Job Summary

The Education Justice Project (EJP) seeks a Visiting Academic Manager. This full-time position, based at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, reports directly to the EJP director. It is responsible for the administration of EJP's academic programming at Danville Correctional Center (DCC) and provides direct supervision, communication, and support to EJP program coordinators and instructors. Our Visiting Academic Manager also ensures that EJP maintains a stable, professional relationship with DCC and the IL Department of Corrections. This role must exercise excellent independent judgement and discretion within an environment that is frequently fraught and volatile.

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Duties & Responsibilities

• Supervisory Duties
  • Supervision – Supervise Assistant Academic Manager(s)
  • Pedagogical Support – Provide pedagogical and strategic support to EJP managers, coordinators, instructors, academic advisers, and program members;
  • Training – Develop and administer regular training sessions and training materials for EJP staff and instructors based at DCC to orient them on protocols within the prison;
• Program Management and Development Duties
  • Program Development – Enhance and support programmatic processes; lead the development of any new EJP programs at DCC;
  • Recruitment and Admissions – Design and implement admissions policies and procedures; oversee new student orientation;
  • Student Affairs – Implement programming that enhances student growth; develop and implement systems to resolve student inquiries, issues, and support conflict resolution.
  • Strategic Input – Serve as a member of the management team; assist in the development of EJP policy, strategies, and procedures;
  • Evaluation – Implement systems to ensure regular evaluations and observations of all EJP programs (currently 12) based at DCC;
• Communication
  • Design and oversee systems of communication between EJP members based at Danville Correctional Center—i.e. EJP staff, coordinators, instructors, other on-site members, and EJP students;
  • Host regular meetings of program coordinators;
  • Ensure regular EJP all-student meetings at the prison.

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Minimum Qualifications

Master’s degree. Minimum of two years’ experience working within a correctional setting or similar. Minimum of two years’ experience in a supervisory role in an educational setting. Demonstrable ability to exercise independent judgment and discretion within fast-moving contexts. Demonstrable excellent leadership skills. Demonstrable excellent listening, oral, and written communication skills. Demonstrated commitment to support incarcerated individuals and individuals of diverse backgrounds. Valid driver’s license and ability to drive.

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Preferred Qualifications

Graduate degree in counseling psychology, education, social work, management, social services, or related field.
Prior participation in prison justice initiatives.