Program Support Specialist

Dean College of Education

The University of Missouri St. Louis (UMSL) is the university sponsor for five charter schools (our portfolio) in St. Louis. Our schools serve more than 2,500 students in St. Louis. UMSL established the Charter School Office (UMSL CSO) in 2012 to increase the quality of the schools in UMSL's portfolio. The UMSL CSO does not operate the schools it sponsors; our mission is to improve access to quality public education in Missouri by evaluating, providing oversight, and supporting successful public charter schools.

Essential Functions

The Program Support Specialist coordinates support functions for the UMSL Charter School Office to ensure that goals and objectives are accomplished in accordance with established priorities, time limitations, or other specifications. This person manages the administrative tasks of the UMSL Charter School Office (CSO) and supports the ongoing monitoring and evaluation of each of our schools. This person carries out projects and tasks related to the operation of the UMSL CSO, including scheduling, procurement, scholarship submissions, and setting up and evaluating designated school submissions. This person will collaborate primarily with the Assistant Director to support all systems related to the compliance, support and evaluation of the schools and the operation of the UMSL CSO.

This position requires the ability to gather, organize, analyze, and produce a high volume of information in a timely and accessible manner, effectively communicate, manage scheduling and administrative tasks, and respond to requests from stakeholders. This position also requires a commitment to improving student outcomes and school practices, and high-quality charter school oversight.

This position is located at UMSL Grand Center 3651 Olive Street, St. Louis MO.

Specific Duties

The Program Support Specialist:

* Compiles, evaluates, and/or reports on assigned Required Document Submissions or other relevant data for compliance with federal and laws, the Charter School Contract, and guidance from the Assistant Program Director (APD).

* Collects data on school enrollments, student characteristics, and academic outcomes for use by the UMSL CSO and sponsored schools to support public reporting, school monitoring, and renewal recommendations;

* Submits invoices, travel expenses, reimbursements, mini-grants, tuition reimbursements, conference registrations, etc. to the appropriate UMSL business personnel, and maintains all records of these transactions;

* Schedules meetings for the Executive Director (ED), when requested;

* Responds to emails for the Executive Director (ED), when requested;

* Updates the UMSL CSO website, as needed;

* Maintains notes from attended meetings or other onsite experiences that align with the Annual Review process;

* Coordinates meetings and interviews designed by the APD: may include invitations, arrangement of locations, refreshments, parking, preparation of written and electronic materials, preparation of minutes, and other administrative duties;

* Creates and submits contractors' contracts and scopes of work to the appropriate UMSL business personnel;

* Orders standard office supplies and other general office duties;

* Maintains the system for collection of Required Documents;

* Pulls public documents into the Required Document Submission system (board docs, ASBR, audit, etc.);

* Responds to requests for employment verification and student records for closed schools; and

* Provides support to schools as they complete the Required Document Submission process, mini-grants, and tuition reimbursements.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

* Can evaluate documents and data for compliance to established criteria;

* Can utilize different websites to retrieve necessary data and documents;

* Can provide feedback on compliance;

* Can establish and maintain effective working relationships with sponsored schools' staff and board members, UMSL CSO staff and consultants, and UMSL faculty and staff;

* Uses judgment and persistence to identify, troubleshoot and resolve day-to-day technical and/or operational problems;

* Able to learn federal and state laws governing public schools in general and charter schools in particular;

* Has strong organizational, communication, and analytical skills;

* Has the ability to write and present ideas clearly to a variety of audiences;

* Has the ability to manage numerous projects of varying priority;

* Has a system for follow-through to ensure task completion;

* Has the ability to problem-solve and work with others;

* Has experience exercising independence in the performance of assigned responsibilities within established guidelines;

* Coordinates resources and sets daily priorities to meet operational objectives and offset competing priorities; and

* Competent in Microsoft 365, Zoom, and Adobe, and is able to learn new platforms.

Physical Requirements: Must be able to lift 25 pounds.

Required Travel: This position is an on-site position at the UMSL CSO, with some in-the-field at the sponsored schools. This requires minimal travel in the St. Louis, MO area where charter schools are located, to participate in board meetings and school evaluation visits if needed. No more than 2 days/month on average.

8:30am - 5pm, Monday thru Friday

A Bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience and 1 year of experience from which comparable knowledge and skills can be acquired is necessary

* Knowledge of and experience in educational program assessment and evaluation processes;

* General knowledge of charter schools, public school choice, school reform programs, theories, and practices;

* Experience in maintaining charter school compliance with state and federal regulations;

* Knowledge of the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and its reporting systems;

* Experience submitting Core Data and required online plans and reporting associated with DESE; and

* Project management skills.

$19.25 - $27.40

Grade: GGS-008
University Title: PROGRAM/PROJECT SUPPORT COORDINATOR I
Internal applicants can determine their University title by accessing the Talent Profile tile in myHR.

• Application materials include a cover letter and resume. Finalists will be asked to provide references at a later date.
• Applicants must combine all application materials into one PDF or Microsoft Word document and upload as a resume attachment to the UMSL Careers: https://www.umsl.edu/services/hrs/careers/index.html
• Limit document name to 50 characters. Maximum size limit is 11MB. Do not include special characters (e.g., /, &, %, etc.). For questions about the application process, please email employment@umsl.edu. If you are experiencing technical problems, please email umpshrsupport@umsystem.edu.

Employment visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

This position is eligible for University benefits. As part of your total compensation, the University offers a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental and vision plans, retirement, paid time off, short- and long-term disability, paid parental leave, paid caregiver leave, and educational fee discounts for all four UM System campuses. For additional information on University benefits, please visit the Faculty & Staff Benefits website at https://www.umsystem.edu/departments-staff/human-resources/benefits-retirement

Equal Employment Opportunity

The University of Missouri is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

To request ADA accommodations, please email the Office of Human Resources at umslhr@umsl.edu.