POSITION SUMMARY:
Under the direction of the Supervisor of Strategic
Planning and Change Management, the Strategic
Planning Specialist will support and lead systemic and other strategic planning
activities including planning, development and submission of the Local Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
Consolidated Strategic Plan, other state plan requirements and the school
system’s Strategic Plan. The incumbent will
actively seek potential grant opportunities, determine the district’s
eligibility, and will develop and maintain a repository of program design and/or
needs assessment narratives and documents for initiatives in the Prince George’s
County Public Schools’ strategic portfolio as well as other major programs.
The Strategic Planning Specialist will provide other solicitation and
pre-award support, such as participation in and/or leadership of
cross-functional teams in developing plans, proposals, or grant
applications. Support will also include strategic
visioning, program planning,
grant writing and revisions, application review, process coordination, and
responsibility for or engagement in post-application lessons-learned
sessions.
DUTIES and RESPONSIBILITIES: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.
Collaborates
with Supervisor and department staff to establish and meet timelines and
milestones resulting in the development and updates of the school system’s
Strategic Plan and Local ESSA Consolidated Strategic Plan;
Researches
and analyzes a variety of system data, develops analytical tools, and supports
the development of cogent, intuitive narratives for the strategic plan and the Local
ESSA Consolidated Strategic Plan;
Supports
program staff in the development of comprehensive submissions to the Local ESSA
Consolidated Strategic Plan. Includes
formal or informal training and guidance, as needed;
Provides
internal consultation, guidance and technical support to district staff in
converting strategies to actionable plans;
Researches
relevant policies, literature, best practices and evidence-based programs to
support development of strategically competitive and innovative grant program
designs;
Conducts
ongoing needs analysis and grant searches designed to identify viable competitive
local, state, and federal funding sources to support existing and proposed
school system educational programs, initiatives, and priorities;
Analyzes
and evaluates Requests for Proposal (RFP) and funding prospects in
collaboration with sponsoring departments; and develops recommendations for the
pursuit of strategically relevant opportunities;
Develops
and writes highly technical sections of grant applications in accordance with
Request for Proposal (RFP) and funder requirements;
Collaborates
with external agencies that may participate in partnership grant applications;
Reviews
proposals developed by internal or external stakeholders and provides feedback,
as appropriate;
Coordinates
with selected system personnel in the collection of data, as needed, for grant
proposals and plans; and develops and maintains the proposal development
schedule;
Coordinates
the production aspects (word processing, graphics, editing, proofreading,
reproduction, printing) in support of proposal development, as directed;
Leverages
technology and project management tools to increase operating efficiencies and
improve management of the Local ESSA Consolidated Strategic Plan development
process;
Develops proposals and/or grant applications to
competitively solicit federal, state, private and/or local funding to support
strategic initiatives and a wide variety of district priorities; and
Performs
other duties as assigned.
QUALIFICATIONS:The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.
Proven
experience in organization-wide strategic planning activities (e.g., leadership
in the successful coordination and submission of a systemic strategic plan),
preferably in a K-12 or public sector environment;
Thinks
strategically – understands the organization’s strengths and weaknesses;
analyzes external conditions and competition; identifies external threats and
opportunities; and adapts strategy to changing conditions;
Proven
track record in securing new funding opportunities; and comprehensive knowledge
of strategic assessment, and the ability to distinguish and identify funding
opportunities for large, urban school systems;
Knowledge
of federal, state, and foundation grant-making trends, funding requirements, and
grant development criteria;
Ability
to analyze and make recommendations regarding grant proposals and report
development process; and considerable knowledge of the grant proposal
development;
Demonstration
of exceptional written and oral communication skills; excellent interpersonal,
and group communication skill; as well as strong collaboration skills;
Must
be able to display willingness to make decisions; exhibit sound and accurate
judgment; support and explain rationale for decisions; include appropriate
people in decision-making process; and make timely decisions;
Considerable
independent judgment and action, outstanding skills in critical analysis and evaluation;
Comprehensive
knowledge of research and data analysis competencies are required; and possess the ability to accurately analyze and determine
implications of data;
Ability
to plan and coordinate the work of a variety of personnel to complete group
projects; and
Ability
to develop a quality work product within tight time constraints.
EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:
Bachelor’s Degree required;
Master’s Degree preferred from an accredited college or university in
education, business/public administration; communications or a related field. A minimum of four
(4) years of successful experience in strategic planning and grant program
design for systemic programs and initiatives; including experience in writing
and developing effective competitive proposals and analyzing complex data.
CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:
None Required.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:
No direct supervisory
responsibilities. Will frequently
collaborate with contributing staff within the organization.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS:
The physical demands are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to stand, talk, hear, walk, sit, and use fingers, tools or controls. The employee is occasionally required to reach with hands and arms and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision such as to read handwritten or typed material, the ability to adjust focus, and depth perception. While performing the duties of this job, the employee may occasionally push or lift up to 25 lbs.
WORKING ENVIRONMENT:
The work environment characteristics are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of the job.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
None.