Edward Waters University Hiring for Special Assistant to the President for Strategic Initiatives and Director of Title III at Jacksonville, FL Full Time

ABOUT EDWARD WATERS
UNIVERSITY

Edward Waters University (EWU/University) is distinctively the state of
Florida’s first independent institution of higher learning as well as Florida’s first institution established for the education
of African-Americans. With a distinguished higher education lineage spanning over 155 years, EWU is primed to continue its Emerging
Eminence as a premier urban, private, Christian, historically black, liberal arts university offering high-quality degrees and
preparing students holistically to advance in a global society through the provision of intellectually stimulating academic programs of
study. The university offers a close-knit, collegial, intellectual community that draws students and scholars from around the world. True to
its historic mission EWU’s academic program provides access and opportunity to a high-quality 21st-century undergraduate and graduate
education consisting of a reinvigorated, practical, and engaged liberal arts curriculum buttressed by an array of comprehensive academic
services to support high academic scholarship, achievement, and overall student success.

The
university’s liberal arts curriculum is designed to provide students with a program that is rigorous, inclusive, pragmatic, socially
relevant, and responsible. As such, EWU is an institution of purposeful intention that employs its resources and aligns its practices to
provide students with an impactful academic and experiential program of study. The institution’s graduates are pioneering leaders,
insatiable learners, and critical thinkers, and are highly skilled in navigating new environments, integrating knowledge from different
sources, and becoming agents for positive change in every sector of our increasingly expanding society and world. In addition, the academic
program at EWU embraces and places high value upon inclusivity and diversity and recognizes that students come to the university from a
wide-ranging and diverse array of backgrounds.

EWU AT A GLANCE

Buttressed by a
recent period of phenomenal transformation, Edward Waters University’s enrollment has skyrocketed by 27.4% since 2019
having welcomed its largest-ever class of new students (540) in 2021 and achieving its second highest enrollment
in almost two decades at nearly 1200 students (1175) in fall 2023. EWU’s recent remarkable growth has made it the
fastest-growing college or university in Jacksonville and the fastest-growing historically black college or university
(HBCU) in the State of Florida per published reports.

Florida’s most historic university
offers a total of fifteen-degree programs including eleven bachelor’s programs comprising of Business Administration,
Biology, Criminal Justice, Mass Communication, Psychology, Forensic Science, Public Health, Social Work, Sports Management, Accounting, and
Computer and Information Science as well as four graduate degrees all of which are offered 100% online including
the Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Education Policy and Advocacy (MEPA), Master of
Cybersecurity (MS-Cybersecurity), and Master of Public Administration (MPA).

The University
also offers a distinguished accelerated, non-traditional adult degree program (CLIMB – Credentials for Leadership in Management and
Business) and is a member institution of the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) and is proud of its founding progeny and
continuing tradition in the African- Methodist Episcopal (AME) church.

Additionally,
EWU recently earned NCAA Division II membership (provisional) and competes athletically in seventeen varsity sports
including football, men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, softball, men’s and women’s volleyball, cross country,
men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track and field, women’s soccer, competitive cheerleading, women’s golf and
women’s tennis as a member institution of the NCAA Division II Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
(SIAC).

CITY OF JACKSONVILLE – THE FIRST COAST OF FLORIDA

At 840
square miles, Jacksonville is the largest city in the continental United States by landmass. With Florida’s
youngest population at an average age of 35 – and one of its hippest – Jacksonville, or Jax as locals call it,
is the getaway that leaves you feeling refreshed yet accomplished because while there’s plenty to do, there’s
never any rush to get it done. It’s always sunny in Jax as the city gets 270 days of sunshine on average per year and
boasts the largest urban park system in the country.

In Jax, you can experience a different side of
Florida, combining both relaxation and adventure and letting you choose just how active you want to be. Enjoy our 22 miles of
beaches, world-class fishing, historic neighborhoods, sporting events featuring NFL football and the hometown Jacksonville Jaguars,
a vibrant street arts scene, creative coastal cuisine, delicious craft beer, vibrant nightlife and amazing shopping including boutiques in
eclectic neighborhoods, bargain outlets, and upscale open-air shopping malls like St. Johns Town Center which offers 1.1 million square feet
of shopping space. A central travel hub by land, sea, and air Jax’s travel accessibility is outstanding as over 30 U.S. cities feature
non-stop flights to Jacksonville. Lonely Planet ranked Jacksonville on its list of the world’s “10 Best Value
Destinations for 2018,” the only U.S. city to make the list, and Expedia recently named Jacksonville as one of
“21 Supercool U.S. Cities.”

POSITION SUMMARY & OVERVIEW

Under the visionary and progressive leadership of President & CEO, Dr. A. Zachary Faison, Jr., Edward Waters University seeks
a Special Assistant to the President for Strategic Initiatives and Director of Title III to serve as a primary
ideation partner in support of the President and member of the President’s immediate administrative team. Reporting directly to the
President & CEO, the Special Assistant to the President for Strategic Initiatives and Director of Title III provides direct leadership
and operational oversight of the Office of the President and assists in managing linkages between the President and the University’s
Vice Presidents and other cabinet/senior administrative officers to ensure responsiveness to Presidential initiatives and priorities. The
incumbent Special Assistant to the President for Strategic Initiatives and Director of Title III also maintains oversight for ongoing
projects supporting the President’s agenda to ensure effectiveness and timely completion of essential functions and tasks according to
planned objectives and established milestones and measurement criteria for all organizational units of the University. The Special Assistant
to the President for Strategic Initiatives and Director of Title III is responsible for overseeing and managing all aspects of the Title III
program within the organization. This includes strategic planning, implementation, and evaluation of Title III initiatives to ensure
compliance with federal regulations and achievement of program goals. The Director/Title III will collaborate with various stakeholders to
develop and implement strategies that enhance student success, increase retention rates, and promote diversity and inclusion.

The Special Assistant to the President for Strategic Initiatives and Director of Title III shall also maintain
primary responsibility for assisting the President in ensuring maximization of the administrative and operational performance of the
University to support achieving its goals and institutional mission. The Special Assistant to the President for Strategic Initiatives and
Director of Title III will provide superlative leadership on behalf of the President in providing direction for the heightened effectiveness
of the University’s business and operations functions, facilities, philanthropic and development efforts, athletics, and student
success operations. In addition, the Special Assistant to the President for Strategic Initiatives and Director of Title III will also lead
in bringing greater administrative coordination to the optimization of organizational processes that are responsive to the needs of the
University and its units/departments and overall programmatic objectives.

The incumbent Special
Assistant to the President for Strategic Initiatives and Director of Title III is also responsible for assisting the President in planning
and executing a wide range of complex and sensitive executive and administrative duties related to policy/program development and
implementation, which may include fiscal and administrative programming as well as represents the President to other senior staff,
faculty, staff, students, alumni, and to the University’s greater external community stakeholders.

ESSENTIAL
FUNCTIONS:

The Special Assistant to the President for Strategic Initiatives and Director of
Title III provides executive leadership and strategic administrative support toward the implementation and actualization of the President
& CEO’s vision, strategic initiatives, and overall institutional priorities. Accordingly, as an integral member of the
President’s senior leadership team the Special Assistant to the President for Strategic Initiatives and Director of Title III will
lead in performing the following executive functions including but not limited to the following:

• Effectively represent the President & CEO as assigned in selected internal and external interactions with the
  University’s Board of Trustees, executive cabinet, faculty, staff, students, alumni, and various external entities including public
  officials in various civic, community, and professional organizations at the local, state, national, and international level;
• Serve as a trusted steward of highly confidential information and acts as a trustworthy liaison between the
  President & CEO and internal and external stakeholders on key matters;
• Manage and advise the
  President & CEO on day-to-day operations of the University and the Office of the President ensuring operational efficiency and
  effectiveness and optimizing the use of available resources;
• Serve as the President’s office liaison
  and at times as directed by the President provide direct and indirect management and oversight of various divisions and attendant
  divisional/unit/departmental heads and other personnel within the University and/or Office of the President;
• Support the President & CEO in creating a high volume of executive-level communications including but not limited to high
  level briefing papers, talking points, reports, memorandums, and electronic, written, and oral presentations;
• Under the direction of the President & CEO, exercises thoughtful and effectually positive outcome oriented decision-making in
  response to inquiries and matters of concern using resourcefulness in seeking solutions to the problems presented from the campus community
  to ensure the accurate, proper, and timely flow of information and/or referral to and from the Office of the President in support of
  recurring and special projects;
• Serves as a primary strategic liaison for the President with
  University and community constituencies. Assists in the optimization of the president’s schedule, appropriately managing priorities of the
  president’s office related to University and community requests, including visibility and full and frequent participation at University and
  community events and initiatives;
• As Director of Title III programs, this position is responsible for
  the overall project management, planning and implementation, maintenance of records, communication/reporting, including personnel and budget
  management, evaluation, and compliance for the Title III grant;
• Under the direction of the President
  & CEO, executes and administers a functional plan of operation relating to University development and prepares, coordinates, and
  monitors Title III proposals and programs;
• Oversees special projects both internally and externally
  for the President in support of institutional priorities. Ensures the accurate, proper, and timely flow of information to and from the
  Office of the President in support of recurring and special projects;
• Cultivates and maintains
  professional contacts with other higher education institutions and professional organizations and associations concerning existing and
  developing community initiatives, and seeks opportunities for joint ventures and partnerships. Maintains effective working relationships
  with key legislative bodies for issues relative to higher education and particularly private University;
• Plans and manages budget for single or multiple functional areas at the direction of the President. Recommends the creation or
  modification of new and existing program budgets;
• Responsible for policy recommendation,
  implementation, and interpretation;
• Performs all other job attendant-related duties as assigned by the
  President & CEO.

Professional Qualifications and Personal Qualities

The ideal candidate will have the following professional qualifications and personal characteristics:

Alignment with mission: A deep resonance with the mission and possibilities of an Edward Waters University

Education and experience; a drive that is consistently student-centered; a commitment to proactively advance
student success and diversity in all its forms;

Vision: Vision to achieve optimum
administrative and operational functionality for an institution like Edward Waters University; an entrepreneurial outlook and an eye to new
possibilities and emerging challenges;

Institutional leadership: Readiness to be an
active, valued member of the President’s leadership team and partner closely with the University units and departments; honesty and
integrity in advising the president on critical issues; ability to see and embrace the importance of being a University leader with an eye
toward the greatest success of the University; an understanding of how to accomplish much in a centralized and decentralized institutional
environment; proven effectiveness in change management; the ability to build consensus and a sense of teamwork; and the ability to inspire
joy in one’s work;

Experience in the leadership and administration of a
University/university: Significant experience participating in leadership, administration, and management within a University or
university setting; the ability to build an appropriate and effective strategic plan that reflects institutional goals; the capacity to lead
and manage the complex interplay of interdependent University/university divisions and units including finance, athletics, fundraising and
development, enrollment management, student success, etc.; the ability to optimize financial resources to ensure high quality outcomes;

Quantitative sophistication: Experience and a demonstrated record in being facile in
quantitative reasoning in order to ensure the generation of reliable data and rigorous analysis; strategic and analytical ability; and the
ability to ask the right questions, uncover meaning and harness research for its predictive results;

Technological sophistication: Ability to understand the potential value of technological innovations and to lead
the process of recommending emerging technologies that can best support the process optimization and operational efficiency;

Exceptional communication skills: Ability to be articulate, persuasive and precise in
communicating with internal audiences including both highly invested leadership including faculty and staff and external audiences including
parents, prospective students, and alumni; desire to interact with a wide range of constituencies, administrators and institutional
partners, engaging many in the dialogue so as to move the University forward together;

Personal
qualities: An organizational leader with peerless integrity and an ability to drive a vision through engagement, transparency, hard
work, and a sense of urgency; strong values aligned with high ethics, collaboration, compassion, transparency; sound judgment backed by
self-confidence and a sense of perspective; ability to work effectively in a campus culture that is relationship-oriented; and capacity to
navigate a highly complex institution with political savvy, patience, tolerance for ambiguity, possess high professional dexterity
sufficient to ably adapt in a dynamically changing fast paced work environment.

Travel is required
within the metropolitan Jacksonville area, the state of Florida, and nationally, as well as attendance at evening and weekend functions.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS: 

• Master’s degree and demonstrated experience in an administrative management
  position that involved coordination of organization workflow and priorities.
• Five to eight years of supervisory and management
  experience including experience with administrative, governance, budget administration, and personnel policies and processes.
• Experience resolving conflicts, problem solving, change management and encouraging partnerships and collaboration.
• Prior
  high-level project management experience as a public relations professional with an acutely high acumen for producing executive-level
  written communications, and presentations, and demonstrated ability as an institutional/organizational spokesperson.
• Successful
  mid-to-senior level management experience in a private or public, four-year institution of higher education or successful upper management
  level experience in a complex working environment.
• Experience in overseeing and tracking project workflow.
• Experience with
  effective preparation and review of executive communications.
• Represent campus with credibility and integrity.
• Experience
  recommending improvements in procedure and providing analysis of policies for campus-wide implementation. 
• Effectively manage
  change and establish best practices that are tailored to the unique needs and capabilities of the institution.
• Experience working
  effectively with a wide range of audiences such as trustees, vice presidents, faculty, staff, students, alumni, community groups, donors,
  and elected officials.
• Demonstrated commitment to advancing inclusivity in the workplace.

PREFERRED/DESIRED
QUALIFICATIONS:

• Academic or Professional doctorate (e.g., Ph.D., Ed.D., J.D.) degree from a regionally accredited
  University/university is preferred.
• 7 to 10 plus years prior relevant work experience in higher education as a
  University/university administrative officer and/or senior cabinet level unit/division (i.e., Assistant or Associate Vice President, Vice
  President, etc.) head or other senior level experience in a complex business working environment. 
• Project/grant management
  experience (i.e., Title III, Title IV, and TRIO, etc.). 
• Evidence of effective budget management.

Note: This job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and
level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive
inventory of all duties and responsibilities required or assigned to an employee in this position.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS: Please submit a letter of interest detailing relevant administrative experience, full
contact information (name, phone number and email) for four professional references, demonstrable examples of leadership acumen, and related
skills along with a comprehensive cv/resumè to complete your application. The email address to send cv/resumè and letter of
interest is [email protected].