Program Officer, Democracy Programs, Mansfield Center (Campus Only)

Description

Campus-Only Recruitment

Only current UM Employees* are eligible.

*Open to all employee types including Temporary Staff and Student Employees.

The Maureen and Mike Mansfield Center invites applications for a Program Officer to bring initiative, energy, organization, and attention to detail to Mansfield democracy programs. The Program Officer will work under the direction of the Director of Democracy Programs, Director of the Ethics in Public Affairs Program, and the Mansfield Center Executive Director to identify critical challenges and implement unique approaches to developing solutions. While grounded in public higher education’s role in preparing engaged citizens, this position is focused on holistic community outreach and engagement. A commitment to integrity and building trusted relationships is essential.

This is a highly self-directed position with significant discretion and independent judgment with respect to sensitive issues regarding the promotion of American democracy, civic engagement, and civil discourse.

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.

Examples of Duties and Responsibilities

Strategy and Program Development

• Collaborate with Center leadership to assess critical needs in democracy education and develop a coordinated strategy to identify Center priorities for democracy programs.
• Assess and identify primary target audiences for democracy programming in the K-12 system, institutions of higher education, and general citizenry.
• Track democracy developments in the U.S. in general, and Montana in particular.

Program Implementation

• 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.
• Serve as a point of contact for potential partners and program participants, acting as a liaison with community members and critical partners engaging in democracy programming.
• 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.

Communications and Outreach

• Frequently engage with external 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.
• Manage daily communications with program partners and participants.

Minimum Qualifications

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

• Effective listener and strong communicator (written and verbal).
• High degree of organization and initiative.
• Exceptional writing skills under tight deadlines.
• 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.
  • Accompany and support inexperienced travelers.
• Experience balancing multiple assignments and internal clients.
• 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

• Two years of experience in democracy-related programs.
• Master's degree in a field related to the mission of the Mansfield Center: political science, public administration, communications, etc.
• Experience working with high-level stakeholders in government and democracy efforts.

Additional Information

• 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.

Screening of applications will begin after the closing date ; however, applications will continue to be accepted until an adequate applicant pool has been established.

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