We’re hiring! Apply to be our Assistant Dean for Community-Based Programs!

Assistant Dean for Community-Based Programs

MIT PKG Center for Public Service

Full Position Description

Job Number: 21450

Functional Area: Administration

Department: PKG Center

School Area: Chancellor’s

Employment Type: Full-Time

Employment Category: Exempt

Visa Sponsorship Available: No

Assistant Dean of Community-Based Programs, Priscilla King Gray Center for Public Service (PKG Center), will 1) lead and implement immersive student community-based cohort programming that connects students to complex social and environmental issues and the practitioners addressing them, 2) provide MIT partners with consultation and capacity building related to social impact and community-engaged learning, and 3) develop and manage mutually beneficial, reciprocal, sustained relationships with community partners. The Assistant Dean of Community-Based Programs will report to the PKG Center’s Associate Dean/Director.

The PKG Center, housed in MIT’s Office of the Vice Chancellor, taps and expands MIT students’ unique skills and interests to prepare them to explore and address complex social and environmental challenges including health equity, using technology for social good, climate change, and racial justice. We educate students to collaborate ethically and effectively with community partners to engage in meaningful public service, today and in their lives beyond MIT.

The successful candidate will join our team of 8 full-time staff and a cohort of Graduate Assistants from local universities. Meet the team.

Characteristic Duties and Responsibilities:

Community-Based Strategy, Programs, and Advising (70%)

  • Oversee strategic planning for cohort programs as it relates to the PKG Center, Office of Experiential Learning, Office of the Vice Chancellor, and MIT goals and priorities.
  • Assess current portfolio of cohort programs and develop new programs, build upon existing programs, and/or sunset programs to align with PKG Center strategic goals, best pedagogical and community practices, and student interest.
  • Ensure programs incorporate best practices for community-engaged learning, advance critical reflection for students, and provide culturally responsive opportunities for students to gain skills and confidence to contribute to social change.
  • Develop and implement programs with a lens to maximizing benefit/minimizing harm for community partners, valuing practitioners as co-educators and experts in their field, and working with cultural sensitivity and competence when creating programs that interface with marginalized populations.
  • Plan, coordinate, implement, and evaluate PKG Center’s cohort programs; direct participant recruitment, application, and selection process for programs; and provide direction, support, and advising to students and student leaders within PKG Center cohort programs and beyond.
  • Develop interconnections between cohort programs and other PKG programs.
  • Develop and instruct for-credit and not-for-credit classes and workshops.

Capacity Building, Technical Assistance, and Relationship Management (30%)

  • Provide capacity building, trainings, workshops, and other consultancies for MIT departments, labs, centers, and other stakeholders in order to create, implement, and improve social impact experiential learning opportunities and community-engaged learning programs.
  • Collaborate with other MIT departments, programs, and student organizations related to social impact and community-based partnerships to identify, and support opportunities for shared activities.
  • Develop and manage relationships with community partners locally, nationally, and (occasionally) globally to ensure they are reciprocal, mutually beneficial, and responsive. Connect and integrate partners with other PKG Center programs.

Additional:

  • Supervise 1-2 cross-PKG program staff.
  • Supervise Graduate Assistants and support undergraduate student leaders.
  • Contribute to PKG fundraising efforts.
  • Represent the PKG Center in relevant committees.
  • Hybrid (in Cambridge office + remote) working arrangement.
  • Work nights/weekends and travel as required.
  • Other duties as needed or required.

Education + Qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s degree in a related field
  • Minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in higher education, nonprofit management, or related mission-driven environments.
  • Experience successfully managing community partnerships.
  • Demonstrated experience successfully facilitating programs across culture and among diverse students and stakeholders while displaying cultural competence and respect across differences.
  • Outstanding organizational and project management skills with a strong teamwork orientation.
  • Excellent communication skills.
  • Strategic, creative thinking and planning with proficiency for prioritization.
  • Self-starter, self-directed, and strong work ethic.
  • Passion for public service.
  • PREFERRED:
    • Master’s degree in related field
    • Experience in an academic setting facilitating, developing, and managing immersive community-engaged programs.
    • Knowledge of the practice and literature in the broad fields of engaged scholarship and social impact, as well as the principles and practice of engaged scholarship and social impact in an academic context

Salary Range: $70,000-$90,000

A cover letter is required to be considered for this role. To apply, click here.

MIT is an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, ancestry, or national or ethnic origin. The Office of the Vice Chancellor values diversity and inclusion and seeks to build and maintain a community and culture that celebrates and values diverse backgrounds, identities, and perspectives.

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ovc@mit.edu