Job Duties
Position Profile
Under the general direction of the Vice President of Student Affairs, the Dean of Special Programs serves as the primary administrator to provide leadership in matters relating to the overall administration of the Extended Opportunity Program and Services (EOPS), Cooperative Agency Resources for Education (CARE), CalWORKs Program, Guardian Scholars Program, DREAM Program, Black Collegians, Latino Center/Adelante, the Veterans Resource Center, Law Pathways, the RISING Program, and Pico Partnership. The Dean will be responsible for providing guidance, direction, and leadership to all of the areas. In addition to adhering to program policies in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.
Primary Duties/Responsibilities
$ads={1}
General- Monitor students’ progress and prescribe interventions, as needed, for student success.
- Participate in the hiring, training, and supervision of faculty, classified staff, and student workers.
- Develop and monitor program budgets, determine annual staffing and office productivity needs and, plan expenditures accordingly, seek potential additional sources of funding.
- Work with the college Foundation to apply and manage grants related to program areas.
- Oversee the assignment of employee work schedules to provide sufficient coverage for fall and spring semesters, winter intersession, and summer session registration to ensure sufficient personnel to support all programs.
- Develop, maintain, and modify document systems related to student applications, student eligibility for program services, student acceptance into the program, student utilization of programs services, and continued eligibility for student enrollment and service provision; meet city, state, county, and/or federally-mandated requirements for program services
- Communicate with the college community about program needs.
- Stay connected and informed regarding program trends.
- Work with community agencies to improve students’ educational success, particularly financially and educationally disadvantaged populations.
- Regularly attend and participate in relevant meetings and activities.
- Work closely and communicate effectively with faculty, staff, administrators, students, and the public and work cooperatively to maintain a positive learning environment.
- Conduct program audits.
- Serve as a lead on the District’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion committees.
- Oversee program evaluation and program review process.
- Attend county and statewide trainings and meetings.
- Other duties as assigned.
EOPS/CARE Program
- Serve as the EOPS Director of record.
- Organize and supervise the services provided to EOPS-eligible and CARE-eligible students.
- Prepare and monitor budgets for EOPS/CARE.
- Supervise a classified manager, counselors, classified staff, and student workers.
- Provide documentation and work cooperatively with the employees responsible for local, state, and federal reporting.
- Cooperate with the staff relevant to federal and state compliance.
- Develop and review program, including necessary changes to keep program current with District policy and state/federal mandates.
- Provide a professional program including academic, career, and vocational counseling and planning, transcript evaluation, student education plans, and other related counseling duties.
CalWORKs Program
- Supervise the services provided to CalWORKs participants.
- Communicate with a variety of community college personnel and others to coordinate program activities, provide guidance and direction and assist in other program-related issues.
- Supervise a Classified manager, counselors, Classified staff, and student workers.
- Direct, monitor, and review budget preparation, requisition of supplies and equipment, travel arrangements, and official assignments; maintain positive community relations and represent the college at various community meetings.
- Conduct reports needed for local and state governing agencies.
- Attend county and statewide trainings and meetings.
Guardian Scholars Program
- Supervise the services provided to foster youth students.
- Monitor and implement all grants related to foster youth.
- Supervise a coordinator, counselors, Classified staff, and student workers.
- Work with Fiscal Services to prepare and monitor program budgets.
- Provide documentation and work cooperatively with the employees responsible for local, state, and federal reporting.
- Cooperate with the staff relevant to federal and state compliance.
DREAM Program
- Organize and supervise the services provided to undocumented and immigrant students.
- Monitor and implement all grants related to undocumented student services.
- Supervise counselors, classified staff, and student workers.
- Work with Fiscal Services to prepare and monitor program budgets.
- Coordinate the UndocuAlly training program.
Pico Partnership
- Supervise the services provided to participants of the Pico Partnership grant.
- Supervise a Project Manager, counselors, classified staff, and student workers.
- Work with Fiscal Services to prepare and monitor the grant budget.
- Provide documentation and work cooperatively with the employees responsible for local, state, and federal reporting.
Black Collegians
- Organize and supervise the services provided to Black and African-American students.
- Coordinate with Faculty Lead to plan and implement program activities and services.
- Supervise classified staff.
- Work with Fiscal Services to prepare and monitor program budgets.
Latino Center/ Adelante Program
- Organize and supervise the services provided to Latinx students.
- Coordinate with Faculty Lead to plan and implement program activities and services.
- Supervise classified staff.
- Work with Fiscal Services to prepare and monitor program budgets.
Veterans Resources Center
- Supervise the services provided to participants of the Pico Partnership grant.
- Supervise a Project Manager, Faculty Lead, counselors, and Classified staff.
- Work with Fiscal Services to prepare and monitor the grant budget.
- Provide documentation and work cooperatively with the employees responsible for local, state, and federal reporting.
- Cooperate with the staff relevant to city, state, and federal compliance.
Law Pathways
- Coordinate with Faculty Lead to plan and implement program activities and services.
- Work with Academic Affairs to coordinate program activities.
- Work with Fiscal Services to prepare and monitor program budgets.
RISING Program
- Coordinate with Faculty Lead to plan and implement program activities and services for previously incarcerated students.
- Work with staff to coordinate program activities.
- Work with the College Foundation and Fiscal Services to prepare and monitor program budgets.
Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities
- Successful administrative experience; understanding of a college environment, preferably at a community college.
- Demonstrated knowledge of California State guidelines and regulations as related to EOPS/CARE, CalWORKs, foster youth, low-income, undocumented and/or first-generation college students.
- Demonstrated knowledge of issues that relate to student equity and student success initiatives.
- Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively.
- Ability to work effectively as a member of the administrative team to realize the College’s vision, mission, goals, and institutional learning outcomes.
- Excellent interpersonal skills in dealing with all college constituencies and members of the public.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Creative problem-solving skills.
- Strong computer skills and the ability to work with technical staff in developing technology solutions.
- Strong analytical and critical thinking skills so as to be able to collect and analyze the appropriate data and information to ensure that the programs are regularly assessed and enhanced.
- Willingness to adopt a “hands-on” approach to completion of projects and tasks, to work in a dynamic environment that requires flexibility, and to balance multiple responsibilities.
- Ability to lead, manage, and supervise others in a participatory governance environment by emphasizing collaboration and consensus building.
- Ability to formulate plans from conception to implementation.
- Ability to exercise sound judgment and discretion when handling sensitive and confidential information.
- Grant writing experience.
- Ability to be flexible in adjusting strategies and plans to match the current goals, objectives, and needs of the District.
- Demonstrate understanding of the needs and challenges of low-income, underrepresented minority students, racially minoritized students, and first-generation college students.
- Strong analytical and critical thinking skills so as to be able to collect and analyze the appropriate data and information to ensure that the programs are regularly assessed and enhanced.
- Evidence of sensitivity to and understanding of the socioeconomic, academic, cultural, and ethnic diversity within the community college student population, including students with physical and/or learning disabilities as these relate to differences in learning styles.
- Knowledge of applicable federal, state, and local government laws, and guidelines to ensure compliance with regulatory laws, rules, and regulations, including but not limited to, Title 5, California Education Code, and FERPA.
Working Environment and Physical Demands
- While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to work in an office environment on a district-provided computer and or electronic devices and to communicate with other district personnel and non-district individuals.
- While performing the duties of this job, the noise level in the work environment is usually moderate; the work environment is fast-paced.
- During the COVID-19 pandemic, the individual may need to work remotely.
Minimum Qualifications
- Possess a Master’s degree or equivalent from an accredited institution in a field related to the assignment.
- One (1) year of formal training, internship, or leadership experience reasonably related to the administrative assignment.
- Evidence of sensitivity to and understanding of the socioeconomic, academic, cultural, and ethnic diversity within the community college student population, including students with physical and/or learning disabilities.
Preferred Qualifications
- Three (3) years of experience in student-success, Student Support Services and/or retention programs.
- Three (3) years of directly related administrative experience in an academic setting.
Additional Information
COMMITMENT TO EQUITY AND DIVERSITY
With the goal of ensuring the equal educational opportunity of all students, Santa Monica College embraces diversity among students, faculty, staff, and the communities we serve as an integral part of our history, a recognition of the complexity of our present state, and a call to action for a better future. Embracing diversity means that we must intentionally practice equity and respect toward one another, and understand that discrimination and prejudices create and sustain privileges for some while creating and sustaining barriers for others. In order to embrace diversity, we also acknowledge that institutional discrimination and implicit bias exist, and that our goal is to eradicate those vestiges from our system. Our commitment to diversity requires that we strive to eliminate those barriers to equity, and that we act deliberately to create a safe and positive environment where individual and group differences are valued and leveraged for our growth and understanding as an educational community.
To advance the goals of diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice for the success of students and employees, we must honor that each individual is unique and that our individual differences contribute to the ability of the college to prepare students on their educational journeys. This requires that we develop and implement policies and procedures, encourage individual and systemic change, continually reflect on our efforts, and hold ourselves accountable for the results of our efforts in accomplishing our goals.
We are invested as a community in cultivating and maintaining a climate where equity and mutual respect are both intrinsic and explicit by valuing individuals and groups from all backgrounds, demographics, and experiences. Individual and group differences can include, but are not limited to the following dimensions: race, ethnicity, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, immigration status, sex, gender, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, registered domestic partner status, age, religion, creed, military or veteran status, socioeconomic status, and any other basis protected by federal, state or local law or ordinance or regulation. We acknowledge that the concept of inclusion and diversity is ever-evolving, thus we create space to allow our understanding to grow through the periodic review of this statement. In service of these goals, Santa Monica College is committed to fostering an employment environment that offers equal employment opportunity for all and an educational environment that ensures the equal educational opportunity of all students.
Academic Administrator Application Requirements
A standard application consists of the following:
- Online District Application
- Cover Letter
- Resume
- Transcript
PLEASE NOTE: IF YOU ARE SELECTED FOR AN INTERVIEW YOU MAY BE REQUIRED TO PROVIDE THREE (3) LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION TO BE REVIEWED BY THE HIRING COMMITTEE.
Diversity Statement
Recent experience working with African American, Latinx, Native American, and other racially minoritized students in the classroom; and a willingness to use culturally responsive instructional practices.
Demonstrated sensitivity to issues of diversity, and ability to motivate and teach community college students of diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds, sexual orientations, genders, cultures, and learning styles, as well as students with disabilities or varied levels of academic preparation.
Please review our Diversity Report: Faculty/Staff Diversity Reports - Santa Monica College (smc.edu)
Equity Statement
Santa Monica College encourages candidates that are equity-minded to apply. SMC is a minority-serving, Hispanic-serving institution. We actively seek to attract candidates from minority groups that value equity, diversity and inclusion. Equity, diversity and inclusion are built into the culture at SMC and are an essential component of the work that we do. SMC is committed to racial and socioeconomic diversity as it is a reflection of our student population and we strive to hire candidates that share this commitment.
Equal Employment Opportunity Disclosure
The Santa Monica Community College District is committed to the principles of equal employment opportunity. All qualified applicants for employment, as well as District employees, shall have full and equal access to employment opportunity. No person shall be subjected to unlawful discrimination in any program or activity of the District. The District's Board Policy 3420 (Equal Employment Opportunity) may be accessed at: http://www.smc.edu/ACG/Documents/Board_Policy_Manual/Updated%20Board%20Policies%202017/Board%20Policy%20Chapter%203.pdf (Download PDF reader)
Equivalency Statement
The Santa Monica Community College District, in its desire to select outstanding faculty members from the largest possible pool of qualified applicants, recognizes the fact that candidates may attain expertise in a discipline through a variety of means. Certain combinations of education, experience and other accomplishments in the field may be judged by the District as equal to the stated minimum qualifications for this position. Candidates who feel they possess such equivalent qualifications are encouraged to apply and provide appropriate documentation of their qualifications. For further details regarding equivalency criteria, please download the Equivalency Application Statement Form available at
https://www.smc.edu/administration/human-resources/documents/employment/equivalency-statement-for-application.pdf
Conditions of Employment
Appointment is subject to verification of official transcripts, current or previous employment, tuberculosis and fingerprint clearance. Selected candidate must provide identification and work authorization.
$ads={2}
