Duke University:

Duke University was created in 1924 through an indenture of trust by James Buchanan Duke. Today, Duke is regarded as one of America’s leading research universities. Located in Durham, North Carolina, Duke is positioned in the heart of the Research Triangle, which is ranked annually as one of the best places in the country to work and live. Duke has more than 15,000 students who study and conduct research in its 10 undergraduate, graduate and professional schools. With about 40,000 employees, Duke is the third largest private employer in North Carolina, and it now has international programs in more than 150 countries.

General Description

The Duke University Talent Identification Program (Duke TIP) https://tip.duke.edu/ is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving academically gifted and talented youth in grades four through twelve. Each year, Duke TIP enrolls nearly one hundred thousand new students in its talent searches through above-level testing, recognizes them for their achievements and provides them with a variety of enrichment benefits. TIP offers accelerated face-to-face and online educational programs to more than eight thousand students each year. Our organization is driven and guided by five core values: Integrity, Continuous Improvement, Community, Access & Inclusion and Understanding. Our team members are passionate about the work they do and are always encouraged to express their ideas. We are invested in our staff by providing professional development tools and coaching

Occupational Summary:

As a member of Duke TIP’s Partnerships and Engagement Division, the Director of Outreach and Access provides leadership for outreach efforts in promoting awareness and understanding for Duke TIP’s wide array of programs and services for academically talented youth. These include Duke TIP’s talent search, online and face-to-face educational programs, alumni network, employment opportunities and various other resources. The Director of Outreach and Access is an innovative leader, focused on improving student outcomes, parent and educator engagement, and implementing strategies that increase equity and access for all academically talented students, including traditionally underserved student populations. This individual will lead efforts to improve engagement for special populations of Duke TIP’s stakeholders, including, but not limited to rural, English language learners (ELL), and students from low-income backgrounds. Through championing grant-funded initiatives focused on these efforts, this leader will incorporate strategies to increase engagement and opportunities for talented students in hard to reach audiences. The Director of Outreach and Access will travel at least 30% of their time engaging in direct community outreach, parent engagement and student recruitment. Data-driven leadership is required to provide effective support and measurable outcomes for outreach and access endeavors for TIP’s internal and external stakeholders. This position reports to the Director of Partnerships and Engagement.

Work Performed:

Direction for Community Outreach, Student Access and Parent Engagement Strategy (40%)

• Oversee the Outreach and Access Team, updating job descriptions as needed.
• Develop and incorporate strategies to promote awareness and understanding regarding Duke TIP’s talent search, educational programs, alumni network, employment opportunities and various resources.
• Engage in differentiated outreach strategies, including but not limited to grant writing, sponsorships, exhibiting, presentations, informational meetings, webinars, while also making data-driven decisions.
• Facilitate regular check-ins with Duke TIP Department Leads, State Directors, State Conference/Association Directors, AIG Coordinators, other necessary staff to exchange updates, seek feedback and to identify areas that may need to be targeted for outreach, such as schools with no or low Talent Search enrollments.
• Maintain awareness of topics and stakeholders in the field of gifted education and talent development.
• Compare outreach strategies, and remain up-to-date on best practices in public relations and communication.
• Identify new markets, evaluate market trends, and diversify program participation.
• Facilitate an end-to-end engagement process that supports and serves TIP’s diverse student populations from the enrollment process to alumni seeding.
• Develop, utilize and assess a standardized engagement and follow-up process in conjunction with the Outreach team and other Duke TIP departmental leads to establish and maintain relationships with educators, especially focused on adjusting targeted recruitment regions as needed.
• Prepare and generate periodic data reports to reflect measurable, data-driven outcomes for outreach efforts, i.e. Excel spreadsheets with contacts per state/event; recommendations for ways to increase visibility at conferences; suggestions for areas of support, feedback from stakeholders at the event, etc.
• Interpret data regarding outreach regions in conjunction with Duke TIP’s Research and Evaluation team and/or other team members, and consider implications of that data; seek and provide - advice and guidance about key issues, best practices, and current trends impacting outreach efforts for serving hard to reach target audiences.
• Regularly archive progress and share updates of outreach progress and/or insights gleaned from in the field to the Director of Partnerships and Engagement and other departmental leads, and to receive feedback from Duke TIP constituents in order to analyze and evaluate outreach strategies and follow-up activity.

Community Outreach, Access, and Parent Engagement (40%)

• Create and share an annual community outreach event schedule and recruitment plan that utilizes the skills and abilities of the Outreach and Access Team members (and other Duke TIP staff as needed).
• Develop, monitor and enhance a comprehensive parent engagement strategy to be applied throughout the year.
• Travel to K-12 schools, colleges and universities, community based organizations (CBOs) and other forums to meet with educators, parents, and students to share information about the Duke TIP talent searches, educational programs, and resources.
• Work collaboratively with staff and stakeholders to increase awareness for and appreciation of diversity and a deepening of diverse perspectives in the community
• Work with schools and stakeholders to develop a culture that exemplifies a shared value for community, and that provides a supportive and stimulating learning environment for all students
• Represent Duke University TIP at external events such as state recognition ceremonies, national conferences, workshops, and professional meetings and host informational meetings when requested.
• Utilize webinars, video conferencing and other forms of technology to create greater awareness to provide understanding about access for special populations and hard to reach target audiences.
• Facilitate and participate in team meetings, retreats and other important functions that support achieving the outreach goals of the organization.
• Prepare and reference data reports, surveys and utilize data analysis to define progress, address trends, and consider appropriate recommendations to inform decisions for access and outreach activity.
• Serve on educational committees and boards as assigned by Supervisor and/or Executive Director.

Management of Outreach and Access Operational Support (20%)

• Maintain Customer Relationship Management (CRM) for outreach communications where stakeholder contact information can be stored, updated and context can be added regarding the relationship and status.
• Maintain a pool of internal staff speakers and topics to diversify the scope of outreach initiatives.
• Propose, execute and manage an annual budget for outreach-related efforts, ensuring detailed accounting consistent with Duke TIP and University policies and procedures.
• Conduct regular meetings with supervisees, and develop and lead an annual outreach and access retreat to collaborate for achieving short- and long-term goals in alignment with TIP’s mission, vision and values.
• Develop and maintain an operations calendar/schedule of ongoing activities and events for outreach efforts in collaboration with the outreach team and departmental leads.
• Plan, coordinate, and prepare presentations and materials for educators and families in collaboration with the talent search, marketing, online and face to face educational programs, research and other stakeholders to ensure external presentations and outreach materials are appropriately aligned with TIP’s mission, research focus areas, recruiting and outreach priorities, and branding guidelines.
• Collaborate with Marketing and other divisions on use of digital media, publications and other TIP-branded promotional materials and schedule for outreach efforts.
• Support the Director of Partnerships and Engagement by providing regular updates on the state Duke TIP’s national, regional, and state interactions and how they may impact outreach and recruitment efforts.
• Perform other related duties as required.

Preferred skills: Proven experience in public speaking and leading groups; organizational management/leadership; and planning short- and long-term goals and assessment measures of success. Work requires an ongoing working knowledge of Duke TIP Programs and resources, Demonstrated ability to work with high-level educators/administrators. Experience grant-writing, working with schools and/or educators, non-profit organizations and access and inclusion efforts for special populations preferred. Experience with programs for the academically talented, gifted or high-achieving students; Marketing experience helpful. Spanish proficiency a plus.

Technology Skills: Computer proficiency: Microsoft suite (Excel, Word, Power Point, Outlook), Google suite and other databases. Demonstrated experience working with databases, general reports, survey-builders, budgets and spreadsheets.

Physical Location of Job - Building Name: Power House; 300 Fuller Street, Durham, NC 27701 Willing and available to travel at least 30% of time.

The intent of this job description is to provide a representative and level of the types of duties and responsibilities that will be required of positions given this title and shall not be construed as a declaration of the total of the specific duties and responsibilities of any particular position. Employees may be directed to perform job-related tasks other than those specifically presented in this description.

Bachelor's degree in education, business management, recruitment, public relations or a related field required.

Work requires the ability to plan and administer outreach program activities generally acquired through 4 years of related experience. Willing and available to travel at least 50% of time.

Duke is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status.

Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas—an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.

Essential Physical Job Functions: Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essentialjob functions that require specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and provision for requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by each hiring department.