As a UW employee, you have a unique opportunity to change lives on our campuses, in our state and around the world. UW employees offer their boundless energy, creative problem solving skills and dedication to build stronger minds and a healthier world.

UW faculty and staff also enjoy outstanding benefits, professional growth opportunities and unique resources in an environment noted for diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits and natural beauty.

For over 50 years, the Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity (OMA&D) has advanced diversity, equity, and inclusion at the University of Washington, a campus that sits on tribal land. Through our programs and partnerships, we create pathways for diverse populations to access postsecondary opportunities, nurture and support their academic success, and cultivate a campus climate that enriches the educational experience for all. This legacy of work continues to drive excellence at the UW and together, we help the university work toward its vision for becoming a more just and equitable campus community. More information about the Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity is available at uw.edu/OMAD. Within OMA&D is the College Access unit that implements programs focused on expanding access for underserved communities by partnering with K-12 school districts, two-year colleges, and community coalitions.

The University of Washington’s GEAR UP Achievers Program was launched in 2018 and designed to dramatically increase the number of first generation, low income, and students of color who graduate from high school and enter and succeed in higher education.  GEAR UP Achievers serves nearly 5,000 students in 9th and 10th grade who attend high school in Kent, Renton, Tukwila, and Auburn.  GEAR UP Achievers has a focus on STEM and provides programming for students, families, and schools including academic supports, college advising, financial aid workshops, summer programs, afterschool programs, new and expanded partnerships, college visits, worksite visits, internships, affinity based programs, and more!  To find out more you can visit the GEAR UP Achievers website at: https://depts.washington.edu/gearupac/

GEAR UP SEATTLE has an outstanding opportunity for a Program Operations Specialist. 

Under the supervision of the Director for the GEAR UP WA Achievers, the Program Operations Specialist provides critical development, implementation, and coordination of a South King County tutor pipeline which will place 40-50 college students in K-12 schools to support the academic readiness of GEAR UP cohort students.  The program is designed to help low-income and first-generation students succeed in middle school and high school, enroll in a college, and obtain a degree in a STEM field.   The Specialist will provide culturally and linguistically appropriate pre-college counseling services, with a focus on STEM Enrichment/Career exploration, to GEAR UP families and students from 4 different WA state school districts.  The Specialist will also lead communication strategies including content development for website, social media, and newsletters.  The STEM Counseling Specialist works collaboratively with the GEAR UP Director in the development and implementation of GEAR UP objectives and events. This position also works closely with faculty, staff, and students to develop effective strategies to support the academic success of GEAR UP WA Achievers.

The Program Operations Specialist of the GEAR UP Achievers program will work with students, families, and K-12 schools to promote and develop strategies, activities, and resources to ensure college readiness in STEM fields and success of low-income first-generation students. This position requires the ability to collaborate with students, families, and schools to develop innovative college access events, parent academies, and summer programs that utilize best practices for supporting GEAR UP students who are motivated to pursue higher education in STEM fields.  The Specialist will increase communications and visibility of the University of Washington in South King County communities and contribute to higher applications and admittance of first-generation and underrepresented minorities at UW and other postsecondary programs across the state and nation.


RESPONSIBILITIES:

Build a South King County tutor pipeline that includes outreach and recruiting 40-50 college students from multiple college campuses and supporting their placement as AVID tutors in 9+ k-12 schools.  Provide ongoing training, support, and site visits.

Partner with Assistant Director to build family engagement strategies that provide multiple opportunities for parents to build skills and increase knowledge of navigating K-12 and postsecondary education, financial aid, college access.  Support the development of multilingual and culturally appropriate curriculum, programs, and events for students, parents, and families including parent academies, family college visits, financial aid nights, and more.
Plan and execute college, career, and cultural field trips during the academic year and summer. Work with community partners to organize large events in schools, community, and on college campuses including Early Engineering Institute, summer camps, robotics competitions, DiscoverU, GEAR UP Week, and STEM-related programming.  Develop STEM partnerships in collaboration with STEM Specialist

Develop communication strategies and create content for website, social media, newsletters, and more to communicate with students and families about program events and specific actions required by each student to navigate middle and high school transitions and enter and succeed in postsecondary education.

Other duties as assigned

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelor's Degree in Education, STEM field and 4 -5 years experience working in education, college access, K-12 education, youth development, STEM-related field, STEM education, community development, family engagement.

Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Experience working in bilingual and bicultural environments and engaging students and families.
• Experience developing content, curriculum, and youth development programming.
• Knowledge of South King County partners, schools, regional initiatives, and communities.
• Must be able to organize and plan program activities and services, manage time effectively, prioritize tasks, and meet tight program deadlines.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, including public speaking and articulating ideas clearly in person and in writing required.
• Experience working with middle and high school students from underrepresented minority, low income or first-generation backgrounds and demonstrated ability to work effectively with diverse populations required.

DESIRED EXPERIENCE

• Masters degree in Education, Socal Work, or STEM field.  Experience working with students and families on college access or STEM.  Experience managing volunteers, tutors, or young professionals.  Bilingual and/or bicultural.  Experience managing content for communications ie. website, social media, newsletters.  Experience working on federal education grants including GEAR UP, TRIO, UPWARD BOUND, TALENT SEARCH


Application Process:

The application process for UW positions may include completion of a variety of online assessments to obtain additional information that will be used in the evaluation process.  These assessments may include Workforce Authorization, Cover Letter and/or others.  Any assessments that you need to complete will appear on your screen as soon as you select “Apply to this position”. Once you begin an assessment, it must be completed at that time; if you do not complete the assessment you will be prompted to do so the next time you access your “My Jobs” page. If you select to take it later, it will appear on your "My Jobs" page to take when you are ready. Please note that your application will not be reviewed, and you will not be considered for this position until all required assessments have been completed.