The Assistant Director of Community-Engaged Research (CER) provides strategic and operational leadership for UROP's community-engaged research portfolio, including oversight of the summer Detroit Community-Engaged Research Program (DCERP) and the year-long Community-Engaged Research Program (a small program situated within the larger UROP program). This role manages reciprocal community and campus partnerships; designs and delivers curriculum, training, and student development supports; and ensures community-engaged research practices reflect U-M standards for ethics, equity, accessibility, and impact. The Assistant Director also contributes to UROP's shared, centralized operations and supervises peer instructors across both CER and non-CER seminar sections to ensure a consistent, high-quality UROP learning experience.

Reporting relationship: Reports to UROP Associate Director of Mentor Engagement

Supervises: Peer instructors (undergraduate student staff)

Appointment: 12-month, 100% effort; occasional evenings/weekends and local travel (e.g., Detroit) required

Essential Duties & Responsibilities (100%)

1) Oversight: Detroit Community-Engaged Research Program (DCERP) - Summer (20%)

• Provide end-to-end program management for DCERP, including annual planning timeline, staffing, partner engagement, curriculum/training schedule, and day-to-day summer operations.
• Coordinate with Detroit-based community partners and U-M units to support project scoping, logistics, communication norms, and reciprocal deliverables.
• Lead student onboarding, orientation, and summer learning supports (e.g., ethics of engagement, positionality, community partner communication, reflection).
• Ensure appropriate documentation and agreements are in place (e.g., partner expectations, student conduct and safety guidance, data stewardship practices).
• Oversee DCERP assessment (student learning outcomes, partner feedback, program improvements) and contribute to annual reporting.
   

2) Oversight: Year-Long Community-Engaged Research Program (Within UROP) (20%)

• Direct the year-long Community-Engaged Research Program within UROP, including recruitment strategy, selection/onboarding processes, and program design
• Support students and mentors through the full project lifecycle: project definition, relationship-building, research methods planning, implementation, and dissemination.
• Coordinate program milestones (kickoff, check-ins, midyear review, end-of-year presentations/deliverables) and ensure alignment with overall UROP requirements.
• Maintain strong coordination with UROP leadership so the year-long CER program integrates smoothly with UROP-wide policies, calendars, and student supports.

3) Community-Engaged Research Pathway Leadership & Partnership Stewardship (20%)

• Develop, maintain, and continuously improve UROP's CER curriculum, expectations, and quality standards across DCERP and the year-long CER program.
• Cultivate and steward partnerships grounded in reciprocity, transparency, and equity; facilitate partner onboarding and communication cadence.
• Consult with faculty/staff mentors and community partners on project scope, feasibility, mutual benefit, risk/ethics considerations, and conflict resolution.
• Coordinate with relevant campus resources (e.g., community engagement support units, IRB guidance resources as appropriate) to align supports and strengthen pathways.

4) Instructional Design, Training, and Facilitation (10%)

• Create and deliver training for students, peer instructors, mentors, and partners on CER practices (power dynamics, culturally responsive research, ethical engagement, communication, dissemination).
• Develop reusable materials (Canvas modules, toolkits, templates, reflection prompts, rubrics) and ensure accessibility and inclusive teaching practices.
• Facilitate workshops as assigned within UROP's curricular structure.

5) Supervision of Peer Instructors (Including Non-CER Sections) (15%)

• Recruit, hire, onboard, schedule, and supervise UROP peer instructors/facilitators, including those leading non-community-engaged seminar sections (e.g., research fundamentals, lab/research pathway support).
• Provide coaching on facilitation, inclusive pedagogy, classroom management, and student support boundaries; observe sessions and deliver actionable feedback.
• Coordinate peer instructor professional development and ensure core UROP content is consistently delivered across CER and non-CER sections.
• Conduct performance evaluations, manage coverage needs, and escalate concerns in coordination with UROP leadership.

6) Centralized UROP Program Operations & Shared Responsibilities (15%)

• Contribute to UROP's shared operational needs, which may include:
  • Program-wide orientation and onboarding, placement/matching workflows, and key events (symposium/showcase, poster preparation, celebrations).
  • Centralized communications (student/mentor/partner messaging, deadlines) in coordination with UROP staff.
  • Maintenance of shared resources (web content, handbooks, FAQs, templates) and alignment of calendars across program components.
• Provide general student advising/referrals within scope and connect students to appropriate campus resources as needed.
   

• Bachelor's degree and relevant experience in community engagement, higher education/student programs, program management, or related field (or equivalent combination).
• Demonstrated experience with community-engaged work (e.g., partnership-based programming, service-learning, participatory research).
• Experience supervising staff and/or student employees (or substantial coaching/leadership experience).
• Strong facilitation and stakeholder management skills; ability to navigate complex collaborations with clarity and care.
• Demonstrated commitment to equity-centered practice and inclusive student development.

• Master's degree in a related field.
• Experience designing curriculum/training and using an LMS (e.g., Canvas).
• Familiarity with research ethics, IRB considerations, evaluation/assessment, and/or data stewardship in community contexts.
• Experience working with Detroit-area organizations and/or place-based programming.
• Experience in a large research university environment and cross-unit collaboration.

Positions that are eligible for hybrid or mobile/remote work mode are at the discretion of the hiring department. Work agreements are reviewed annually at a minimum and are subject to change at any time, and for any reason, throughout the course of employment. Learn more about the work modes.

Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven calendar days. The review and selection process may begin as early as the eighth day after posting. This opening may be removed from posting boards and filled any time after the minimum posting period has ended.

The University of Michigan is an equal employment opportunity employer.