Career Center

Position Announcement

Program Specialist (to support Center EDGE and Office of Research and Faculty Affairs)

University of Southern California

The University of Southern California (USC), founded in 1880, is located in the heart of downtown L.A. and is the largest private employer in the City of Los Angeles. As an employee of USC, you will be a part of a world-class research university comprised of distinguished faculty, staff, students, and alumni locally, nationally, and globally.

USC Rossier School of Education

The mission of the USC Rossier School of Education is to prepare leaders to achieve educational equity through practice, research and policy. We work to improve learning opportunities and outcomes in urban settings and to address disparities that affect historically marginalized groups. We teach our students to value and respect the cultural context of the communities in which they work and to interrogate the systems of power that shape policies and practices. Through innovative thinking and research, we strive to solve the most intractable educational problems.

Overview of the Project Specialist Position

The Project Specialist position we are seeking to fill is designed to support two key academic units within USC Rossier School of Education. In this regard, we invite individuals with a distinct entrepreneurial spirit and deep interest in learning and growing professionally.

The incumbent will serve as a Project Specialist within the Center for Engagement-Driven Global Education (Center EDGE), which fuels interdisciplinary partnerships to bring relevant, sustainable innovation to scale in the crucial area of educational engagement – the activities and techniques used to improve teaching and learning outcomes. In addition, the Project Specialist will also contribute some of their time to the Office of Research and Faculty Affairs, which oversees faculty administration and research-related efforts at Rossier.

To achieve its work, Center EDGE focuses on identifying and developing innovative partnerships and engagements across public and private sectors in Los Angeles, across California and throughout the country and on a global scale that have the capacity to positively contribute to positive student outcomes within the pre-K to post-secondary educational ecosystem.

Center EDGE and the Office of Research and Faculty Affairs seek to grow their teams with individuals who are entrepreneurial and have a diverse range of skills, experiences and interests. The Program Specialist will work closely with the Center EDGE Managing Director to assist in three general areas: 1.) project management and budget/procurement, 2.) research & analysis/data management and analytics, 3.) creating communications content for various program and business purposes and audiences, and 4.) coordination of programs and events.

In this context, candidates should have an interest and appropriate knowledge/experience with pre-K to university education systems, solid communications skills (especially in writing and digital content creation) and a high level of skill in project coordination and management.

Areas of Responsibility

• Project management

  • Support program/project planning & proposal development, implementation, budgeting, and evaluation.

  • Establish and maintain databases/systems and workflows to ensure programs and projects are on track and within budget, and that relevant data is captured.

  • Contribute to effective and accurate budget management: assist in budget projections, work with budget admin to monitor and control expenditures, follow processes for ensuring proper and efficient reconciliation/invoice management, and support established processes such as for requisitions and reimbursements.

  • Identify efficiencies of scale – develop strategies for streamlining processes.

• Monitoring and Reporting

  • Monitor and report on projects and programs, as well as program reach and impact

  • Gather data and interpret it to inform programs and projects

  • Communicate results to various stakeholders in written and other formats

• Research and Analysis

  • Conduct research using databases, public search engines and internal monitoring and evaluation data

  • Develop and maintain electronic databases and/or other records for reporting purposes. Enter and/or verify database transactions as necessary.

• Coordination

  • Coordinate meetings, tasks and other work with stakeholders

  • Support coordination of logistics for programs and other events (e.g., locating and confirming space, catering, procure materials, etc.)

  • Be knowledgeable and ensure adherence to USC Rossier School and University policies and processes

  • Establish and maintain relationships with external vendors, Rossier School and University business and auxiliary units to ensure effective outcomes for the Center’s work.

• Faculty Support

  • Support part-time faculty matters, assist with faculty onboarding, updating various faculty websites, maintaining and updating the faculty load database, physical and electronic file coordination, assisting with merit and promotion dossier preparation, and other duties as assigned.

• Communications

  • Write internal/external communications for various audiences and purposes (e.g., grant writing, marketing material, proposals, program documentation, reports, memos, email).

  • Interface with various audiences and purposes, including team members, supervisor/leadership, external vendors, partners, educators and students.

  • Writing skills for various purposes and audiences are highly important

• Website Maintenance

  • Maintain website; update news items and other content

  • Update Rossier faculty pages as needed

• Hire, onboard and manage student interns

• Perform other related duties as assigned or requested.

Required Knowledge, Characteristics and Skills

• 3 years minimum work experience; 5 years preferred

• Understanding of k-12 to university education systems

• Research skills (e.g., online search engines, databases, journals, etc.)

• Critical thinking skills

• Sensitivity and good judgement

• Skills and experience using software tools (e.g., Excel, Smartsheet, One Drive, Outlook). Excel and Smartsheet preferred.

• Skills and experience using design software (e.g., Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Canva, InDesign, etc.) highly desired and preferred.

• Experience and skills using HTML, CSS, and related tools for website maintenance

• Demonstrated ability to develop program and implementation plans

• Cross-cultural competency

• Interest and commitment to equity

• Bilingual competency a plus

• Autonomous, self-directed and proactive, while also deeply committed to collaboration and team building

• Creative problem solver

• Exceptional organizational skills, with an ability to manage multiple tasks and projects simultaneously and thrive in an entrepreneurial, dynamic environment

• Strong verbal and written communication skills

• Supervisory experience and skills a plus

• Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s Degree

• 5 years of experience

• Demonstrated high-quality writing skills (e.g., email communications, program documentation, program plans, website content, outreach material, etc.)

• Demonstrated strong project management skills

• Demonstrated proficiency in MS Word suite required; Advanced Excel skills and other productivity software such as Smartsheet, Adobe suite and other design software and HTML, CSS, web content management tools.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS: Cover letter and resume