POSITION OVERVIEW:

The Grant Project Director will oversee a multi-million dollar grant with a primary focus on growing the OLC community through engagement and participation.  Assist higher education institutions in building quality digitally-enabled programs as well as enhance OLC’s leadership involvement within institutions and across educational organizations.  This grant will push the boundaries of the organization’s performance, competitiveness, and success.  Key to this position is a focus on strategic analysis, creative problem solving, and innovative solutions while having a thorough knowledge and understanding of existing higher education operations and processes in order to drive initiatives to completion through existing or new workflows.  The individual in this position must possess the communication and project management skills to bring others on board with go-forward recommendations and enjoy working as part of a team. 

This is a grant funded “soft money” three-year position.  It is incumbent upon the Grant Project Director to work with the OLC senior leadership to secure additional funding opportunities to continue the position past the initial grant funding window.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Leadership and Strategic Foundations & Tactical operations

  • Grant planning and strategy: Serve as the point person for a three-year, multi-faceted grant project.  Develop and deploy a yearly plan and reporting framework for successful grant management realizing/exceeding all expectations and goals of the Online Learning Consortium and the grant funder, including relevant metrics to evaluate all aspects of the grant project. Provide strategic, managerial, and operational responsibility for all aspects of the grant administration, working collaboratively with others on a day-to-day basis. Accomplish work through cooperation with other groups and cross-functional teams. Take the lead in preparing high quality reports (may include regular reports or ad-hoc reports) and summaries for the grantor, senior leadership, and OLC board of directors.
  • Grant maintenance and cultivation: Communicate and engage with current grantor.  Monitor the competitive landscape on an ongoing basis to strategically position OLC in the changing landscape with regard to future grant opportunities.  Assist in identifying potential grant opportunities in line with OLC’s mission.  Ensure linkages between various aspects of the grant with other OLC initiatives; support wrap around benefits for consulting and advisory services or Institute curriculum as secondary outcomes of the grant. Support integration activities into OLC operations for all selected honorees (e.g., developing case studies, engagement in technology test kitchen).
  • Professional collaboration: Work collaboratively and effectively with a growing group of subject-matter experts, judges, and project consultants.  Support the CKO and CEO in developing and continuously improving all aspects of the grant. Manage the hiring and training of consultants to support all grant initiatives.  Facilitate all details for various convenings in support of the goals of the grant. Support ongoing training efforts of OLC staff concerning all grant activities.
  • Funds management: Work with the CFO and CKO to monitor the annual grant budget; clearly documenting expenses included in the grant as well as OLC’s gifts-in-kind. Maintain all records (e.g., prize applications, budget documents, convening notes) and communicate with the grantor and OLC senior leadership as needed.  Manage all aspects of the honorees annually.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

Background

  • Strong proactive leadership and management skills with exceptional organizational development, change management, project management (development and execution), team building, and interpersonal communication skills.
  • Extensive curriculum development and project leadership experience with the ability to lead high quality projects/initiatives with internal and external senior level stakeholders.
  • Finely honed project management skills; ability to manage and prioritize across multiple projects, strategic priorities, and issues and drive to informed answers and results in a focused and efficient manner; with an agility to make changes to plans as new information is learned and analyzed.
  • Knowledge and understanding of key performance indicators, metrics and data/predictive analytics to support planning, decision making, and continuous improvement efforts.
  • Success as a clear, persuasive public speaker with a reputation for producing high quality written reports that are clear, data-focused and lead to responsible decision-making.
  • Ability to evaluate the attractiveness of new opportunities – has an entrepreneurial, creative, and resourceful mindset with appropriate fiscal foundations.

Relationships building and cultivating

  • Ability to gain credibility and influence others at all levels within an organization.
  • Knowledge of procedures, operations, organizational structures, and principles of higher education institutions.
  • Knowledge of management and supervisory principles and practices with an ability to supervise, train, motivate, and mentor consultants in a high performing organization.
  • Understanding of and sensitivity to diversity issues related to effective communication and interaction with persons from diverse cultural backgrounds, age ranges, social backgrounds, experience levels and more.
  • Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to identify the appropriate analytical processes for addressing particular issues, arrive at supportable recommendations, build consensus, and ensure successful implementation.

MINIMUM AND PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

  • A master’s degree is required, doctoral degree preferred.
  • Success as a project lead for a major, multi-year grant is preferred. 
  • Experience and/or qualifications as a project manager is essential. 
  • Five or more years of managerial experience in a high-impact, growth, and results oriented higher education position.
  • Three or more years of curriculum design, development, and evaluation experience as a faculty member or administrator with direct evidence of personal contributions.

REPORTING: Reports directly to the Chief Knowledge Officer (CKO).

WORKING CONDITIONS: Home office environment.  Some travel will be required to administer and implement the grant.

The Online Learning Consortium, a non-profit, professional online learning organization devoted to empowering educators and advancing online learning. Our customers include leading national and regional universities, colleges and community schools and institutions. The Online Learning Consortium is a geographically dispersed and virtual staffed organization, headquartered in Newburyport, MA.

Please review our company website to explore our products and services before submitting credentials for consideration.

Please submit resumes and letters of interest to jobs@onlinelearning-c.org.

The Online Learning Consortium, Inc. provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, amnesty, or status as a covered veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws. The Online Learning Consortium, Inc. complies with applicable state and local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including, but not limited to, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer.