Director of Programming, Education Rights Institute, School of Law

The University of Virginia School of Law seeks a dynamic and collaborative Director of Programming for the newly created Education Rights Institute. The Director of Programming will work under the direction of and closely with the Institute’s director Professor Kimberly Jenkins Robinson.

The Education Rights Institute will aim to expand the opportunity for every student in the United States to receive a right to a high-quality education that empowers them to be college and career ready and engaged citizens. It will accomplish this by advancing the following strategic priorities:

• Producing scholarship and commentary that engages public debate and support for legislation or litigation guaranteeing a federal right to a high-quality education;
• Serving as a catalyst that expands the capacity of school districts to better utilize federal laws, regulations, policies, research and assistance that can increase access to high-quality schools and close opportunity gaps so that more students are college and career ready and engaged citizens;
• Amplifying research about educational opportunity gaps and their impact on individuals, families, communities, democracy and our economy through digital and other modern communication strategies to increase public awareness of these gaps; and,
• Hosting invitation-only and public convenings and events about the above topics.

The Institute will not represent individual clients in legal proceedings.

The Director of Programming will assist the Director in developing and implementing a strategy for increasing school district understanding and utilization of federal laws, policies, research and assistance to expand the capacity of districts to deliver a high-quality education. The Director of Programming will be the primary point of contact for all of the Institute’s work with school districts. The Director of Programming will report to and serve as the right hand person of the Director.

The Director of Programming will support the Institute by taking on the following responsibilities:

Strategic Responsibilities

• Collaborate with the Director to create a strategic plan for the first five years of the Institute’s operations.
• Collaborate with the Director to develop a fundraising plan for the Institute.
• Analyze federal and state civil rights data and other sources to identify school districts that may benefit from the Education Rights Institute’s support in understanding how best to comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI).
• Develop webinars and workshops that guide districts in developing a plan for comprehensive review of their policies and programs for Title VI compliance.
• Work with the Director to develop and implement a plan for amplifying research regarding educational opportunity gaps to increase public awareness of the many harms of those gaps as well as high-quality research on how to remedy them.

Research and Writing Responsibilities

• Research and analyze the patterns and practices of the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) to identify enforcement priorities and trends in compliance agreements in recent decades.
• Write editorials, reports, essays, and articles that can support school district compliance with Title VI.

Responsibilities for Working with the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and School Districts

• Build relationships with staff at OCR to facilitate the Institute’s work with school districts.
• Implement a strategy that builds relationships with selected school district leadership to enable the Institute to help districts expand their capacity to comply with Title VI.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Supervise research assistants who support the Institute’s work with OCR and school districts.

Other duties as assigned.

Required Education and Experience:

• Master's degree.
• At least five years of administrative and/or supervisory experience working in the field of education law and policy or civil rights.
• Excellent interpersonal, project management, and organizational skills.
• Strong communication skills, both oral and written.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate with other professionals to achieve common aims.
• Comfortable making large and small group presentations.
• Excellent analytical, research and writing skills.
• Ability to work diligently and efficiently in a fast-paced, detail-oriented environment.
• Proficiency with standard office software.

Preferred Experience:

• J.D. or Ph.D. preferred.
• Experience with education and civil rights law and policy through work for a federal or state agency, school district or advocacy or non-profit organization.
• Experience working with educators, school district leaders and/or state and federal education leaders.

This is a full-time University Executive and Senior Administrative Staff position with benefits. This is a gift funded restricted position contingent on funding and performance.

This position is eligible for remote work consistent with Law School policies.

To Apply:

Apply online at https://uva.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/UVAJobs search for requisition 'R0048143'. Internal applicants must apply through their UVA Workday profile. Complete the application, and upload the following:

• Cover letter
• CV/resume
• Writing sample
• Names and contact information for three professional references. References will not be contacted without prior notice to the candidate.

*** Please note that ALL REQUESTED documents MUST be uploaded in the resume submission field, and you can combine documents into one PDF. ***

***Applications that do not have all the required documents will not receive full consideration.***

The University will perform background checks on all new hires prior to employment.

Questions regarding the position should be directed to Kimberly Robinson, Professor of Law, at krobinson@law.virginia.edu. Questions regarding the application process should be directed to Marcus Rozier, Academic Recruiter at hjv5vm@virginia.edu.

The University of Virginia School of Law is consistently recognized as one of the top law schools in the country. The environment at the Law School is both active and supportive, with a strong sense of collegiality among students, faculty, and staff and a commitment to excellence and service.

The School of Law is located in Charlottesville, VA, a college town setting with natural beauty and significant historical relevance in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Charlottesville is a wonderful place to live with an extraordinary quality of life, often ranked among the best places to live in the United States.

For more information about UVA and the Charlottesville community please see http://www.virginia.edu/life/charlottesville and https://embarkcva.com/.