Working Title: Associate Director - Center for Civic Engagement

State Role Title: Administrative and Professional Faculty

Position Type: Administrative & Professional (Non-teaching Faculty)

Position Status: Full-Time

FLSA Status: Exempt: Not Eligible for Overtime

College/Division: Office of the President Unit

Department: 100191 - JMU Center for Civic Engagement

Pay Rate: Commensurate with Experience

Specify Range or Amount:

Is this a JMU only position? No

Is this a grant-funded position? No

Is this a Conflict of Interest designated position? No

Beginning Review Date: 03/07/2025

About JMU:

Mission
We are a community committed to preparing students to be educated and enlightened citizens who lead productive and meaningful lives.

Vision
To be the national model for the engaged university: engaged with ideas and the world.

Who We Are
Located in the heart of Virginia’s beautiful Shenandoah Valley, the city of Harrisonburg is approximately 120 miles from Washington, D.C. and Richmond, VA. With a population of just over 53,000, Harrisonburg is one of the most diverse communities in the Commonwealth of Virginia. JMU is a selective, public institution with a growing national reputation for offering experiences that lead to an outstanding education and inclusive environment for students, faculty and staff. The student body includes approximately 20,000 undergraduate and 1,900 graduate students, with over 1,000 full-time instructional faculty.

JMU offers thriving programs in the liberal arts, science and technology, and professional disciplines at the undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels. The university is committed to expanding diversity, fostering equity and inclusion, and supporting superlative teaching and scholarship. JMU has achieved national recognition for the high quality of its academic programs, focus on maintaining strong student/faculty interaction, and innovative faculty research.

General Information:

The James Madison Center for Civic Engagement, a nonpartisan, high-performing and high-profile administrative entity housed in the Office of the President, invites applications for an associate director to begin in July 2025. We are looking for collegial, creative, energetic, and driven candidates who can develop and carry out mission-focused, high-quality programming in support of JMU’s strategic plans in civic engagement. The Madison Center is home to several significant programs at JMU, including Constitution Day, the Better Conversations Together program, and Dukes Vote which the associate director will oversee and directly manage. We seek a motivated colleague who will build and maintain productive relationships with relevant university stakeholders, as well as with strategic partners in our community, commonwealth, and nation—including research and grant writing opportunities.

The ideal candidate will be someone who has passion and experience in doing and practicing civically engaged work. As the staff person in charge of the day-to-day programming of the Madison Center, the ideal candidate will have a vision and expertise for implementing our current programming efficiently and creatively, as well as a vision for potential new opportunities. The associate director must have a commitment to non-partisanship when representing JMU and the Madison Center.

Duties and Responsibilities:

The associate director reports to the executive director. This is a 12-month, administrative and professional faculty position. Specific duties include the following:

• Support and oversee the day-to-day operations of the center's voter education and engagement programming together with Democracy Fellows and the executive director.
• Collaborate with academic units, Student Affairs, and Research and Economic Development Initiatives (REDI) to integrate civic learning into curricular requirements, co-curricular programs, and research and community-focused events.
• Supervise the post-graduate fellows, the Graduate Assistant, and Democracy Fellows, including identifying and delegating projects, evaluating performance, and hiring new fellows when necessary.
• Support and oversee the day-to-day operations of the center's campus-wide dialogue and deliberation efforts including the Better Conversations Together program.
• Support the center’s civic leadership minor and NextGen Service Corps program by building new programming and assisting and overseeing minor students with their internships, projects, and reports.
• Conduct research, publish, and present findings at relevant national conferences, helping build the national profile of the center.
• Serve as the co-coordinator of our campus American Democracy Project efforts (with the executive director) and serve as the center’s liaison to Campus Vote Project and to other national organizations.
• Help design and facilitate the center's Faculty Fellows in Collaborative Dialogue program as well as other professional development opportunities for instructional and professional faculty and staff.
• Help develop and review social media plans with the center's staff.
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications:

Required:

• Master's degree in a field related to civic engagement
• Experience with creating and project managing extended programs and one-time nonpartisan events for college students and the public
• Effective undergraduate and graduate student mentoring and supervision experience
• Working knowledge of national organizations supporting civic engagement in higher education
• Excellent project management, interpersonal, written and oral communication, and organizational skills
• Instructional experience related to civic engagement
  
  

Preferred:

• PhD (ABD considered; degree must be completed by July 1, 2025)
• Active research agenda in the civic engagement field
• Grant writing experience
• Experience developing and implementing effective voter registration and education initiatives
• Experience developing and implementing effective deliberation and/or dialogue programming
• Instructional experience teaching academic courses

Additional Posting Information:

JMU’s Dual Career and Community Resources Program is available for candidates that will be relocating to the area. For more information, please visit https://bit.ly/2OTF1NG.

Conditions of Employment:  

Employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a criminal background check.

E-Verify Notice: After accepting employment, new hires are required to complete an I-9 form and present documentation of their identity and eligibility to work in the United States. James Madison University uses the E-Verify system to confirm identity and work authorization.

EEO Statement:

James Madison University is committed to creating and supporting a diverse and inclusive work and educational community that is free of all forms of discrimination. This institution does not tolerate discrimination or harassment on the basis of age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, genetic information, national origin, parental status, political affiliation, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation or veteran status.

We promote access, inclusion and diversity for all students, faculty, staff, constituents and programs, believing that these qualities are foundational components of an outstanding education in keeping with our mission. The university is interested in candidates whose experience and qualifications support an ongoing commitment to this core quality.

Anyone having questions concerning discrimination should contact the Office for Equal Opportunity: (540) 568-6991.

Reasonable Accommodation:

If you are an individual with a disability and need assistance searching or applying for jobs please contact us at (540) 568-3597 or jobs@jmu.edu. You may also visit the JMU Human Resource Office, located at 752 Ott Street, Harrisonburg, VA 22807 and we will be happy to assist you.