Teacher Education Program Specialist

Western Washington University, with over 15,000 students in seven colleges and the graduate school, is nationally recognized for its educational programs, students and faculty. The campus is located in Bellingham, Washington, a coastal community of 90,000 overlooking Bellingham Bay, the San Juan Islands and the North Cascades Mountain range. The city lies 90 miles north of Seattle and 60 miles south of Vancouver, British Columbia. Western has additional sites in Anacortes, Bremerton, Everett, Port Angeles, and Poulsbo. Western is recognized nationally for its successes, such as being named one of the top public master's-granting institutions in the Pacific Northwest for 25 years in a row by U.S. News & World Report.

Western Washington University is committed to achieving excellence through advancing inclusive success, increasing our Washington impact, and focusing on transformational education grounded in the liberal arts and sciences and based on innovative scholarship, research, and creative activity. Western's greatest strength is the outstanding students, faculty, staff, and alumni/ae who make up its community. Western supports an inclusive governance structure for all and provides a learning and working environment in which everyone can thrive. In pursuit of this excellence, individual employees are expected to establish and maintain productive and effective inclusive working relationships amongst diverse populations including staff, faculty, administration, student, and external constituents. Further, individual employees are expected to have the ability to operationalize sustainability concepts (economic, societal, environmental) into all aspects of performing their job duties.

The Teacher Education Program Specialist provides support for Western Washington University on the Peninsulas by supporting program outreach and recruitment, managing student admissions and advising, and providing administrative support for teacher education programs on the Peninsulas. Serving as a primary point of contact for students, community partners, and faculty, this position helps strengthen enrollment and student success while representing WWU in the region. This is a highly collaborative position, working with multiple departments and a local team of programmatic support colleagues. This is a face-to-face position with limited remote work opportunities. This position will be based in Bremerton, but have regular The typical schedule for this position will generally be 9AM – 5:30PM Monday – Thursday and 8:30AM – 5:00PM on Fridays. There will be occasional weekend and evening hours to support program needs as well as regular time spent on the Poulsbo campus to support team building, recruitment and outreach.

Job Duties/Responsibilities:

Outreach and Recruitment (35%)

• Serve as the primary contact for prospective students for all Peninsulas teacher education programs, including Early Childhood Education and Education for Inclusive Environments; provide information about transfer pathways, admission requirements, and program opportunities.
• Support enrollment growth on the Peninsulas through collaboration with local WWU Peninsulas colleagues as part of a dynamic team.
• In collaboration with WWU Peninsulas staff, develop, coordinate, and implement program recruitment activities, including information sessions, campus visits, and participation in regional fairs and other outreach activities to support both specific teacher education programs and more general WWU Peninsulas recruitment efforts.
• Track metrics for assigned/attended outreach and recruitment activities in collaboration with WWU Peninsulas outreach staff to gauge success of events.
• Build relationships with local and regional community colleges including Olympic and Peninsula Colleges, K-12 schools, and workforce partners to increase visibility and engagement.
• Collaborate with WWU Peninsulas Marketing and program leadership to ensure accurate content for recruitment materials across websites, digital and social media, and promptly communicate any programmatic changes or updates.
• Provides and organizes data related to admissions, marketing and recruitment and program growth
• Utilize Slate and other WWU systems to track prospective student outreach and follow-up to encourage application completion, adhering to service standards for a consistent student experience.
• Represent WWU Peninsulas and Teacher Education programs at community and regional events, occasionally during evenings or weekends.

Student Admissions, Advising, and Support (35%)

• Employ good judgement and behavioral interviewing skills to provide clear information to help students determine their appropriate and best pathway to becoming an educator by understanding personal motivations and sharing program details, job prospects and graduation outcomes that put students first.

• Guide students through the admissions process, including application completion, transcript review, and program eligibility requirements, communicating timelines, deadlines and missing information as needed.

• Partner with Olympic College staff and faculty to facilitate student completion of the reverse DTA as needed.

• Meet WWU operational service standards for timely communication with all student inquiries that come from a variety of sources, utilizing common/shared email and data systems and appropriate WWU programs including Navigate, DegreeWorks and others to ensure transparency and consistency throughout the student journey.

• Supports student information and advising systems, such as cohort Canvas sites, and coordinates information across programs as needed

• Create and maintain accurate transfer guides for program pathway programs.

• Provide advising on prerequisites, transfer strategies, and degree completion planning

• Support students with registration, scheduling, course overrides, graduation related forms and processes

• Monitor student academic progress; advise on petitions, academic standing, and retention strategies, communicating to lead faculty/program director as appropriate.

• Connect students with financial aid, scholarships, career services, and support resources to ensure progression.

• Assist with practicum/internship placements and compliance documentation, including WIS and background check procedures.

• Manage student clearances in collaboration with the University Certification Office and advise students on state policies for certification.

• Support students through the graduation application and completion process.

• Collaborate with WWU Peninsulas senior leadership to provide regular enrollment reports and accurate student data for assigned programs.

Administrative Support (20%)

• Coordinate new student orientation, quarterly schedules, textbooks and classroom reservations, cohort gatherings, graduation events, and other program activities to support student onboarding and retention
• Assist students and faculty with the appropriate forms, including WWU forms and any necessary partner college forms
• Provide tenured/tenure track and non-tenure track faculty support with travel, classroom logistics/booking, course evaluations, and new instructor onboarding as needed
• Maintain student records and databases in appropriate WWU systems; manage admissions and enrollment reporting.
• Adhere to all WWU policies and procedures necessary to perform the role successfully
• Coordinate with Bellingham departments for contracting NTT faculty as necessary
• Serve as liaison with Bellingham campus offices (Admissions, Certification, Registrar, etc.).

Special Projects and Other Duties as Assigned (10%)

• Bachelor’s degree and 2 years’ full-time professional work experience post bachelor's degree or equivalent education/experience
• Demonstrated ability to create and maintain positive working relationships with multiple stakeholders
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Proven experience working effectively with diverse populations.
• Demonstrated ability to embrace ambiguity and operate flexibly in a rapidly changing working environment
• Proven ability to initiate and complete tasks independently, on time and with a high level of accuracy
• Ability to convey information clearly, professionally and effectively in presentations and meetings
• Experience successfully managing multiple priorities with varying deadlines
• Eagerness to contribute to the success of a high-functioning and highly collaborative team
• Ability to work in person, on campus, up to 5 days per week to serve student needs
• Ability to work occasional evenings and weekends
• Experience with Microsoft Office 365

• Bachelor’s degree in education or related field
• 4 years’ professional work experience
• Prior experience with Slate, Salesforce, Hubspot or other CRM
• Familiarity with university systems such as Slate, EAP Navigate. Banner, and SAP Concur.
• Experience working in a satellite or community college setting.

Application materials should address your experience related to the position responsibilities and the required and preferred qualifications.

Western Washington University (WWU) is an equal opportunity employer. In compliance with applicable laws, WWU does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, national origin, age, citizenship or immigration status, pregnancy, use of protective leave, genetic status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, creed, religion, veteran or military status, disability or the use of a trained guide dog or service animal (including a service animal in training) by a person with a disability, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law, in its programs or activities, including employment, admissions, and educational programs. See WWU’s Policies on Prohibiting Discrimination Based on A Protected Class and Prohibiting Discrimination Based on Sex. Inquiries may be directed to the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance, Title IX and ADA Coordinator, Western Washington University, Old Main 126 (MS 9021), 516 High Street, Bellingham, WA 98225; 360.650.3307 (voice) or 711 (Washington Relay); crtc@wwu.edu

WWU is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. To request this document in an alternate format or to request an accommodation, please contact Human Resources Disability Services, 360.650.3751 or 711 (Washington Relay).

Annual Security and Fire Safety Report: This report is provided pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act ("The Clery Act"). It includes statistics for the previous three calendar years concerning reported crimes that occurred on Western's campus; in certain off-campus buildings or property owned or controlled by Western; and on public property within, or immediately adjacent to and accessible from, the campus. The report also includes institutional policies concerning campus security, such as policies concerning alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, the reporting of crimes, sexual assault, and other matters. You can obtain a copy of this report in printed or alternate formats by contacting the Office of Student Life at student.life@wwu.edu. The report can be found at: Annual Security and Fire Safety Report.

All new employees must comply with the immunization policy and show employment eligibility verification as required by the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Service before beginning work at WWU. A thorough background check will be conducted on all new hires which includes a sexual misconduct background check.