Director, Professional Personnel Development Center for Career and Technical Education (PPDC)

Pennsylvania State University University Park, PA Full-time Education

Posted on April 18, 2024

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Director, Professional Personnel Development Center for Career and Technical Education (PPDC)

The College of Education seeks to hire a director to lead the Professional Personnel Development Center for Career and Technical Education (PPDC). This is a non-tenure line teaching professor, full-time, 48-week faculty appointment funded annually from the date of hire with a strong likelihood of continued funding. Full university benefits apply. The University offers a competitive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, numerous health and wellness programs and resources, and much more. The College of Education is committed to supporting the work-life balance of its faculty members. Penn State has a strong commitment to the diversity of its workforce, and we encourage applications from individuals in historically underrepresented groups.

The PPDC, funded by the PA Department of Education (PDE) since 1978, supplies courses and outreach services to prepare high-quality teachers and administrators of PA secondary career and technical education (CTE, formerly known as “vocational education”) schools. The PPDC is an interdisciplinary project with offices and academic affiliation in the Workforce Education and Development Program in the College of Education and the Agricultural Extension and Education Program in the College of Agricultural Sciences.

The center's services include:

Advising and qualifying individuals transitioning from trade and professional careers to teaching; planning and delivering credit-generating courses for early career teachers and administrators as well as non-credit programs for practicing teachers;
teaching and mentoring new teachers in CTE settings;
disseminating instructional resources;
facilitating professional learning communities;
promoting CTE Teaching as a career option for young people and mid-career adults.

The Director provides overall leadership of the center's vision, strategy, and daily operations in concert with the university's land-grant mission and the contracted objectives of the sponsor. The Director is responsible for grant development and accountability, budgeting and spending, human resources, outreach, and promotion of the PPDC.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Lead faculty and staff to develop, implement, and enhance university courses and non-credit professional development outreach services that address the needs of professional educators in Pennsylvania's CTE schools and fulfill the expectations of the center's sponsor, PDE.
Create and maintain an environment that facilitates a highly productive, innovative, and collaborative team committed to professional teacher development and PDE's objectives.
Administer and manage daily operations of accountability for grant funding, budgeting and spending, human resources, and promotion of the center.
Represent, promote, and advocate for the PPDC within the Colleges and University, and PDE representatives, CTE teachers and administrators, professional associations, and other CTE teacher preparation providers and stakeholders within and beyond Pennsylvania.
Cooperate with the PPDC Executive Director of Workforce Development Outreach and the Assistant Director to ensure the center's courses facilitate flexible educational and career pathways for career and technical educators.
Collaborate with academic affairs of the Workforce Education and Development Program.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required qualifications include a minimum of a master's degree or higher (doctoral degree preferred) in Career and Technical Education, Workforce Education, or a related field; and a minimum of 4 years of relevant experience. Knowledge and experience in grant writing, management, reporting, and CTE teacher preparation and professional development, coupled with familiarity with Pennsylvania and US CTE delivery systems, best practices, laws, and trends, are required. Additionally, the preferred candidate should possess knowledge and skills in budgeting, team building, project design, problem-solving, and creative thinking.

APPLICATIONS

Applications must include the following:

A detailed letter that addresses how your interests and experiences relate to the responsibilities of the position including advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion.
An up-to-date curriculum vitae.
A list of four (4) professional references with their contact information (name, title, affiliation, email address, phone). Top candidates will be informed before contacting references.

Incomplete applications will not be considered.

The position will be open until it is filled. Review of application materials will commence on May 10, 2024. While the start date is negotiable, July 1, 2024, is preferred. For nominations and inquiries, please contact Dr. Mark Threeton at mdt177@psu.edu.

Apply online at https://psu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/PSU_Academic/job/Penn-State-University-Park/Director--Professional-Personnel-Development-Center-for-Career-and-Technical-Education--PPDC-_REQ_0000054440

CAMPUS SECURITY CRIME STATISTICS: For more about safety at Penn State, and to review the Annual Security Report which contains information about crime statistics and other safety and security matters, please go to http://www.police.psu.edu/clery/, which will also provide you with detail on how to request a hard copy of the Annual Security Report.

Penn State is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer, and is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.

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