Assistant Director of Strategic Initiatives and Policy

Job Posting Title :

Assistant Director of Strategic Initiatives and Policy

Hiring Department : OnRamps

Position Open To : All Applicants

Weekly Scheduled Hours :

40

FLSA Status : Exempt

Earliest Start Date :

Immediately

Position Duration : Expected to Continue

Location : AUSTIN, TX

Job Details : General Notes

UT Austin offers a competitive benefits package that includes :

100% employer-paid basic medical coverage

Retirement contributions

Paid vacation and sick time

Paid holidays

Eligible for hybrid telework

For more details, please see HR Benefits and Total Rewards .

Purpose

The Assistant Director of Strategic Initiatives and Policy plays a key role in advancing OnRamps' strategic priorities through policy analysis, and leadership of key initiatives. This position supports the Executive Director in evaluating new business opportunities, monitoring legislative developments, and informing strategic planning efforts. Through analytical skills, a deep understanding of education policy and school finance, and the ability to translate complex data into actionable insights, this roleserves as a connector across all OnRamps teams to ensure alignment and integration of strategic initiatives.

Responsibilities

Leads the implementation of strategic inititiatives and projects in alignment with OnRamps strategic priorities. Develops and manage agreements for identified projects for future development and scale. Manages the budget and project to ensure effective development, testing, and preparation for scaled implementation, and reports on allowable budget. Collaborates across all areas of work in OnRamps to accomplish goals related to strategic initiatives and projects.

Contributes to the development of the OnRamps strategic plan, including implementation and progress monitoring across all areas of work. Proposes strategies to address complex issues and opportunities in alignment with institutional priorities and market trends.

Monitors, evaluates, and tracks progress of legislative agendas and changes in agency policies and programs relevant to education and partnership strategy. Identifies emerging opportunities and risks to forecast potential impacts on OnRamps programs and partnerships. Facilitates internal knowledge-sharing, briefings, and professional learning for OnRamps staff, and evaluates internal practices to align with emerging policy changes.

Conducts regular market research to assess trends and demand for dual enrollment and college readiness programs. Provides recommendations based on findings. Monitors and interprets changes in school finance policy and funding structures. Develops reports to evaluate the viability of new business opportunities in alignment with UT strategic goals and OnRamps priorities under the direction of the Executive Director.

Maintains documentation, communication, and reporting in alignment with established processes; applies standard evaluation procedures to analyze data and monitor trends, evaluates and documents outcomes through recurrent issue tracking and reporting; utilizes data to recommend strategic adjustments and applies continuous improvement principles to areas of responsibility and supervises to optimize impact, sustainability, growth, effectiveness, and goal attainment.

Required Qualifications

Master's degree.

Five or more years experience working with Texas Education policy.

Exceptional customer service and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage multiple internal and external stakeholders with decorum and tact.

Ability to communicate technical information to lay audiences using a respectful, client-focused approach.

Demonstrated understanding of high school teaching and learning.

Direct experience in an administrator or leadership role at K12 or college level.

Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Preferred Qualifications

Demonstrated experience in external relations within the K-16 and / or higher education landscape.

Knowledge of the Texas school finance context

Salary Range

$100,000 + depending on qualifications

Working Conditions

May work around standard office conditions

Repetitive use of a keyboard at a workstation

Shared desk environment

Hybrid work environment

Climbing of stairs

Use of manual dexterity

Required Materials

Please mark "yes" on the application for required materials.Failure to attach all additional materials listed may affect candidates being considered for the position.

Resume / CV

3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor

Letter of interest

Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers : You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded. Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers : As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted

Employment Eligibility :

Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion / transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval.

Retirement Plan Eligibility :

The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

Background Checks :

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

Equal Opportunity Employer :

The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity / affirmative action employer ,complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

Pay Transparency :

The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor's legal duty to furnish information.

Employment Eligibility Verification :

If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form. You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States. Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment. Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.

E-Verify :

The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university's company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following :

• E-Verify Poster (English and Spanish) [PDF]
• Right to Work Poster (English) [PDF]
• Right to Work Poster (Spanish) [PDF]

Compliance :

Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031 .

The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.