Program Manager

University of Hawaii system; Hawaii; On-site; USD 57,000 - 69,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Hawaiʻi system seeks a Program Manager (NIFA ANNH Project Coordinator) to lead day-to-day administration of a federally funded grant at the Wahiawa WVAPDC, coordinating activities, budgets, and timelines with faculty and partners.

You will oversee grant plans, performance measures, and deliverables, supporting workforce development and producer-readiness initiatives across Hawaii.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Education, Agriculture, Food Science, Natural Sciences, Workforce Development, Social Sciences, or related field with three years of progressively responsible professional experience in program implementation, project coordination, grant administration, workforce development, education, or related activities.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate day-to-day administration and implementation of the federally funded USDA NIFA Alaska Native-Serving and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions Education Competitive Grants Program project.
• Develop and maintain an operational project plan aligned with the Plan of Work, budget, and timeline.
• Track activities, milestones, deliverables, and performance indicators with regular updates to PI and leadership.
• Coordinate activities to strengthen Hawaii’s value-added agriculture and education-to-workforce pipelines.
• Coordinate student internships, field experiences, and workforce-development opportunities.
• Develop and document grant-supported curricula and instructional materials; ensure timely completion of activities.
• Maintain project documentation, schedules, milestones, and communication among partners.
• Coordinate outreach and dissemination of grant activities to students, faculty, and community partners.
• Assist with procurement, travel, and administrative requirements; monitor expenditures and compliance.
• Represent the NIFA project at college, university, and partner meetings; manage assignments that may include evenings and weekends.

Skills

Project coordination

Grant administration

Workforce development

Program management

Stakeholder coordination

Education

Bachelor's degree and 3 years experience

Tools

MS Word

MS Excel

Project management software

Job description

Title: Program Manager (NIFA ANNH Project Coordinator)

Position Number: 0097781T

Hiring Unit: VCAA Office

Location: Wahiawa Value-Added Product Development Center

Date Posted: October 30, 2026

Closing Date: November 17, 2026

Band: B

Salary: salary schedules and placement information

Additional Salary Info: PBB, minimum $5,640/month

Full Time/Part Time: Full Time

Month: 11-month

Temporary/Permanent: Temporary

Other Conditions: to begin approximately 01/27, pending availability of funds and actual staffing requirements. Temporary to 09/30/27, with the possibility of continuation dependent upon satisfactory performance, availability of funds, and actual staffing requirements. The position is based primarily at the Wahiawa Value-Added Product Development Center (WVAPDC). Assignments may include days, evenings, and weekends and activities on- and off-campus, including travel to partner and project sites.

Duties and Responsibilities

*Denotes Essential Functions

1. *Under the general supervision of the Principal Investigator (PI), serves as the Project Coordinator responsible for the day-to-day administration and implementation of Leeward Community College’s federally funded USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Alaska Native-Serving and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions Education Competitive Grants Program project. Coordinates implementation of grant goals, objectives, activities, timelines, performance measures, and deliverables.
2. *Develops and maintains an operational project plan aligned with the approved NIFA Plan of Work, project objectives, budget, and timeline. Tracks activities, milestones, deliverables, responsible parties, and performance indicators and provides regular updates to the PI and project leadership.
3. *Coordinates project activities designed to strengthen Hawaii’s value-added agriculture and food-product education-to-workforce pipeline through the Wahiawa Value-Added Product Development Center (WVAPDC), with particular emphasis on high pressure processing (HPP), food safety, product development, workforce preparation, and applied learning opportunities.
4. *Coordinates student internships, field experiences, applied learning, and workforce-development opportunities supported by the grant. Works with faculty, project partners, employers, and participating students to establish placements, clarify expectations, track participation and completion, and document student learning and workforce outcomes.
5. *Coordinates the development, scheduling, implementation, and documentation of grant-supported HPP, HACCP, food safety, product development, and related workforce education and training activities in collaboration with faculty, subject-matter experts, and external partners.
6. *Supports coordination of grant-funded curriculum and educational resource development, including modular HPP-related instructional materials and producer-readiness resources. Facilitates communication among faculty, technical experts, industry partners, and other project personnel to ensure activities are completed according to the approved project scope and timeline.
7. *Coordinates project activities associated with the development of an HPP Validation Library focused on Hawaii food products. Maintains project documentation, schedules validation-related activities, tracks products and project milestones, and facilitates communication among WVAPDC, technical partners, producers, faculty, and other participating entities. Technical validation decisions remain the responsibility of appropriately qualified project personnel and partners.
8. *Serves as the primary operational liaison for participating project partners, including University of Hawaii units, educational institutions, agricultural and food-industry partners, workforce organizations, technical experts, producers, and community organizations. Coordinates meetings, project activities, timelines, required documentation, and follow-up actions.
9. *Coordinates grant activities involving agricultural producers and entrepreneurs, including outreach, participant coordination, producer-readiness activities, training participation, and connections to WVAPDC and partner resources that support product development, food safety, commercialization readiness, and business growth.
10. *Develops and maintains systems for tracking project participation, activities, outputs, outcomes, and other performance measures required by the approved grant. Ensures appropriate documentation and records are maintained to support federal reporting, evaluation, fiscal accountability, and audit requirements.
11. *Coordinates assessment and evaluation activities in collaboration with the PI, project team, institutional personnel, and the project’s independent evaluator. Collects and organizes quantitative and qualitative data, monitors progress toward grant indicators, assists with evaluation activities, and identifies areas requiring follow-up or continuous improvement.
12. *Prepares and compiles statistical, narrative, programmatic, and fiscal information necessary for NIFA progress reports, annual reports, final reports, institutional reporting, presentations, and other grant-related documentation. Assists the PI with ensuring reporting requirements and deadlines are met.
13. *Monitors grant expenditures and commitments in collaboration with the PI, campus fiscal personnel, and appropriate administrative staff. Coordinates the logistical and administrative requirements necessary to implement grant activities at WVAPDC, Leeward Community College, and partner locations, including contracts, procurement, travel, scheduling, facilities, equipment access, stipends, participant support, partner-related expenditures, and other grant-funded activities in accordance with University, State, Federal, and USDA/NIFA requirements.
14. *Reviews project implementation and expenditures against the approved scope of work and budget and alerts the PI to potential delays, variances, compliance concerns, or other issues requiring corrective action, budget modification, or sponsor approval.
15. *Organizes and facilitates project-team and partner meetings; develops agendas and supporting materials; documents decisions, responsibilities, and action items; and monitors completion of follow-up activities.
16. *Develops and maintains effective working relationships with Leeward Community College faculty and staff; WVAPDC personnel; University of Hawaii programs and campuses; agricultural producers; food businesses; community organizations; educational partners; industry representatives; and other stakeholders involved in the project.
17. *Assists with outreach and dissemination of grant activities, accomplishments, educational opportunities, and project resources to students, faculty, producers, community partners, and other stakeholders in coordination with appropriate College personnel.
18. *May hire, train, coordinate, and/or supervise temporary personnel, student assistants, interns, or other grant-supported staff as assigned. Establishes work priorities and monitors work to support the timely completion of project activities and deliverables.
19. Represents the NIFA project and WVAPDC at appropriate College, University, community, industry, and partner meetings and events.
20. Assignments may include days, evenings, and weekends and work at WVAPDC, Leeward Community College locations, partner sites, and other locations throughout Hawaii as required by project activities.
21. Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

1. Possession of a baccalaureate degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Education, Agriculture, Food Science, Natural Sciences, Workforce Development, Social Sciences, or related field and three (3) years of progressively responsible professional experience with responsibilities for program implementation, project coordination, grant administration, workforce development, education, or related activities; or any equivalent combination of education and/or professional work experience which provides the required education, knowledge, skills, and abilities as indicated.
2. Considerable working knowledge of principles, practices and techniques in the area of project planning, implementation, coordination, evaluation, and reporting as demonstrated by the broad knowledge of the full range of pertinent standard and evolving concepts, principles and methodologies.
3. Considerable working knowledge and understanding of applicable federal and state laws, rules, regulations and theories and systems associated with grant-funded programs and fiscal administration.
4. Demonstrated ability to resolve wide ranging complex problems through the use of creative reasoning and logic to accurately determine the cause of the problems and the resolution of the problems in an effective, innovative and timely manner
5. Demonstrated ability to interpret and present information and ideas clearly and accurately in writing, verbally and by preparation of reports and other materials.
6. Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with internal and external organizations, groups, team leaders and members, and individuals.
7. Demonstrated ability to operate a personal computer, apply word processing software, and utilize contemporary productivity, data-management, communication, and collaborative software applications.
8. If applicable, for supervisory work, demonstrated ability to lead subordinates, manage work priorities and projects, and manage employee relations.
9. Demonstrated ability to coordinate complex projects involving multiple internal and external partners, activities, timelines, and deliverables.
10. Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing and to prepare professional reports, correspondence, presentations, and project documentation.
11. Demonstrated ability to organize multiple projects and priorities, meet deadlines, maintain accurate records, and work independently with a high degree of accountability.

Desirable Qualifications

1. Master’s degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Education, Agriculture, Food Science, Natural Sciences, Workforce Development, Social Sciences, or related field.
2. Experience administering or coordinating federally funded grants, particularly USDA, NIFA, or other education, agriculture, workforce, or economic-development programs.
3. Experience coordinating workforce-development, internship, work-based learning, or career-pathway programs involving students, faculty, employers, and community partners.
4. Experience working with food science, food safety, food manufacturing, agriculture, value-added product development, high-pressure processing, HACCP, or related industries.
5. Experience coordinating projects involving agricultural producers, food entrepreneurs, small businesses, or community-based economic-development initiatives.
6. Knowledge of federal grant reporting, fiscal management, procurement, evaluation, and compliance requirements.
7. Demonstrated experience developing and maintaining collaborative relationships involving higher education, industry, government, community organizations, and/or agricultural producers.
8. Demonstrated knowledge of Leeward Community College, the Wahiawa Value-Added Product Development Center, University of Hawaii programs, and Hawaii’s agriculture and food-product innovation ecosystem.
9. Experience working with diverse populations and communities in Hawaii.
10. Demonstrated ability to support culturally responsive, place-based educational and workforce-development programs serving Native Hawaiian and other underserved communities.

Inquiries: Leeward Community College Human Resources Office 808-455-0326 [e-mail]

The University of Hawai'i is an Equal Opportunity Institution and is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination in employment, including on the basis of veteran and disability status. For more information, visit: https://www.hawaii.edu/offices/eeo/policies/

Employment is contingent on satisfying employment eligibility verification requirements of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986; reference checks of previous employers; and for certain positions, criminal history record checks. In accordance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, annual campus crime statistics for the University of Hawai'i may be viewed at: https://www.hawaii.edu/titleix/help/campus-security/, or a paper copy may be obtained upon request from the respective UH Campus Security or Administrative Services Office. In accordance with Article 10 of the unit 08 collective bargaining agreement, bargaining unit members receive priority consideration for APT job vacancies. As a result, external or non BU 08 applicants may not be considered for some APT vacancies. BU 08 members with re-employment rights or priority status are responsible for informing the hiring unit of their status. Accommodation Request: The University of Hawai'i complies with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the EEO coordinator directly. Determination on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. For further information, please refer to the following link: https://www.hawaii.edu/offices/eeo/accommodation-request/