"OMAI Associate Director"

Job Summary

The OMAI Associate Director (AD) is a creative team leader who has expertise in undergraduate student success frameworks, as well as advising and mentorship for youth and young adults of diverse identities at a national level. The AD is generally responsible for the execution of OMAI programming, First Wave scholarship administration and recruitment strategies, and managing staff and campus partnerships. They are a multi-hyphenate creative in their own right, with a diverse skill set in team and project management, national recruitment efforts, public speaking, student advising/mentorship and curriculum design, and creating, cultivating, and executing multicultural programming.

As the Associate Director of OMAI at UW-Madison, the AD develops and evaluates programs and curriculum designed to promote student success and retention. They supervise staff and provide guidance to groups to foster a supportive institutional culture.

This position is full-time, 100%.

Ongoing/Renewable

This position will be fully on-site. Occasional travel will be required. Some evening/weekend work is required in line with programming offered by program/unit.

Key Job Responsibilities

• Assists in the development of strategy for the implementation and maintenance of scholarship activities to ensure appropriate use of resources to align with and accomplish recruitment and retention goals and meet donor intent
• Work with Academic Advisor and graduate mentors in monitoring and reporting student academic progress and scholarship requirements in order to ensure the persistence, graduation, and overall academic and personal success of First Wave Scholars
• Leads one or more major operations of the advising unit and plans and directs staff implementation of academic services, related programs, and other events
• Assists in the development of operating policies and procedures to comply with regulations, institutional policies, and unit objectives
• Maintains expertise with advised curriculum and may assist in developing and recommending exceptions for policy and curriculum
• Serves as a liaison to internal and external stakeholders to maintain campus partnerships
• Assists in the development of strategic planning initiatives to ensure appropriate use of financial, administrative, and staffing resources, and alignment with the strategic plan
• Reviews and makes recommendations for exceptions to academic policies, procedures, and requirements for students
• Participates in the campus-wide advising community, providing input to leadership regarding the development of advising, recruitment, and co/curricular programs offered by the school/college
• Exercises supervisory authority, including hiring, transferring, suspending, promoting, managing conduct and performance, discharging, assigning, rewarding, disciplining, and/or approving hours worked of at least 2.0 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees

Department

Division for Teaching and Learning, Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives (OMAI)

The Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives within the Division for Teaching and Learning at the University of Wisconsin-Madison provides culturally relevant and transformative arts programming to promote positive social dialogue and to give cultural art forms a legitimate academic forum. By harnessing the broad cultural influence of spoken word, hip hop, and emerging as well as traditional art forms, OMAI’s events and programming create learning environments that directly affect UW-Madison’s campus climate, improving retention and graduation metrics, and preparing future leaders to reinvest in their communities. By continually refreshing this paradigm that integrates traditional academics and cutting-edge arts activism, OMAI empowers transnational leaders with new tools for inclusive community building.

One of OMAI’s most prominent initiatives is the First Wave Hip Hop and Urban Arts Scholarship Program, a cutting-edge multicultural artistic program for incoming students which offers a four-year full tuition scholarship to the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Bringing together young artists and leaders from across the United States and beyond, First Wave offers students the opportunity to live, study and create together in a close-knit, dynamic campus community. First Wave is the first university program in the country to offer full tuition scholarships for urban arts, spoken word and hip-hop culture.

Compensation

The starting salary for the position is $71,994 (but is negotiable based on experience and qualifications).

This position offers a comprehensive benefits package, including generous paid time off, competitively priced health/dental/vision/life insurance, tax-advantaged savings accounts, and participation in the nationally recognized Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) pension fund. Please review the summary of benefits for more information.

Employees in this position can expect to receive benefits such as generous vacation, holidays, and sick leave; competitive insurances and savings accounts; retirement benefits. Please review the summary of benefits for more information.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum of 2 years professional experience planning and executing educational programming (with strong preference for a focus in Hip Hop arts, activism, and college readiness)
• Proficiency in planning and implementing overall leadership vision and organizational cohesiveness
• Minimum of 2 years supervision and management experience working with full-time, part-time, or seasonal staff
• Experience in youth camps or programming, college advising, or direct student support services
• Knowledge and experience with budget management, program planning, and event execution
• Experience and familiarity with mentoring practices to create a healthy work environment to achieve strategic priorities

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong skills relative to interpersonal communication and public speaking
• Experience coordinating, leading, or executing program assessment and/or evaluation
• Excellent problem-solving skills exercising initiative and creativity to enhance programming for undergraduate students
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to work independently and collaboratively
• Knowledge of and/or relationships with youth arts and activist nonprofit organizations, academies and schools of the arts, at a national or international level are highly desirable

Education

Bachelor's Degree Required; Focus in the field of education, arts, Hip Hop culture, and/or civic engagement, or related field preferred

How to Apply

To begin the application process, click the "Apply" button. Candidates will be required to upload a resume and cover letter. Please note when applying, there will be only one attachment field. You must upload all your documents in the attachment field.

Please submit a cover letter referring to your related work experience and a resume detailing your educational and professional background no more than 2 pages long. As a part of this application, please briefly respond to the following in your cover letter:

• Detail your experience working with and mentoring youth―young adults in college readiness, student retention, and/or artistic development
• Describe your supervision experience
• Share experience coordinating, leading, or executing program assessment and/or evaluation

The application reviewers will be relying on your written application materials to determine which qualified applicants will advance in the recruitment process.

The deadline for assuring full consideration is Tuesday, February 17th, 2026, at 11:59 PM (CST).

Please note that successful applicants are responsible for ensuring their eligibility to work in the United States (i.e. a citizen or national of the United States, a lawful permanent resident, a foreign national authorized to work in the United States without need of employer sponsorship) on or before the effective date of appointment.

This position has been identified as a position of trust with access to vulnerable populations. The selected candidate will be required to pass an initial caregiver check to be eligible for employment under the Wisconsin Caregiver Law and then every two years.