Manager of Community Engagement and Civic Leadership - Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement

Location

CLAYTON, MO 63130

 Scheduled Hours

37.5

Position Summary

WashU's Division of Student Success seeks a dedicated professional for the position of Manager of Community Engagement and Civic Leadership. The Division of Student Success advances the educational mission of the university through resources and experiences outside the classroom that prepare our students for lifelong success.

The Manager of Community Engagement and Civic Leadership leads educational initiatives to foster student learning, participation, and impact in civic life through both academic and co-curricular programs. This position prepares students for lifelong civic leadership as lead instructor and program manager for the Civic Fellows Program and collaborator on other civic leadership initiatives; leads experiential learning and place-based immersions in the St.

Louis community; and serves as a key contributor to student education and engagement strategies across the Gephardt Institute.

The Gephardt Institute envisions that Washington University students will learn from and contribute positively to the St. Louis community and graduate prepared to lead change wherever they live and work throughout their lives. The Manager of Community Engagement and Civic Leadership serves as a student educator and program leader by advancing civic learning that is grounded in praxis and place-based learning; teaching civic leadership and ethical community engagement skills; and integrating civic education with community knowledge and

expertise.

This position requires a strong commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion. This position also requires a strong commitment to non-partisanship and to engagement of all Washington University students regardless of their political positions.

Job Description

Primary Duties & Responsibilities:

Program Instruction and Leadership: Serves as lead instructor and program manager for the Civic Fellows Program, which provides a rigorous, in-depth curriculum for undergraduate students with an interest and passion for civic leadership. This selective 14-month program educates cohorts of approximately 20 students through 8 course credits; a self-designed, funded Civic Summer, place-based immersions in St. Louis and Washington DC, and an off-site retreat. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Teaches all Civic Fellows courses. Fosters student understanding of the wide range of perspectives on civic issues and strategies for addressing them, and maintains a nonpartisan teaching lens. Regularly updates syllabi and course materials with attention to sustaining an academically grounded and praxis-based curriculum that meets student learning objectives, incorporates new academic and civic material, and aligns with curricula across the Gephardt Institute.

Leads Civic Fellows program management, including St. Louis immersions, Washington DC immersion trips, retreats, guest speakers/trainers, recruitment/selection, community partner communications, evaluation, events, and program procedures.

Fosters individual and cohort development that supports student learning objectives through community building, dialogue facilitation, and mentoring. Handles sensitive issues that emerge for students and facilitates connections to resources in the Division of Student Success.

Collaborates with Gephardt Institute and other colleagues to ensure that civic leadership, civic education, and community engagement strategies are working in synergy with attention to student outcomes, community outcomes, operational efficiency, and alignment with related University initiatives.

Actively contributes to the success of all Gephardt Institute community engagement and civic leadership programs, which includes, but is not limited to, teaching, programmatic, project management, and facilitation support for initiatives such as the St. Louis Fellows Program.

Proactively seeks out, learns, and integrates new academic and civic resources into curriculum and teaching strategies informed by research and best practices.

Supervises and collaborates with an adjunct co-instructor and/or graduate assistant.

Experiential Learning: Designs, plans, and leads experiential learning initiatives and place-based immersions in St. Louis, including, but not limited to, Engage STL immersions, community events, special events, and other immersive experiences. Responsibilities include:

Creates and curates educational experiences that uplift community voices; multiple perspectives and narratives; the assets, opportunities, challenges, and complexity of the St. Louis region; Gephardt Institute values; and a broad range of strategies and industries that contribute to the progress and vitality of the St. Louis region.

Collaborates with Gephardt Institute and other colleagues to design, plan, implement, and lead programs, including arrangements with community partners, event logistics, leading site visits and immersion trips, facilitating discussions, documentation, and evaluation.

Identifies best practices in student civic learning, community engagement, and experiential learning, and develops educational curricula and materials to advance Gephardt Institute experiential learning initiatives.

Builds connections with civic and community leaders from nonprofits, government, civic organizations, social enterprise, and business that are pursuing civic change efforts and can serve as co-educators through guest speaking, training, tours, and related efforts.

Serves as an essential member of the Gephardt Institute team.

Contributes regularly to initiatives, meetings, and events of the Gephardt Institute, including student outreach, campus partner and community partner engagement, developing strategy and vision for initiatives, planning processes, grant/proposal applications and reporting, donor cultivation and stewardship, special projects, and special events.

Collaborates with Gephardt Institute staff and relevant stakeholders to coordinate planning, implementation, evaluation, and continuous improvement of all Gephardt Institute programs and services, which often involves leadership and/or staffing roles with events including but not limited to student outreach events/presentations, Civic Café, The Longest Table, Gephardt Institute Impact Showcase, and Gephardt Institute Commencement Celebration.

Performs other duties as assigned.

Applicant Special Instructions:

Please provide your cover letter along with your full resume when applying.

Working Conditions:

Job Location/Working Conditions

Normal office environment.

Ability to travel to on- and off-campus locations for meetings and events throughout campus, the St. Louis community, Missouri, Illinois, and Washington DC.

Ability to work outside normal business hours including early morning, evening, and weekends as needed.

Physical Effort

Typically working at desk or table.

Repetitive wrist, hand or finger movement.

Occasional lifting (25 lbs or less).

Equipment

Office equipment.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all job duties performed by the personnel so classified. Management reserves the right to revise or amend duties at any time.

Required Qualifications

Education:

Master's degree

Certifications /Professional Licenses :

No specific certification/professional license is required for this position.

Work Experience:

Relevant Experience (3 Years)

Skills:

Not Applicable

Driver's License:

A driver's license is not required for this position.

More About This Job

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree, preferably in Public Policy, Public Administration, Non-Profit Management, Urban Studies/Planning, Social Work, Student Affairs, Higher Education, or a related field.
• 3 or more years of full-time professional experience that include classroom teaching at the high school, college, or graduate school level on topics aligned with responsibilities of this position, and demonstrated ability to facilitate deep learning and civic dialogue within a highly diverse, intellectual, and passionate student body.
• Professional experience in civic education of adolescents or young adults, civic engagement, and/or policy work.
• Substantive knowledge and passion for civic learning, civic engagement, educating for democracy, community engagement, community development, community partnerships, civic dialogue, policy, social change, and/or related areas.
• Substantive experience with or knowledge of multiple forms of civic engagement, such as non-profit leadership, public service, political engagement, economic development, community development, social services, K-12 education, philanthropy, community organizing, advocacy, international service, etc.
• Demonstrated experience with curriculum design and program/project management.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a non-partisan environment. Commitment to maintaining a non-partisan and inclusive approach to all educational, programming, outreach, and communication strategies.
• Ability and willingness to work morning, evening, and weekend hours for events, meetings, special projects, and deadlines in service to students and the Institute’s mission.
• Experience with and/or openness to managing tasks, data, and records with various applications such as Microsoft Excel, Mail Merge, and project management software.
• Ability to function both independently and collaboratively in a dynamic, highly collaborative environment with multiple functions, audiences, and priorities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Education: No additional education unless stated elsewhere in the job posting.
• Certifications /Professional Licenses : No additional certification/professional licenses unless stated elsewhere in the job posting.
• Work Experience: Civic Education Or Civic Engagement Work (3 Years)
• Skills: Academic Integrity, Budget Management, Civic Engagement, Community Development, Creative Approaches, Cultural Awareness, Deadline Management, Detail-Oriented, Event Planning, Excursions, Facilitation, Nonprofit Leadership, Program Designing, Project Administration, Public Administration, Public Policies, Relationship Management, Social Justice, Special Projects, Stakeholder Dialogue, Urban Planning, Urban Studies, Written Communication
• Grade
• G10