videographers and communications strategists, to develop materials for target audiences.

Program Implementation

• Develop, organize, and coordinate democracy programs, in keeping with the overall intent of the Center’s mission and strategic plans and UM’s Priorities for Action.
• Work with UMOnline and the College of Education to arrange for renewal and college credits as necessary for teacher continuing education activities.
• Provide support to residential program participants as needed, including emergencies, disabilities accommodations, or urgent issues outside of regular business hours.
• Monitor program budgets, expend funds, track expenses, and conduct required reporting.
• Manage monitoring and evaluation, integrating feedback into programming, tracking metrics and outcomes for impact reports and grant reporting.
• Write program reports with a focus on demonstrating impact and progress on program objectives.

Communications and Outreach

• Frequently engage with external education audiences to build new contacts, allies, and programming.
• Ensure democracy programs are accurately represented and amplified on the Mansfield website, social media, and other outreach platforms, working with the Communications Manager on strategy and content.

The University of Montana is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer and has a strong institutional commitment to the principle of diversity in all areas. In that spirit, we are particularly interested in receiving applications from a broad spectrum of qualified people who would assist the University in demonstrating its five priorities for action : Place student success at the center of all we do; drive excellence and innovation in teaching, learning, and research; embody the principle of “mission first, people always"; partner with place; and proudly tell the UM story.

Position Details

• Position is full-time, 1.0 FTE, Letter of Appointment and includes a comprehensive and competitive benefits package including Insurance package, mandatory retirement plan, partial tuition waiver, and wellness program.
• Salary for this position is $50,000-$60,000 per year commensurate with qualifications.

Required Skills and Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (political science, communications, history, education, etc.) or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience working directly with K-12 students and teachers.
• Knowledge of crosscutting political developments and trends as they relate to democracy and civic engagement.

• Strategic and innovative thinker.
• Effective listener and strong communicator (written and verbal).
• High degree of organization and initiative.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively.

• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite or related software.

• Ability to travel when required, occasionally under strenuous circumstances, including ability to:
• Drive across Montana and neighboring states to host or attend events
• Accompany program groups to Washington, DC or other sites nationally or internationally
• Accompany and support inexperienced travelers

• Experience in the creation/writing of social studies standards and curriculum.
• Experience integrating innovative new content into social studies/government/civics curriculum requirements.
• Experience balancing multiple assignments and stakeholders.
• Sound project management and supervisory skills.
• Proven ability to succeed in a cross-cultural environment, including performing on a team with individuals from different backgrounds, cultures, and abilities.
• Must be able to be successful in both a traditional office setting and also in dynamic field situations, such as during program implementation.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working in a high school environment.
• Demonstrated experience working with students, teachers, and community members from diverse backgrounds.

About UM and the Mansfield Center

The University of Montana is a unit of the Montana University System with more than 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students and 500+ full-time faculty members. It is located in Missoula, a culturally vibrant community of about 75,000, surrounded by mountain grandeur. Abundant recreational opportunities in surrounding state and national forests and nearby Glacier National Park and Yellowstone National Park complement a thriving intellectual atmosphere.

Founded by an Act of Congress in 1983, the Mansfield Center fosters globally minded leaders of integrity in support of democracy and international engagement. We honor Senator Mansfield’s legacy of patriotic statesmanship to bridge divides from a variety of perspectives, unified by our commitment to democracy. Our work emphasizes civil exchanges of ideas from a diverse range of viewpoints, the importance of democratic institutions, and role that ethical values play in public life. Our staff is advised by a bipartisan Board of Advisors and supported by citizens nationwide representing government, business, non-profit, education, service and youth sectors.

The Mansfield Center is committed to creating an environment that encourages, enriches and respects the multidimensional aspects of diversity. Diversity includes, but is not limited to, differences based on race, ethnicity, national origin, religious affiliation or background, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, age, economic class or status, points of view, or disabilities. The Mansfield Center is committed to recruiting and retaining a team capable of creating a safe, vibrant, diverse, engaging and intellectually stimulating environment.



To learn more about the University of Montana, and Missoula, please visit the links below.

• University of Montana
  • University Highlights
• City of Missoula
  • Destination Missoula
  • Video: There's This Place

Criminal Background Investigation is required prior to the Offer of Employment In accordance with University regulations, finalists for this position will be subject to criminal background investigations. ADA/EOE/AA/Veteran's Preference Reasonable accommodations are provided in the hiring process for persons with disabilities. For example, this material is available in alternative format upon request. As an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer, we encourage applications from minorities, veterans, and women. Qualified candidates may request veterans’ or disabilities preference in accordance with state law. References: References not listed on the application materials may be contacted; notice may be provided to the applicant. Testing: Individual hiring departments at UM may elect to administer pre-employment tests, which are relevant to essential job functions. Employment Eligibility: All New Employees must be eligible and show employment eligibility verification by the first date of employment at UM, as legally required (e.g., Form I-9).

Must be eligible to work in the United State upon hire.

How to Apply

Priority Application Date: Sunday, July 2, 2023 by 11:59 PM (Mountain Time)

Applications received by this date will be guaranteed consideration. Application review will begin on after the date above and continue until the position is filled.

Please submit the following application materials via "New Resume/CV" button below.

*Please note: only five (5) attachments are allowed per application. Please combine documents accordingly.

• Letter of Interest – addressing the stated required skills for the position
• Detailed resume listing education and describing work experience
• Names and contact information for three (3) professional references

* Applying through Indeed.com or easy apply through Indeed.com may result in submission of an incomplete application. Applications may be removed from full consideration if they are not complete with materials listed above under the "How to Apply" section. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure complete application materials are submitted and received by the date listed above.

Job Location Missoula, Montana, United States
Position Type Full-Time/Regular