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Professional Salaried Position Now Available at National PONSI

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
(Director-In-Training)

NOTE: Frequent Travel Required

The Assistant Director of the National Program on Noncollegiate Sponsored Instruction supervises on-site evaluations of noncollegiate coursework and other learning experiences for possible college credit recommendations, working with teams of college faculty to review curriculum materials and related documentation, as well as examinations and other instruments to assess student mastery.

The Assistant Director exercises diplomacy and tact when interacting with individuals from diverse educational and professional backgrounds, maintains focus during day-long, intensive sessions involving lengthy discussion and review of extensive written and/or online documentation, distills the salient discussion points, presents results during oral briefings at the conclusion of visits, and compiles the team’s determinations into thorough and well-articulated written reports following the visits.
 
In addition to traveling to supervise site visits, the Assistant Director works in the office on activities and projects related to coordinating site visits, preparing reports on the visits, and doing follow-up work, as well as maintaining systems for communicating with member organizations and the academic community. For more information on National PONSI and its services, go to the National PONSI home page.

The Assistant Director position is a professional full-time salaried post, which requires travel.  While scheduling travel to site visits, the Assistant Director must remain flexible in order to accommodate the schedules of member organization representatives and college faculty, who serve as team members. Travel may be anywhere in the U.S. (National PONSI staff have also traveled overseas) and may involve multiple days and lodging over several nights.
 
National PONSI is a service of the New York State Board of Regents under the University of the State of New York - USNY (not to be confused with the State University of New York - SUNY) and is housed within the New York State Education Department in Albany, New York. National PONSI staff report to NYS Education Department officials, however, they are not NY State employees.   

Benefits include vacation, sick leave, and personal leave accruals, similar to NY State employees; health insurance; and contribution-paid retirement (10% of salary per year) through the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association - College Equities Retirement Fund (TIAA-CREF) after a one-year waiting period (unless the candidate already has a TIAA-CREF pension plan from another employer, in which case, the waiting period is waived). Employees may also make additional contributions to the retirement system on a voluntary basis. 

Candidates should have a minimum of a Master’s degree with at least two-years experience in a higher education institution or related agency, with two-years experience supervising or chairing meetings with teams of professionals. Previous knowledge of nontraditional educational programs and the challenges experienced by adults in pursuing a college degree is beneficial. 

The preferred candidate should also have excellent oral and written communication skills and present a professional demeanor when interacting with other staff, National PONSI member organizations, and the academic community. Other ideal characteristics for this post include excellent organizational skills, entrepreneurial spirit, attention to detail, and ability to work on diverse tasks within a small, fast-paced office setting.  

Candidates should have facility with Word, Access, Excel, and email usage, as well as Dreamweaver and knowledge of website development and management. 

Starting Salary - Mid-$50,000 Range. Please send resume with cover letter highlighting how candidate's background matches the requirements for the position and the work of National PONSI, and at least two work-related references to National PONSI at natponsi@mail.nysed.gov or by mailing it to: Director, National PONSI, Education Building Addition, Room 975, 89 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12234. Please include email and phone contact information. 

All preliminary communication with National PONSI must be by email or mail; phone calls will not be accepted nor returned and personal appointments will not be scheduled during the preliminary stage.  Selected candidates will be contacted to schedule a personal interview at the National PONSI office in Albany, New York.  Travel expenses to the interview will be borne by the candidate.