Director, Gateway to College Program

Description

Do great things! Durham Technical Community College is hiring a Director in the Gateway to College Program. This position requires a significant amount of time supervising instructors, being the point of contact to partnership stakeholders, including official high school equivalency test examiners, local high school leadership, and student support staff, as well as helping students with class registration and maintaining complete and accurate office and student academic/graduation records.

A current knowledge of our Gateway to College, GED, HiSet, and Adult High School programs is needed, and time will be spent with others in the department and college to guide and support each student's path to success. This position requires in-person, phone, text, and Teams contact, and includes facilitating workshops and orientations to ensure student success. The job duties listed reflect the responsibilities expected of a director-level administrator, emphasizing leadership, supervision, strategic planning, compliance, budgeting, partnership development, and student success

Examples of Duties

1. Provide strategic leadership, direction, and oversight for the Gateway to College Program, ensuring alignment with the College's mission, strategic plan, and the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS) guidelines.
2. Supervise, evaluate, mentor, and support faculty and staff assigned to the Gateway to College Program, fostering a collaborative, student-centered, and high-performing work environment.
3. Develop, implement, and evaluate program goals, objectives, policies, and operational procedures to support continuous program improvement and student success.
4. Ensure compliance with federal, state, NCCCS, accreditation, and institutional regulations governing Gateway to College, Adult High School, GED, HiSET, and other college and career readiness programs.
5. Serve as the primary liaison with internal and external partners, including local school districts, community organizations, workforce agencies, testing centers, funding agencies, and other educational stakeholders.
6. Build and maintain collaborative relationships with K12 partners, community organizations, employers, and other agencies to strengthen educational pathways and student support services.
7. Coordinate student recruitment, admissions, orientation, enrollment, retention, persistence, graduation, and transition to postsecondary education or employment.
8. Oversee student advising processes, registration support, academic progress monitoring, and intervention strategies designed to improve student outcomes.
9. Ensure the integrity, confidentiality, accuracy, and maintenance of student records, graduation documentation, program files, and required institutional reports.
10. Monitor program performance using data analysis, student success metrics, and accountability measures to evaluate effectiveness and identify opportunities for improvement.
11. Prepare and present reports, program updates, budget information, and performance data to executive leadership, governing boards, grant agencies, and other stakeholders.
12. Develop, administer, and monitor departmental budgets while ensuring responsible stewardship of institutional and grant-funded resources.
13. Identify grant opportunities and assist in the preparation, implementation, compliance, and reporting of grant-funded initiatives that support adult learners and Gateway students.
14. Coordinate official GED, HiSET, Adult High School, and Gateway to College processes, ensuring testing procedures and academic requirements meet state and institutional standards.
15. Facilitate student orientations, workshops, information sessions, and other educational activities that promote academic success, career readiness, and student engagement.
16. Collaborate with academic departments and student services to develop seamless pathways for students transitioning into curriculum programs, workforce training, apprenticeships, or employment.
17. Maintain current knowledge of educational legislation, workforce trends, adult education best practices, and community needs to inform program planning and decision-making.
18. Utilize student information systems, learning management systems, Microsoft Office applications, and educational technology to support program administration and reporting.
19. Respond to student, faculty, staff, and community inquiries through in-person meetings, telephone, email, text messaging, and virtual platforms such as Microsoft Teams.
20. Promote a welcoming, inclusive, and equitable learning environment that supports the diverse educational, personal, and career goals of adult learners and Gateway to College students.
21. Participate in institutional committees, professional development activities, college events, and community outreach initiatives that support departmental and institutional priorities.
22. Perform other duties as assigned by the Executive Director of College and Career Readiness.

Minimum Qualifications

Master's degree in education or related field

Work Experience:

Minimum of two years in a high school or adult educational environment, or evidence of other appropriate experience relevant to the position is required

Preferred Qualifications :

Previous work within the Community College System, and particularly in programs focused on adult high school and its equivalent.

Supplemental Information

1. A thorough understanding of and commitment to the mission and philosophy of the NCCC system.
2. Ability to take initiative and work independently.
3. Knowledge of North Carolina education laws, policies, accountability requirements, and high school completion programs.
4. Knowledge of, and willingness to research and stay abreast of, workforce and training needs in the community and how they align with our programs and student population needs.
5. Knowledge of, and willingness to research and stay abreast of, K12 systems and resources.
6. Knowledge of data collection, analysis, performance measurement, and program evaluation.
7. Skill in presenting information to executive leadership, governing boards, community stakeholders, and funding agencies.
8. Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, student information systems, learning management systems, and educational data platforms.
9. Ability to develop innovative solutions that improve adult learner recruitment, retention, persistence and graduation.

Physical Demands :

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position. The physical and mental demands described as follows are representative of those that must be met by an employee in performing the essential functions of this job:

• Ability to sit and/or stand for long periods of time.
• Ability to lift, at times, 10 lbs.
• Good eye/hand dexterity.

Normal Working Hours :

A minimum of a 40-hour work week as determined with the supervisor, to allow the employee to fulfill the assigned duties and responsibilities, including occasional evening and weekend hours. Summer schedules may vary to enable four-day or four-and-one-half-day work weeks.