Administrative Consultant

State of Iowa - Executive Branch; Des Moines (IA); On-site; USD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Collaborative work environment

Competitive salary and benefits

Job summary

Iowa Department of Education seeks a results-oriented leader to serve as team lead and project manager for community colleges programs and accreditation, coordinating reform efforts and nationwide initiatives. You will guide policy guidance, data collection, and stakeholder engagement with education consultants and college leadership.

The role emphasizes collaboration, independent project advancement, and strong communication across diverse teams, with travel as needed across-state and

Qualifications

• Leadership experience in higher education.
• Experience in large-scale project implementation.
• Experience in policy analysis or implementation.

Responsibilities

• Serve as team lead/project manager for community colleges academic and student affairs work; collaborate with education consultants and leadership on programs including accreditation.
• Coordinate and lead teams on community college reform efforts; develop project scope, timing, and resources; present data to stakeholders.
• Lead ISWJCF programs; provide guidance for processes, data collection, and policy implementation; represent the bureau on national initiatives.

Skills

Leadership experience in higher ed

Large-scale project implementation

Policy analysis/implementation

Education

Bachelor's degree in a professional field

Master's degree in social work, law, education, engineering, or public/business administration

Nine years total education+experience substitution option

Job description

Job Description

Iowa Department of Education’s mission is ensuring all students experience a world-class education. To accomplish our mission, we need talented, passionate people working together to build an excellent education system that empowers all students to achieve their full potential.

Your Responsibilities

Serve as team lead/project manager for ongoing work of the community colleges academic and student affairs team. In this lead capacity, you will collaborate and network with education consultants and leadership across Iowa working on key community college programs including concurrent enrollment, program quality, faculty support, student success and accreditation. You will also play a key leadership role with community college accreditation desk review and site visits.

Coordinate and lead teams related to emerging community college reform efforts. In this lead capacity you will 1) develop the scope, timing, elements, and priority of projects assigned by bureau management; 2) develop and implement project plans including goals, objectives, procedures, and resources; 3) collaborate with management on organizational matters, evaluate/resolve operational issues, and prepare supporting rationale or documentation; 4) present data team products to stakeholders such as community college presidents, trustees, legislative committees, and at national conferences; 5) serve as liaison with statewide community college groups; 6) resolve complex program or project administration problems by analyzing a variety of information including federal and state laws, rules, and regulations and developing solutions that may be innovative; and 7) represent the bureau on national research, data sharing, and initiatives related to community colleges and workforce development.

Serve as lead project manager of the Iowa Skilled Worker and Job Creation Fund (ISWJCF) Programs and activities, and other workforce related initiatives. Related duties include: 1) Collaborating and networking with education consultants and leadership across Iowa working on ISWJCF programs; 2) Providing leadership and technical support related to processes and procedures required to design and implement appropriate policy guidance, technical assistance, record keeping, and data collection and analysis for the following state programs: Workforce Training and Economic Development (WTED), Pathways for Academic Career and Employment (PACE), Gap Tuition Assistance and Accelerated Career Education (ACE) Infrastructure, and Workforce Pell.

Desirable Qualifications

• Leadership experience in higher education.
• Experience in large-scale project implementation.
• Experience in policy analysis or implementation.

Hours

8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Monday – Friday; some nights and weekends, occasional in-state and out-of-state travel

A successful candidate will bring or have the ability and desire to learn

• Passion for accomplishing common goals in pursuit of public service
• Knowledge and experience with coordinating the development of legislation, administrative rules, and legislative proposals
• Ability to work collaboratively on, and provide leadership for, high-performing teams
• Ability to work independently, moving projects forward with minimal supervision
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to interpret and break down highly technical and regulatory language, and present information in an understandable manner
• Conflict resolution and interpersonal skills
• Desire to work with diverse teams and stakeholders

WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU?

• Opportunities to make a widespread difference in the lives of children, their families, and Iowa communities
• Collaborative, positive work environment
• Talented and passionate work colleagues that will help you learn and grow
• Opportunities to collaborate with experts from around the country
• Employee discounts from a variety of vendors
• Competitive salary and benefits package:

https://das.iowa.gov/sites/default/files/hr/documents/employment/Benefits_Beyond_the_Paycheck.pdf

E-Verify and Right to Work

The State of Iowa participates in E-Verify, a federal program that helps employers confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. Within the required timeframe, new hires will be verified through the E-Verify system to ensure authorization to work in the United States. The State of Iowa also complies with the federal Right to Work laws, which protect employees’ rights to work without being required to join a labor organization. For more information, please visit www.e-verify.gov .

Minimum Qualification Requirements

• Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university, and experience equal to five years of full-time, professional-level work in program administration, development, management, or operations.
• A combination of a total of nine years of education and full-time experience (as described in number one), where thirty semester hours of accredited college or university course work may substitute for one year of full-time experience.
• Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Master's degree in social work, law, education, engineering, or public or business administration, and experience equal to three years of full-time, professional-level work in program administration, development, management, or operations.
• Current, continuous experience in the state executive branch that includes two years of full-time work as an Education Program Consultant.