Director of Strategic Initiatives – Operations

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in Michigan.

📋 Description

• Lead the execution of MiCHEP’s four-year initiative funded by Ascendium on a statewide level.

• Maintain a comprehensive workplan that outlines priorities, responsibilities, timelines, budgets, deliverables, and methods for measuring progress.

• Coordinate with member institutions, the Michigan Department of Corrections, Michigan College Access Network, consultants, evaluators, government agencies, reentry and workforce organizations, and justice-impacted students.

• Monitor progress, identify challenges, suggest solutions, and ensure timely completion of commitments.

• Integrate the Ascendium initiative with MiCHEP’s other grants and strategic priorities.

• Prepare reports, briefings, agendas, decision documents, and updates on project status.

• Assist the President in discussions with funders and key partners, attend meetings, document decisions, and ensure follow-through.

• Act as the primary administrative liaison with MCAN, which serves as MiCHEP’s fiscal sponsor and employer of record.

• Manage contracts, consultants, and vendors, including scopes of work, approvals, deliverables, renewals, and documentation.

• Prepare and monitor invoices, payment requests, reimbursements, consultant payments, and other financial transactions.

• Reconcile records with MCAN reports and oversee grant budgets.

• Coordinate personnel matters with MCAN, encompassing position approvals, recruitment, hiring documentation, onboarding, payroll, benefits, leave, and performance documentation.

• Establish systems for project management, document organization, decision tracking, meeting preparation, internal communication, and organizational follow-through.

• Plan and coordinate statewide gatherings, mediated dialogues, working groups, site visits, and collaborative activities.

• Collaborate with external evaluators and technical-assistance providers to connect activities with performance measures and organizational learning.

• Supervise additional MiCHEP staff as required and coordinate consultants and project teams.

• Ensure that incarcerated and formerly incarcerated students have a meaningful role in shaping initiative priorities and activities.

• Report directly to the MiCHEP President.

⛳️ Requirements

• A combination of education, professional experience, and lived expertise will be taken into account.

• A minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in organizational operations, project leadership, grant implementation, nonprofit administration, or a related field.

• Proven experience in managing complex initiatives that involve multiple institutions or partner organizations.

• Familiarity with contracts, budgets, payments, vendors, personnel processes, grants, or relationships with fiscal sponsors.

• Strong judgment and the ability to translate strategic plans into organized implementation.

• Excellent writing, communication, and relationship management skills.

• Ability to foresee needs, manage competing priorities, and progress work independently without constant supervision.

• Experience in handling confidential financial, contractual, personnel, or organizational information with discretion.

• Capability to navigate institutional complexities, disagreements, and competing interests constructively.

• A demonstrated commitment to educational access, equity, human dignity, and the success of justice-impacted learners.

• Willingness to travel regularly within Michigan, including visits to correctional facilities.

• Experience in higher education, corrections, workforce development, reentry, collective-impact initiatives, or systems-change work is preferred but not mandatory.

• Familiarity with Michigan’s higher education or criminal justice landscape would be advantageous.

• Lived experience with incarceration or the criminal legal system is highly valued.

• Submission of a résumé and cover letter is required.

🏝️ Benefits

• Benefits are administered through MCAN.

• Payroll, benefits, and leave administration is handled by MCAN.

• Primarily remote work arrangement.