What are the responsibilities and job description for the Volunteer Manager position at Goucher College?
Job Description:
The Goucher Prison Education Partnership (GPEP) offers individuals incarcerated in Maryland the opportunity to pursue an outstanding Goucher College education. GPEP offers Goucher College courses on-site at the prisons as well as all resources needed for students’ success, from college preparatory courses to books and calculators to skilled tutors and in-person office hours with professors and academic advisors. Through this work, GPEP is also part of the public conversation about access to education, poverty, and mass incarceration.
The significant administrative and managerial responsibilities of this position require discretion and independent judgment. They deeply impact GPEP’s operation and its future, the service provided to students, and our ability to achieve our larger goals. In pursuit of GPEP’s goals, the Volunteer Manager recruits hundreds of volunteers each year, supervising them in all aspects of the engagement and service. Providing training to volunteers who serve as tutors, research assistants, and in other capacities in support of GPEP students’ educations, the Volunteer Manager utilizes a range of best practices to ensure top-notch academic support for GPEP students. The Volunteer Manager is also an academic advisor for a subset of students enrolled through GPEP. This position also collaborates on GPEP’s day-to-day operations at the additional locations of the College at the prisons and on the main campus.
Essential Job Functions:
70% A. Volunteers
- Recruit hundreds of prospective volunteers to attend at least four annual information sessions. A large pool of prospective volunteers is necessary to ensure a final list of well-qualified volunteers serving in the various open positions. Prospective volunteers should represent Goucher students, staff, and faculty, as well as members of the larger Baltimore/DC region.
- Thoroughly vet all volunteer candidates according to existing procedures and must-haves. Select volunteers for positions based on needs and qualifications. Tweak the process as needed to ensure both efficiency and quality in the final volunteer list.
- Train volunteers in specific logistical procedures and expectations related to the prisons. Train a cadre of tutors who possess a sophisticated repertoire of tutoring strategies appropriate for a variety of student skill levels and needs. Develop manuals, guidelines, waivers, etc., as needed. Provide specific in-prison logistical training, modeling, and feedback to academic tutors (and other volunteers as needed).
- Supervise tutors on-site in the prisons and other volunteers remotely as is appropriate for their roles. This will require being present for study hall sessions and other sessions where tutors or other volunteers are present.
- Interpret data on study hall evaluations to refine systems to ensure high-quality support for all students (particularly as they relate to volunteer tutors).
- Identify and coordinate academic support needed for individual student’s success to include coordinating individual tutoring for students at both additional locations in need of additional academic support in specific subject areas.
- Collaborate with the Senior Site Director and the Student Records Manager to cultivate and manage a culture of robust communication between faculty, students, and tutors. Works with faculty to ensure courses are running smoothly with regard to volunteer support (tutors, research assistants).
- Develop new and maintain existing systems for recordkeeping, particularly as record-keeping relates to volunteer service. Gather information from various sources (e.g., students, professors, academic records, paper and electronic student and department files, registrar, financial aid office, and prison officials) and supervise volunteers in maintaining up-to-date internal records and sharing relevant information with needed parties, as appropriate.
15 % B. Academic Advising
- Serve as an academic advisor for a subset of Goucher students enrolled through GPEP. This entails preparing for and engaging in regular in-person academic advising sessions with advisees, who are primarily first-generation, adult college students, to resolve individual challenges to their academic and professional success.
5 % C. Student Meetings
- Coordinate the planning of culture-building student meetings (these exclude financial aid and admissions meetings) by collaborating with staff to determine appropriate dates, content and objectives, speakers, etc. Coordinate special events within the prisons, including speakers related to the all-campus read, theatre performances, etc.
5 % D. On-Call Hours
- Work on-call hours, typically a few afternoons/evenings a week while classes are in session, according to the schedule provided by the Senior Site Director. During on-call hours, staff must be available to troubleshoot issues occurring at the prisons, via phone calls, emails, and in rare circumstances, driving to the prisons to resolve the issue in question. On occasion, there may be systemic issues occurring at the prisons that require GPEP staff to be on-site for additional afternoons and/or evenings each week; in these circumstances, GPEP staff will be assigned to be on-site according to the on-call schedule.
5% E. Other Duties as Needed
- As necessary, serving as a representative for GPEP / the college at relevant conferences and other events.
- Support additional needs of the division through other related projects as assigned. This could include but is not limited to tasks such as: Appropriately responding to illness, loss of life, and other sudden emergencies and unexpected events in the GPEP community. This is conducted in coordination with other senior GPEP staff and can include (but is not limited to): Practical considerations, Academic considerations, and Appropriate community responses.
- New responsibilities are created by new conditions of implementation.
Supervisory and Budgetary Responsibilities:
The Volunteer Manager provides task supervision to various part-time and student workers.
Education:
Required: Bachelor’s degree.
Professional Experience:
Required:
- Demonstrated success managing complex projects.
- Academic experience and pedagogical expertise necessary to provide high-quality academic advising to college students enrolled in a wide range of courses.
- Demonstrated success in meeting and exceeding ambitious goals even in the face of persistent obstacles.
- Demonstrated experience developing and maintaining strong working relationships with and among a diverse group of stakeholders.
- Demonstrated ability to assume viewpoints and develop strategies to effectively collaborate with individuals from diverse perspectives and life experiences.
- Demonstrated experience proactively engaging students.
Preferred:
- Passionate about equity and justice.
- Experience working with underserved populations.
Other Skills, Abilities, and Qualifications:
- Ability to handle multiple competing priorities with flexibility and resourcefulness while maintaining meticulous organization and a high attention to detail in a fast-paced environment.
- Excellent judgment, discretion, and respect for professional boundaries.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills when working with a variety of stakeholders.
- The abilities and commitment to ensure all students in a diverse student body, including diverse academic preparation, have the opportunity to obtain a rigorous education.
Certificates, Licenses, Registrations:
This position requires the employee to operate a motor vehicle to perform essential job functions.
This position requires the employee to work weekends or evenings.
Job Category:
Staff
Pay Range:
$50,357.00-$59,244.00
Application Instructions:
Consideration of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled.
Please submit the following application materials:
- Cover Letter
- Resume
- 3 references
Goucher College is an Equal Opportunity Employer
Candidates must be able to provide proof of eligibility to work in the USA. No Visa sponsorship is offered for this position.
Goucher College is committed to increasing the diversity of our community and seeks applicants dedicated to applying principles of equity and inclusion in all areas of the campus community.
Salary : $50,357 - $59,244
