Deputy Director (Faculty Specialist)

Position Number: JR102361

Title: Faculty Specialist 

Functional Title: Deputy Director

Category Status: 15-Fac.Non-Tenured, Continuing Con

Applicant Search Category: Faculty

University Authorized FTE: 1.0

Unit: BSOS-Criminology & Criminal Justice

Hiring Range Minimum:  $120,000

Hiring Range Maximum: $136,274 

The Center for the Study and Practice of Violence Reduction (“the VRC”) seeks an experienced and energetic leader to help develop and grow our young organization. Responsible for research, policy, as well as day-to-day management and mid- and long-term planning, this role requires substantive subject matter knowledge, critical thinking skills, exceptional organizational abilities, and the capacity to drive change in an ever-changing, fast-paced environment. 

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Campus/College Information

Founded in 1856, the University of Maryland, College Park is the state’s flagship institution. Our 1,250-acre campus is just minutes away from Washington, D.C. and the nexus of the nation’s legislative, executive, and judicial centers of power. This unique proximity to business and technology leaders, federal departments and agencies, and a myriad of research entities, think tanks, embassies, cultural centers, and non-profit organizations is unparalleled. Synergistic opportunities for our faculty and students are virtually limitless in the nation’s capital and its surrounding areas. The University is committed to attracting and retaining outstanding and diverse faculty and staff that will enhance our stature of preeminence in our three missions of teaching, scholarship, and full engagement with our community, the state of Maryland, and the world.

VRC Information

The VRC has a straightforward mission: to save lives by stopping violence, using science. Established in 2022, the VRC provides nonpartisan anti-violence solutions by combining rigorous research with practical know-how. 

Emphasizing community violence perpetrated with firearms, the VRC gathers the most rigorous research, synthesizes it, and then makes it available to all in accessible, easy-to-use formats. It also provides practical instruction to federal, state, and especially local leaders on how to choose, apply, and align the right combination of anti-violence strategies for their jurisdiction. 

The VRC is part of the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, the #1 ranked criminology doctoral program in the United States. The organization has grown rapidly, supported by an increasing and diverse array of nongovernmental funders. With new support, new partners, and new opportunities, the VRC is ready to move to the next stage of organizational impact and needs a strong strategic partner to help lead the way.

Position Summary/Purpose of Position

The Deputy Director reports to and partners with the Founding Director to set, develop and execute policies to advance the life-saving mission of the VRC. The Deputy Director also delivers evidence-informed policy guidance to VRC partners and supports the development of evidence via the management of sponsored research projects. Finally, the Deputy Director also works closely with and manages other VRC team members. Key responsibilities include:

• Overseeing day-to-day operations of the VRC, including project management, grant management, financial management, human resources, and contracting.
   
• Delivering evidence-informed policy guidance to VRC stakeholders to assist them in reducing community gun violence. 
   
• Managing the planning and execution of complex research projects to build the evidence base for community violence reduction strategies.
   
• Developing strategic, work, and organizational planning processes. 
   
• Managing grants and other contracts, including ensuring compliance with grant requirements, preparing grant reports, developing grant proposals, and answering grantor requests.
   
• Overseeing VRC team members and contractors to successfully implement VRC research, policy, and practice initiatives.
   
• Representing the VRC in internal and external settings, including but not limited to practica, symposia, meetings, trainings, conferences, speaking engagements, and more.
   
• Serving as a liaison for the VRC, both in writing and in person, engaging key internal and external stakeholders to create and maintain positive working relationships. 
   
• Leading the planning and execution of events ranging from webinars to large in-person convenings.
   

This position is hybrid and is open to Maryland residents and those of contiguous states (VA, WV, DE, and PA), as well as Washington, D.C. Some travel within the United States is required.
 

Minimum Qualifications 

• Bachelor's degree 
   
• Eight years relevant professional experience

Preferences

• Advanced degree in criminal justice, criminology, public health, public policy, public administration, or related field.  

• Three to five years of relevant experience in leadership and management roles, ideally with academic, governmental, or other non-profit organizations (can be concurrent with experience below).

• Three to five years of relevant subject-matter experience in violence reduction, criminal justice, criminology, public safety, public health, or related areas (can be concurrent with experience above).
   
• Exceptional project management skills, with demonstrated reliability, responsiveness, timeliness, and attention to accuracy and detail.
   
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, both verbally and in writing.
   
  • In person, must be able to interact successfully with government officials; community, religious, nonprofit, foundation, and business leaders; and leading academics.
     
  • In writing, must be able to communicate professionally by email as well as develop various VRC internal and external documents, such as training materials and white papers, with limited assistance.
     
• Strong attention to timeliness, responsiveness, and detail. The applicant should “sweat the small stuff.”
   
• Strong proficiency in MS Office (Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Excel) and Adobe Acrobat. Familiarity with digital collaboration tools such as Asana and Dropbox helpful but not required.
   
• Basic bookkeeping and financial analysis skills. 
   
• Some travel in and around the United States is required.

Compensation and Benefits

The position offers a generous annual salary and benefits commensurate with experience and qualifications. Please see above for salary range. 

Physical Demands

• Exerting up to 10 lbs. of force occasionally and/or a negotiable amount of force frequently to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects like personal computers, servers, mobile devices, cables, printers, monitors, and other equipment. 
   
• Other work is performed in an office environment and requires the ability to operate standard office equipment.
   
• Ability to travel for meetings and attend to duties. 
   
• Ability to work on- or off-site. 

Employment Eligibility

The successful candidate must complete employment eligibility verification (on Form I-9) by presenting documents that establish identity and work authorization within the timeframe required by federal immigration law, and where applicable, to demonstrate renewed employment authorization. Failure to complete employment eligibility verification or reverification within the timeframe set forth by law may result in suspension or termination of employment. 

Background Check

Offers of employment are contingent on completion of a background check. Information reported by the background check will not automatically disqualify anyone from employment. Before any adverse decision, the finalist will have an opportunity to provide information to the University regarding disclosable background check information. The University reserves the right to rescind the offer of employment or otherwise decline or terminate employment if the information reported by the background check is deemed incompatible with the position, regardless of when the background check is completed.

EEO Statement 

The University of Maryland, College Park is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment. Please read the University’s Equal Employment Opportunity Statement of Policy.

Title IX Non-Discrimination Notice

Application Instructions 

Use this link to apply. If applicants advance to the interview stage, two writing samples and three professional references will be requested. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.