Director of Research Application and Community Engagement, Hope Center for College, Community and Justice

The Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice launched in September 2018 in the College of Education at Temple University. It is an action research center focused on rethinking and restructuring higher education and social policies, practices, and resources to create opportunities for all students to complete college degrees.

Helping research create impact requires deep knowledge and meaningful activities in the areas of both research application and community engagement. The Director of Research Application and Community Engagement (“Director”) will report to the Executive Director, and work closely with the Directors of Research, Operations and Communication to lead projects with communities both inside and outside of college campuses. These projects will build awareness and impact positive changes with regard to the challenges examined by the Hope Center. These will include challenges facing vulnerable populations such as former foster youth, returning citizens, and student-parents, as well as broader challenges such as affordable housing, food, and transportation.

The Director will provide leadership, strategic planning, and visioning for community engagement roles in multiple research projects. In addition, the Director will provide programmatic design, facilitation, and support on key research initiatives in order to apply the findings to key challenges of policy and practice. They will represent this work via speaking engagements, media engagement, and in interactions with communities. Perform other duties as assigned.

Required Education & Experience:

Required Skills & Abilities:

* Strong leadership skills and ability to produce results through strategic planning and evaluation and adjustment of programs
* A high level of initiative, effort, and commitment to inclusion and social justice
* Ability to act as a catalyst for change, sharing vision and influencing others to turn vision into action
* Ability to design, implement, and manage new programs, policies and processes
* Strong supervisory skills and ability to train, develop, provide feedback to and manage performance of staff
* Strong interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to effectively convene small and large groups, facilitate partnerships, and work both internally and externally with diverse constituents across multiple organizations
* Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, in one-on-one and group settings, along with demonstrated ability to work with the media
* Leadership initiative, a positive attitude, concern for people and community, presence, self-confidence, and common sense
* Ability to prioritize, multi-task, and meet deadlines to conceptualize new solutions to problems
* Ability to exercise sound judgment, handle confidential matters with discretion, and develop a broad knowledge of the Hope Center’s programs, practices, policies, and procedures

Preferred:
* Experience creating and/or leading cross-institutional activities in higher education
* Familiarity with research standards, including rigor
* Training in participatory action research
* Experience working in a university-based research center
* Experience fundraising
* Ability to manage a budget.
* Comfort with technology, including task management

This is a grant funded position.

This position requires a background check.