COMMUNITY PARTNER LIAISON

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POSITION PURPOSE
The College of Education supports approximately 600 students in 4 undergraduate majors: Early Care and Education (ECE), Early Childhood and Family Studies (ECFS), Education, Communities, and Organizations (ECO) and Education Studies (EDST) and 1 minor, Education, Learning, and Society (ELS). The ECO curriculum combines human development, equity studies, learning sciences, organizational theory, and community engagement to prepare students to work in a variety of teaching and learning roles serving youth, families, and professionals in the service of educational equity and social justice. ECO students complete an academic year-long (3 quarters) internship serving with community organizations. The Community Partner Liaison for ECO facilitates these internships by cultivating relationships with a wide variety of community partners and supporting students throughout the process of securing and completing their internships.

Position Summary
We are seeking a Community Partner Liaison (CPL) to join the ECO team and take primary responsibility for cultivating and sustaining relationships with many community organizations to serve as hosts for the year-long ECO capstone internship. In our efforts to uphold the value of just and equitable community-based membership, practice, and research, community voices have always been integral in the design and evolution of the ECO major. The CPL will work in close collaboration with faculty who teach the Capstone seminar course each quarter to support students and communicate effectively with community partners regarding internship learning outcomes.

Effectively accomplishing this work requires an in-depth and nuanced understanding of communities and the individuals and organizations within them, and the skills to dialogue about the importance of community-based learning with community organization representatives as well as with ECO students, staff, and faculty. Similarly, reciprocal partnerships also require articulation of community strengths and priorities to university students, faculty and administrators and our community partners.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The Community Partner Liaison will contribute to the ECO major through the following major responsibilities:

Sustaining internal and external relationships

Communicate with identified internship mentors in each organization regarding course deliverables, timelines, etc. in partnership with capstone faculty

Maintain relationships with organizations who do not host students in a given year

Maintain relationships with UW programs (e.g., Career and Internship Center, Othello Commons)

Work with on-campus internship hosts

Recruitment and outreach to non-profit organizations

Research potential organizations, based on student interests

Strategize potential partners and connect with appropriate options

Follow-up on referrals, calls, and other recommendations

Incoming student services/Internship Prep Course

Answer student inquiries and advise on internship placements

Develop protocols/systems to manage the internship placement process (preparing student application materials, selecting sites, etc.)

On an annual basis, teach one course on an instructional title

Capstone course support

In partnership with capstone faculty, provide input on capstone course content development

Support the relationships between students and community partners, including collaborative problem-solving through challenging situations

Verify student participation in internship and seek feedback from community partner supervisors regarding student performance

Community Advisory Board

Support the formation and function of a Community Advisory Board, representing community partners, to strengthen relationships between ECO and CBO’s

Develop ways for ECO and the college to support the partners’ work

Evaluation of students/organizations

In collaboration with capstone faculty, develop process to evaluate students’ participation in the work of their organizations

Evaluate fit of community based organization with the ECO program based on student feedback

Administrative tasks

Manage database of students and placements

Keep track of organizations, contacts, etc.

Manage learning contracts

ECO/undergraduate program responsibilities

Participate in ECO program meetings, retreats, workgroups, etc. as appropriate

Participate in undergraduate program meetings, retreats, workgroups, etc. as appropriate

Other duties as assigned

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
Bachelor’s degree in education, community development, non-profit management, ethnic studies, or related fields to include 2-3 years of relevant experience

Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

Work or volunteer experience in community-based settings and demonstrated skills, knowledge, and competence in working with a variety of individuals and organizations.

Strong demonstrated understanding of the systems of oppression and the need for equity-based approaches to community partnership development

Possess demonstrated experience fostering relationships with, and/or liaising between, multiple stakeholders or constituencies

Ability to make connections between community projects and student skills and learning needs.

Strong organizational skills, maintaining/managing details on a multitude of community organizations and high number of students

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Several years of work within the community, with additional experience facilitating learning experiences of students from P-12 or higher education institutions.

Experience working with undergraduate students, especially in connecting their internship placements with their educational and professional goals

Ability to read situations and people well and communicate across organizational interests and student development levels.

How to Apply:
The ECO major is committed to being a program that is inclusive of students from a variety of racial, ethnic, cultural, economic, ideological and social backgrounds, as well as serving communities in equitable, socially just and sustainable ways. In your cover letter, please discuss your qualifications for this position and how your perspective on diversity, equity and inclusion will inform your role as Community Partner Liaison.

Application Process: The application process may include completion of a variety of online assessments to obtain additional information that will be used in the evaluation process. These assessments may include Work Authorization, Cover Letter and/or others. Any assessments that you need to complete will appear on your screen as soon as you select “Apply to this position”. Once you begin an assessment, it must be completed at that time; if you do not complete the assessment, you will be prompted to do so the next time you access your “My Jobs” page. If you select to take it later, it will appear on your "My Jobs" page to take when you are ready. Please note that your application will not be reviewed, and you will not be considered for this position until all required assessments have been completed.