CTE Grants Coordinator and Program Navigator - Grant Funded

Mchenry-County-College; Crystal Lake (IL); On-site; USD 55,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

McHenry County College seeks a Grants Coordinator and Program Navigator to manage Perkins, REACH, and ROOTS grants. This role partners with Grants team and supervisor to monitor activities, budgets, and reporting, while supporting students in healthcare programs through scholarship disbursement and advising.

The position involves travel for ICCB-required meetings, grant events, and collaboration with multiple MCC departments to sustain student learning and achievement across CTE programs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution or equivalent.
• Master’s degree preferred and bilingual skills beneficial.
• Experience in higher education or community college setting preferred.

Responsibilities

• Draft grant applications, budgets and reports for Perkins, REACH, and ROOTS.
• Track progress on grant activities and spending; support budget modifications.
• Assist with grant purchasing and document management.
• Enter and extract data from college software to generate reports.
• Develop relationships across departments and external navigators to support students.

Skills

Grant management

Budget tracking

Data reporting

Student support

Communication

Organization

Travel readiness

Bilingual (Spanish/English)

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s degree (preferred)

Tools

ERP systems

Job description

40 hours | Flexible schedule to meet department needs to include evenings and weekends. Additional hours beyond schedule may be required | This is a grant-funded position.

The CTE (Career and Technical Education) Grants Coordinator and Program Navigator is funded by and administers three CTE grants: Perkins, REACH, and ROOTS. The administrative responsibilities include writing grant applications and reports in collaboration with the Grants team and supervisor, tracking and managing grant activities, tracking budgets, and attending trainings and meetings through the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB). The Coordinator also works directly with students in healthcare programs eligible for REACH and ROOTS by disbursing scholarships and serving as a resource from recruitment through graduation, employment or transfer. Through these endeavors, the CTE Grants Coordinator and Program Navigator has significant accountability in sustaining the College’s focus on student learning and achievement, specifically supporting students in CTE programs.

Grant Administration

• Draft grant applications, budgets and reports for Perkins, REACH, and ROOTS according to established timelines. This may include, but is not limited to, compiling and gathering data; hosting meetings or events to gather feedback; and composing, proofreading, disseminating, and updating information in a variety of modes.
• Track progress on Perkins, REACH, and ROOTS grant activities and spending. Propose alternate activities or spending, and support budget modification requests as needed.
• Support purchasing for grant activities, which may include equipment, supplies, and contractual services.
• Create and maintain a variety of documents related to the Perkins, REACH, and ROOTS grants (e.g., forms, presentation materials, meeting agendas, minutes, etc.).
• Enter data and extract information from the College’s ERP or other College software/systems to generate reports.
• Develop relationships within MCC (including all of the departments eligible for Perkins, REACH, and ROOTS funds, the Grants Office, the University Center, Financial Aid, MCC Foundation, Student Affairs departments, and the Business Office) and with external navigators in order to carry out grant duties and best support students.
• Stay current with grant guidance.

Student Support for REACH and ROOTS Healthcare Programs

• As needed, participate in recruitment events, such as classroom presentations or orientation sessions related to REACH and ROOTS.
• Follow up with students after recruiting events.
• Develop and implement the application process and disburse scholarship funds.
• Manage and coach a caseload of assigned students through an intrusive advising model, making intentional and meaningful contact with students and building appreciative, positive, and responsive relationships.
• Regularly meet with students via scheduled appointments, drop-in visits, and over email, serving as a central point of support for students pursuing any REACH or ROOTS-approved healthcare certificate or degree.
  • Co-construct appropriate academic plans with students, including short-term and long-term course selection.
  • Proactively monitor and discuss their progress toward academic and career goals, identify challenges, and provide referrals for wraparound services at MCC and in the community.
• Conceptualize, implement, and assess retention initiatives.
• Maintain accurate tracking data and notes for each assigned student, including data regarding scholarship disbursements.

Other

• Attend grant meetings as required by the ICCB. This will require some out-of-district travel and may require overnight stays.
• Assume additional duties as assigned by immediate supervisor.

• Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution or equivalent

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience in a higher education or community college setting
• Master’s degree from a regionally accredited institution
• Bilingual (Spanish/English) language skills
• One year of experience in a related field

Skills and Specifications:

• Ability to learn technological applications
• Commitmenttoand respect for diversity
• Commitment to effectively serving underrepresented student populations
• Self-motivated, self-directed, and the ability to work independently
• Excellent organization and coordination abilities
• Effective interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills
• Excellent customer service skills
• Ability and willingness to remain current on social and higher education issues affecting students, colleges, communities, and underrepresented groups
• Ability to determine an approach for doing work based on guidelines
• Ability to work in a dynamic environment and to be sensitive to change and responsive to changing goals, priorities, and needs
• Ability to assess situations and bring them to the immediate supervisor appropriately
• Ability to gather, analyze and evaluate a variety of data.
• Ability to provide updates to senior managers, or other community groups or organizations
• Ability to work under pressure and handle change
• Ability to deal with complex and/or stressful situations with relative ease and a professional demeanor
• Ability to handle multiple tasks and ongoing projects
• Ability to travel to various locations for program activities