Senior Director - Innovation and Development | Harper College - Military Veterans

Innovative and motivated professional who will provide leadership and strategic direction for the cross-functional Harper Innovation Accelerator. Responsible for significantly accelerating the design, development, incubation, piloting, and full scaling of new and emerging curricula and programs to bring the College's programming more rapidly in line with regional industry trends and employer needs. Works in collaboration with the Workforce Solutions and the Provost's divisions. Provides leadership, support, and strategic direction for the Grants Office and oversees all College and Educational Foundation grant activities, including pre-award administration, award negotiation and acceptance, award setup and kickoff, sub-award management, post-award administration, and post-award compliance. Directly leads and supervises Grants Office staff, makes hiring decisions, provides coaching, training, and mentoring, and manages performance. Leads the efforts of faculty, staff, and key personnel, as well as other external partners, in the pursuit of corporate, foundation, and government grants to support the work of Harper College and the Harper College Educational Foundation. Leads all aspects of the Innovation Accelerator to significantly accelerate the development of 21 st century, in-demand, future-skill-focused academic programming that allows Harper to quickly address industry sector trends and meet evolving regional skills demands. Sets the strategic direction for and oversees the day-to-day operations of the Grants Office; provides leadership for the full life cycle of grants for the College and Educational Foundation. Innovation Accelerator: Collaborates with workforce development and Provost's divisions, and other key stakeholders to promote and foster innovation leading to the transformation of Harper's approach to new, emerging program development, incubation, and scaling; ensures approach to innovation projects is grounded in data- and industry-focused design to define, design, develop, incubate, pilot, and scale new curricula and programs. Integrates market-responsive practices and design for incremental innovations that are ready for integration into new or existing structures, practices, and programs. Conducts exploratory research to inform strategies and initiatives of the Innovation Accelerator; oversees data analysis, including collecting, analyzing, and monitoring regional labor market data for industry changes, employer needs, and key trends in the emerging technologies, skills, and competencies across regional economies; communicates findings with respective faculty, deans, and associate provost of curriculum and instruction in the Provost Division. Reviews and updates processes in the Innovation Accelerator to ensure Harper College is responsive to industry changes, employer needs, and key trends in the emerging technologies, skills, and competencies across regional economies by leveraging the Business and Industry Leadership Teams (BILT) protocol to co-partner with employer partners. Accelerates the planning, development, incubation, piloting, evaluation, and scaling of new and emerging curricula and programs to bring Harper's programming more rapidly in line with regional industry trends and employer needs by serving as an incubator hub for non-credit and credit programming. Develops strategies and plans for new programs that have been piloted and demonstrated success to be scaled and gradually transitioned to the appropriate division or department for full implementation and scaling. Evaluates and assesses data through rigorous measurement to evaluate program design and development and other rapid testing methods to evaluate, qualify, manage, and develop new ideas, using proven systems and processes to determine progress toward outcomes and overall success, and ensures findings are shared, understood, and used for continuous improvement and evolution of the innovation strategy. Raises funds through grants or other means to provide resources that support the operations of the Innovation Accelerator and to create an ongoing innovation pipeline for emerging curricula. Evaluates new opportunities for program and revenue growth such as new program and curricula design and development; develops processes to calculate and minimize risks associated with innovative, exploratory projects and engages with/hires subject matter experts. Grants Office: Provides leadership, management, mentoring, and supervision for the Grants Office staff comprised of a Grants Specialist and Grants Compliance Analyst; establishes work schedules and assigns work so that deadlines are met, and productivity and efficiency levels remain high; develops and manages the Grants Office budget. to ensure proper spending in accordance with the OMB Uniform Guidance; participates in internal and/or external audits of College and Foundation grants as needed and in accordance with college policies; coordinates closeout of all Grant projects. Provides advice to the College President, Provost, and Vice Presidents to formulate, make recommendations to, and implement strategies related to external grant funding opportunities and ensure that viable opportunities are aligned with the College's mission, vision, strategic plan, and goals. Manages, tracks, and works with external grantees of the College's Community Innovation Fund, an external grant program that provides funding to community organizations focused on diversity, equity, and economic mobility. Meets regularly with the Provost's leadership team and other campus leaders as appropriate to develop and oversee strategy regarding grant opportunities and to determine priorities. Directs prospect and funding agency research on grant opportunities from private foundations, corporations, and federal, state, and local governmental funding agencies. Sets strategic direction for College and Foundation grants and develops annual grant funding forecasts based on organizational priorities and grant funding availability; makes recommendations regarding initiatives that are aligned with the College's Strategic Plan and Goals, Equity Plan, and Presidential Priorities. Serves as a leader, collaborator, and team-builder to lead the development of compelling applications, funding proposals, and important program strategies. Serves on the President's Learning Council, Operations Council, Shared Governance Committees, and other teams, as appropriate. Collaborates with faculty and staff to identify external grant opportunities that advance student success-focused work at the College and are consistent with the College's mission and Strategic Plan. Oversees the development, executive-level approval, and submission of all external grant applications/proposals, including technical narratives and budget proposals; works directly with faculty, staff, and administrators as appropriate and leads a core team of technical professionals, including grant writers and consultants. Acts as the College's Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) for Harper on matters related to all grants submitted and awarded; oversees the dissemination of grant award notifications, negotiation of awards, and execution of agreements. Cultivates and maintains relationships with corporate, foundation, and federal, state, and local government granting agencies to champion College and Foundation initiatives and programs; oversees funding acknowledgments, communications, and stewardship for all grant-funded projects. Oversees all reporting required by funders and ensures regulatory compliance for all grants and contracts as required by the funding agencies; directs the development and oversees the implementation of operational procedures and guidelines for grants management, compliance, and reporting. Provides training and guidance to College community regarding development, submission, management, and compliance of grant proposals and awards. Oversees the preparation and distribution of various financial, performance, annual, and impact reports regarding College and Foundation grants to the President, Vice President, the Board of Trustees, and the Foundation Board. Develops and implements data-informed strategies for process improvements and metrics for reporting improvements in all aspects of Grants Office activities and programs; oversees the update and maintenance of accurate institutional data related to grants. Leads the internal Resource for Excellence grant program for the Educational Foundation, including overseeing coordination of the RFE Committee, communication of funding availability to faculty and staff, delivery workshops and technical assistance to applicants, coordination of the RFE presentations and award selection process, and the monitoring and tracking of the grant awards and expenditure of RFE funds. Provides and supports opportunities for ongoing professional development for self and staff. Performs related duties as assigned. Education: Master's degree required in business, contract/grant/public administration, marketing, higher education, or related areas. Doctoral degree in related area preferred. Experience: Five years' experience in a cross-functional role with demonstrated increasing scope and impact on organizational growth through business development and innovation, grants development, management, and overall oversight of grants administration, preferably in higher education setting. Three to five years of supervisory experience. Demonstrated success in writing and administering grants. Demonstrated experience in leading high-impact projects, a proven track record of successful innovation, and evidence of leadership of cross-functional teams embracing innovation and transformation.