"Project Director -SWEEP"

Job Details

The Project Director (PD) provides overall policy, programmatic, and fiscal leadership and direction for all aspects of the Title V Social Work Educational Enhancement Project (SWEEP)-Raíces grant. SWEEP-Raíces is a $3 million federal grant from the US Department of Education that is in its final no cost extension year, set to close out no later than 9/30/2026. The PD is responsible for the implementation and management of grant programs, activities, and personnel that support increased retention and graduation rates of Hispanic/Latino and social work students from lower resourced communities. The PD oversees the strategic direction and ensures accomplishment of grant goals/objectives. This position reports to the Principal Investigator of the grant (Dean of the Facundo Valdez School of Social Work) and will be based at the Albuquerque Center.

Duties/Responsibilities

• Responsible for policy and programmatic matters in support of the goals and objectives of the SWEEP-Raíces grant;
• Responsible for the development, implementation and management of programs, activities and support services as identified in the SWEEP-Raíces grant, to increase enrollment and the retention of Hispanic/Latino and social work students from lower resourced communities;
• Provide oversight of grant budgets and ensure grant funds are spent in a timely manner, in accordance with the terms of the grant award, including compliance with University and USDEd rules and regulations; consults with unrestricted and restricted budget personnel;
• Serve as liaison to the USDEd Program Officer;
• Provide direct oversight and supervise SWEEP-Raíces staff and students;
• Assess the need for and recruit, identify, and hire other relevant grant personnel;
• Collaborate with Dean and BSW/MSW Program Coordinators in identification and recruitment of faculty (full-time and per-course) to carry out selected grant activities;
• Serve as lead of Project Team (consisting of faculty, staff, graduate assistants, work-study), chair PT meetings and review meeting minutes;
• Consult and collaborate with faculty and staff within the Facundo Valdez School of Social Work (FVSSW) and throughout the University in support of accomplishment of grant goals and objectives;
• Responsible for fundraising and oversight of the endowment fund associated with the grant in collaboration with the NMHU Foundation;
• Responsible for (review the preparation and ensure submission of) annual reports on all SWEEP-Raíces project activities and associated spending which will provide data for reports to USDEd and to External Evaluator;
• Responsible for the implementation and management of student advisement programs that contribute to the increased retention of Hispanic/Latino and social work students from lower resourced communities;
• Responsible for the implementation and management of tutoring and mentoring services that contribute to the increased retention of Hispanic/Latino and social work students from lower resourced communities;
• Responsible for the development and implementation of a program of community outreach at high schools, community colleges, and other educational institutions, to promote the profession of social work to Hispanic/Latino and social work students from lower resourced communities;
• Responsible for organization and implementation of periodic career-oriented presentations by professional social workers and employers of social workers for potential students to promote the profession to Hispanic/Latino and social work students from lower resourced communities;
• Serve as lead on the internal Project evaluation process; monitor data for continuous evaluation and quality control of Project activities;
• Serve as liaison with internal Project evaluator;
• Responsible for and oversee the development and monitoring of metrics that track social work enrollment, retention and graduation data of Hispanic/Latino and social work students from lower resourced communities, in alignment with grant goals and objectives;
• Take an active role in interpreting the School’s mission and priorities and align these with the grant’s goals and objectives;
• Represent the School/University in the community and serve as the representative of SWEEP-Raíces grant activities;
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Ability to build relationships with and interact positively and effectively with students, School and University staff and faculty, and community partners (educational institutions and employers of social workers)
• Ability to develop, implement, promote and evaluate programs that support academic and professional development of social work students
• Strong leadership and coordination skills in the capacity of program development and implementation
• Demonstrated commitment to continuous quality assurance
• Works well with others from diverse backgrounds with a focus on resolving conflict, maintaining confidentiality, listening to others, remaining open to others’ ideas and contributing to building a positive team spirit.;
• Ability to organize and prioritize multiple issues/tasks of varying priorities and strong interpersonal and communication skills including the ability to interact using tact and diplomacy.
• Knowledge and/or familiarity of the educational, social and emotional needs of Hispanic/Latino and social work students from lower resourced communities;
• Skill and expertise in working with higher education faculty, staff, and students Strong technical and computer skills and thorough knowledge of Microsoft Office and online media tools, to support data integrity and reporting requirements, and to promote grant activities;
• Strong skills in the use of technologies and/or strategies to coordinate project communication and logistics for multiple stakeholders (NMHU, Project Director, SWEEP-Raíces staff, students, faculty, staff, community partners, etc.)

MINIMUM JOB REQUIREMENTS:

• An MSW degree from a CSWE-accredited program with 5 years post-MSW experience;
• At least 1-year experience with program management of a federal grant;

PREFERRED JOB REQUIREMENTS:

• At least 3 years administrative/leadership experience in non-profit sector and/or human services, and/or higher education (preferably in social work);
• At least 2 years working in a faculty/advisory capacity with high school, community college or university students, especially Hispanic/Latino and social work students from lower resourced communities;;
• Bilingual in Spanish-English;

APPLICATION PROCEDURE:

A complete application must include 1) a letter of application, 2) resume 3) unofficial copies of advanced degree transcripts, and 4) names/address/phone numbers of three professional references. References will be contacted in conjunction with on-campus interview and official transcripts should be requested upon acceptance of the on-campus interview. For more detailed information regarding the position you may contact add name of search chair, add title of search chair, at New Mexico Highlands University; e-mail: add email of search chair For disabled access or services call (505) 454-3242 or email hr@nmhu.edu. NEW MEXICO HIGHLANDS UNIVERSITY IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER