Upward Bound Program Director

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; Milwaukee (WI); On-site; USD 55,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee is seeking an experienced Upward Bound Program Director to provide strategic leadership for the federally funded program, ensuring compliance with TRIO guidelines and alignment with SEMSS goals.

This role oversees curriculum, budgeting, staff supervision, and coordination with district partners to improve college readiness and postsecondary enrollment for eligible high school students.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in education, counseling, liberal arts, or a related field.
• At least three (3) years of professional experience with program coordination or management in education, counseling/advising, pre-college programming, and/or student support services.
• Experience working with low-income, first-generation, underrepresented, and/or academically disadvantaged students.

Responsibilities

• Oversees design, drafting, and scheduling of program specific materials and resources for an educational pre-college program
• Promotes and maintains internal and external partnerships
• Manages operating policies and procedures to comply with regulations, institutional policies, and pre-college program unit objectives
• Develops, facilitates, and evaluates educational pre-college program content and materials
• Advises institutional or divisional leadership on pre-college program services and student needs
• May monitor pre-college program budget

Skills

Program coordination

Student advising

Grant writing

Education

Master’s degree in education, counseling, liberal arts, or a related field

Job description

Current Employees: If you are currently employed at any of the Universities of Wisconsin, log in to Workday to apply through the internal application process.

Position Title

Upward Bound Program Director

Job Category

Academic Staff

Employment Type

Regular

Job Profile

Pre-College Services Manager

Job Duties

The Director of TRIO Upward Bound provides strategic leadership and oversight for the federally funded Upward Bound program, ensuring alignment with U.S. Department of Education TRIO grant guidelines, institutional goals, and student success priorities. Upward Bound serves eligible high school students by providing academic enrichment, college readiness programming, advising, and support services designed to promote postsecondary enrollment, persistence, and completion. The Director is responsible for short- and long-range planning, program implementation, compliance, federal reporting, budget oversight, curriculum development, and staff supervision. The Director ensures that all grant objectives, regulatory requirements, and performance measures are met.

Key Job Responsibilities

• Oversees design, drafting, and scheduling of program specific materials and resources for an educational pre-college program
• Promotes and maintains internal and external partnerships
• Manages operating policies and procedures to comply with regulations, institutional policies, and pre-college program unit objectives
• Develops, facilitates, and evaluates educational pre-college program content and materials
• Advises institutional or divisional leadership on pre-college program services and student needs
• May monitor pre-college program budget

Department

The Division of Strategic Enrollment Management & Student Success (SEMSS) is responsible for advancing UWM’s student enrollment, persistence, and completion goals across the full student lifecycle—from recruitment and admission through financial aid, advising, retention, career readiness, and degree completion. Guided by a shared set of divisional core values, SEMSS serves as both an operational hub and strategic partner to academic units and central administration in shaping institutional enrollment and student success outcomes. SEMSS encompasses 11 departments, 160 full-time employees, and 350 student employees.

Compensation

$55,000 - $65,000

Required Qualifications

• Master’s degree in education, counseling, liberal arts, or a related field (conferred at time of application).
• At least three (3) years of professional experience with program coordination or management in education, counseling/advising, pre-college programming, and/or student support services.
• Experience working with low-income, first-generation, underrepresented, and/or academically disadvantaged students.

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience with federal grant writing, including development and submission of competitive proposals (e.g., TRIO or similar programs).
• Experience with budget development, fiscal oversight, and financial reporting.
• Experience with program administration and supervision of professional and/or student staff.
• Experience with program evaluation, data collection, curriculum development, and reporting systems.
• Experience with K–12 school districts and community-based organizations, outreach, recruitment, and partnership development.

Education

Master’s degree in education, counseling, liberal arts, or a related field (conferred at time of application).

Contact Information

For Questions, please contact Luke Messmann at [e-mail]

Reasonable Accommodations

Pursuant to university policy, UWM provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities who are employees or applicants for employment. Employment opportunities will not be denied because of the need to make reasonable accommodations for a qualified individual with a disability. If you need assistance or accommodation in applying because of a disability, please contact [e-mail] or 414-229-4463. This job announcement and other material on this site will be made available in alternate formats upon request to an individual with a disability.

Confidentiality of Applicant Materials

UWM is a State agency and subject to Wisconsin’s Open Records Law. UWM will not, however, reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing except as may be required by Wisconsin’s Open Records law. In certain circumstances, the identities of “final candidates” and/or the identity of the appointed applicant must be revealed upon request.

CBC and Reference Check Policy

Employment will require a criminal background check. UWM takes the prevention of sexual misconduct seriously. As such, you and your references will be required to answer questions regarding any past findings of sexual violence and sexual harassment or any pending allegations of sexual violence or sexual harassment.

Annual Security and Fire Safety Report (Clery Act)

For the UWM Annual Security and Fire Safety Reports (i.e., Clery Report), which includes statistics about reported crimes and information about campus security policies, see http://www.cleryact.uwm.edu/, or call UWM’s Dean of Students Office, Student Union 345 at [phone] for a paper copy.

Employment Authorization

In compliance with federal law, all persons at the time of their start date will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire.

UW is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other bases protected by applicable federal or State law and UW System policies. We are committed to building a workforce that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills, and encourage all qualified individuals to apply.