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Job Category:
Academic Staff
Employment Type:
Regular
Job Profile:
Academic Program Specialist
Job Summary:
The award-winning, multi-generational UW Odyssey Project is a UW-Madison program housed within the Division of Continuing Studies. Through free access to education, Odyssey takes a whole family approach to breaking cycles of generational poverty while focusing on giving adult and youth learners a voice, increasing participants’ confidence in reading, writing, and speaking, and creating a supportive community for students as they continue on their educational journeys. About to complete its 23rd year, this inspirational project has empowered low-income adults to overcome adversity and achieve their dreams by getting a jump start at earning college degrees they never thought possible. Some graduates of the program have journeyed from homelessness to UW-Madison degrees, or from incarceration to meaningful work in the community. Odyssey consists of five programs serving adults and their children, held at the UW South Madison Partnership Space and in several correctional facilities across the state.
ABOUT ODYSSEY JUNIOR:
While their parents are in class, over 50 children of Odyssey students, ages newborn-18, participate in one of our five Odyssey Junior classrooms: Baby Badgers (newborn - 2), Scouts (2-4k), Explorers (K-3rd), Voyagers (4th-7th), and Teens (8th-12th). Recognizing that breaking the cycle of generational poverty involves whole families, we support children in self-expression and literacy through a variety of forms, including visual arts, reading, writing, speaking, music, and movement.
Job Duties:
- Program coordination for Odyssey Junior:
- Support Monday and Wednesday evening programming, including greeting families, providing classroom support, program set up and clean up, and classroom photography
- Provide administrative support for Odyssey Junior’s director, including maintaining program enrollment documents, organizing digital materials, and assisting with publication of the Odyssey Junior Oracle
- Manage Odyssey Junior’s volunteer process, including tracking interest forms, interviewing prospective volunteers, onboarding new volunteers, and maintaining required training documentation in accordance with UW policy
- Plan quarterly family events, including serving as the primary liaison between program staff and external organizations, scheduling events, creating promotional content, securing necessary materials, set up, and clean up
- Communicate with community partners to schedule guest visits and coordinate logistics
- Coordinate purchasing, distribution, organization, and receipt documentation of program materials
- Create promotional content for Odyssey’s social media and update Odyssey’s website
- Engage in continued learning opportunities related to Odyssey Junior’s mission
- Other activities supporting the UW Odyssey Project:
- Assist Odyssey’s adult program coordinator with food logistics for weekly programming, including planning orders, coordinating with vendors, receiving deliveries, maintaining supplies, and distributing meals
- Research and compile community resources and opportunities that would benefit Odyssey families
- Participate in regularly scheduled meetings with supervisor, program staff, and DCS staff
Key Job Responsibilities:
- Utilizes independent judgement regarding development, implementation, promotion, and evaluation for one or more academic programs, initiatives, or events
- Identifies program, needs, contributes to the development of unit workflows, schedules logistics and secures resources for meetings, events, and interviews
- Coordinates program components and evaluates program effectiveness and provides recommendations for improvement
- May supervise the day to day activities of one or more academic programs and resolves issues exercising discretion to meet unit goals.
Department:
Continuing Studies, Liberal Arts and Applied Studies
Compensation:
Minimum $45,000 ANNUAL
Required Qualifications:
- Ability to work Mondays and Wednesdays from 12-8pm during the academic year
- Experience working in youth programming or a relevant degree
- Experience working with racially diverse and low income groups
- Demonstrated cultural humility
- Strong interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills
- Demonstrated ability to quickly adapt to changing circumstances
- Strong skills in Microsoft (Word, Excel, Outlook) and Google (Docs, Sheets, Slides)
- Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
- Valid driver’s license and access to a vehicle
- Ability to lift 30 lbs
Preferred Qualifications:
- Lived experience related to Odyssey’s mission
- Experience with event planning
- Experience with volunteer coordination
- Experience with youth curriculum development
- Excellent problem solving and independent decision-making skills
- Knowledge of simple design software (Canva, Wordpress) to create promotional materials, social media content, and website updates
Education:
Bachelor's Degree Preferred
How to Apply:
To apply for this position, please click on the "Apply Now" button. You will be asked to upload a resume, cover letter, and list of three professional/supervisor references as a part of the application process. References will not be contacted without prior notice. Please ensure your resume and cover letter address how you meet the minimum/preferred qualifications for the position.
Contact Information:
Zachary Yafai
HR Business Partner
zyafai@wisc.edu
Institutional Statement on Diversity:
Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, including but not limited to, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, or status as a protected veteran and other bases as defined by federal regulations and UW System policies. We promote excellence by acknowledging skills and expertise from all backgrounds and encourage all qualified individuals to apply. For more information regarding applicant and employee rights and to view federal and state required postings, visit the Human Resources Workplace Poster website.
To request a disability or pregnancy-related accommodation for any step in the hiring process (e.g., application, interview, pre-employment testing, etc.), please contact the Divisional Disability Representative (DDR) in the division you are applying to. Please make your request as soon as possible to help the university respond most effectively to you.
Employment may require a criminal background check. It may also require your references to answer questions regarding misconduct, including sexual violence and sexual harassment.
The University of Wisconsin System will not reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing, except that the identity of the successful candidate will be released. See Wis. Stat. sec. 19.36(7).
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