Program Specialist

Position Summary

The primary purpose of the Program Specialist position is to provide technical assistance and capacity building services to multiple SERVE Center clients, including state education agencies, government entities, and community-based organizations supporting Out-of-School Time programs. The Program Specialist delivers research- and policy-informed guidance to strengthen program design, ensure alignment with federal and state requirements, support effective implementation, and student outcomes. Responsibilities include strategic planning, development of tools and professional learning, and support for compliance, monitoring, and continuous improvement efforts.

Additionally, this position will lead and support client capacity building efforts related to other SERVE grants such as the Region 5 Comprehensive Center as well as support SERVE's non-profit contract evaluation efforts.

• Masters Degree in educational field, with 5-10 years progressively responsible educational experience to include non-profit, school, and/or district level leadership positions.
• Expertise in area of implementing federally-funded programs to support K‑12 education and out-of-school time learning, including at SEAs, LEAs, schools, and community-based organizations.
• Experience with supporting low-performing, high-poverty, and/ or rural school initiatives and efforts.
• Experience in researching, writing, and editing publications.
• Experience in leading meeting planning and facilitation for internal teams and external clients.
• Experience coaching individuals and teams to meet project goals.
• Expertise in the knowledge of supporting programs that support underserved schools and students, developing materials and products for training and professional development offerings, and for broad dissemination.
• Experience in the use of technology to support communication (e.g., websites, listservs) and virtual professional learning (e.g., webinars, online communities).
• Experience with MS Word, PowerPoint, and other applications for developing and preparing materials for meetings, professional learning events, and for online and print publication.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Strong teamwork, leadership, and organizational skills. The ability to work with high level educators and collaborate with teams of colleagues to meet the goals of the multiple contracts and grants assigned to the position. Must have the ability to cultivate school district-community wide partnerships and support youth and schools.

An understanding of the Department of Public Instruction working structure is beneficial.