Activities Program Director Jobs in Florida (NOW HIRING)

Position Location:  This position is required to be in-person in Tallahassee, FL.

Organizational Unit

The Institute for School-Community Partnerships, Integrated Services, and Child Mental Health and Educational Policy (ISCP}, which is part of the College of Education, envisions that all schools in the state of Florida and nationally will have the capacity to provide a safe, effective, and efficient environment to continuously improve the academic, social, and emotional growth of all students and to actively engage families and communities in education. The ISCP's nearly $23 million budget is derived from grants from federal, state, and private sources. It is the mission of the ISCP to implement and evaluate research-based and innovative practices in school and community settings. This is accomplished through (a} training, technical assistance, and support to key partners; (b} community-engaged research and program evaluation to inform key partners' decision making; (c} the development of research and evidence-based documents, tools, and resources to support implementation and evaluation activities; and (d} supporting the infrastructure and capacity of key partners to implement and evaluate federal and state educational policy. 

Position Summary

The Director supports Strategic Improvement initiatives and has the responsibility to provide direction and oversight of the specific federal program(s}. This position has full administrative responsibility, under the direction of the Bureau Chief, State Grant Director and Vice-Chancellor for Strategic Improvement, for: oversight of staff, program development and implementation, as well as the monitoring of the project budget. The Director must be productive and facilitate meeting deadlines, balance multiple and competing priorities and maintain goal-directed behavior and high performance. The Director must interact professionally with all stakeholders while demonstrating, modeling, and reinforcing the Department's fundamental values of quality, fairness, cooperation, respect, commitment, excellence, honesty and teamwork. This position is grant funded.

Working at USF

With approximately 16,000 employees, the University of South Florida is one of the largest employers in the Tampa Bay area. We are dedicated to cultivating a talented, engaged and driven workforce that strives to be bold. Employees excel in USF's rich academic environment, which fosters their development and advancement. In 2025, Forbes recognized USF as one of Florida's best large employers, ranked No. 1 among the state's 12 public universities. Our first-class benefits package includes medical, dental and life insurance plans, retirement plan options, employee and dependent tuition programs, generous leave, and hundreds of employee perks and discounts.

About USF 

The University of South Florida is a top-ranked research university serving approximately 50,000 students from across the globe at campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota-Manatee and USF Health. USF is recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a top 50 public university and the best value in Florida. U.S. News also ranks the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine as the No. 1 medical school in Florida and in the highest tier nationwide. USF is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), a group that includes only the top 3% of universities in the U.S. With an all-time high of $738 million in research funding in 2024 and as a top 20 public university for producing U.S. patents, USF uses innovation to transform lives and shape a better future. The university generates an annual economic impact of more than $6 billion. USF's Division I athletics teams compete in the American Athletic Conference. Learn more at www.usf.edu.

Compliance and Federal Notices

This position may be subject to a Level 1 or Level 2 criminal background check.

Applicants have rights under Federal Employment Laws: 

The University of South Florida is an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment based on any characteristic protected by law.  The University maintains programs for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities in accordance with all applicable federal and state laws.

Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

Applicants for USF employment are entitled to request reasonable accommodation(s) in the application process. A request is to be made at least five (5) working days prior to the time the accommodation(s) is needed. Visit the Central Human Resources ADA Accommodations webpage for more information on requesting an accommodation during the application/interview process.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The University of South Florida is an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment based on any characteristic protected by law.  The University maintains affirmative action programs for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities in accordance with all applicable federal and state laws.  This job description does not constitute an employment contract.  

NOTE:  This position is required to be in-person in Tallahassee, FL.

Minimum Qualifications: This position requires a Bachelor's degree in a field directly related to the program responsibilities and seven years of professional experience; or Master's degree and 5 years of professional experience. 

Degree Equivalency Clause: Four years of direct experience for a bachelor's degree.
Senate Bill 1310- The Florida Senate (https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2023/1310) is conditional upon meeting all employment eligibility requirements in the U.S.
SB 1310: Substitution of Work Experience for Postsecondary Education Requirements
A public employer may include a postsecondary degree as a baseline requirement only as an alternative to the number of years of direct experience required, not to exceed:
(a) Two years of direct experience for an associate degree;
(b) Four years of direct experience for a bachelor's degree;
(c) Six years of direct experience for a master's degree;
(d) Seven years of direct experience for a professional degree; or
(e) Nine years of direct experience for a doctoral degree
Related work experience may not substitute for any required licensure, certification, or registration required for the position of employment as established by the public employer and indicated in the advertised description of the position of employment.
Minimum Qualifications that require a high school diploma are exempt from SB 1310.

Preferred Qualifications: Degree should be in education or a related field given the need to work with school, district, and state personnel to implement federal and state educational policy. Administrative and grant management experience needed to carry out essential job duties (3 years of administrative experience). 

Requires: Criminal History Background Check - Level 1 
Requires: Criminal History Background Check - Level 2

Special Requirements:  This position is required to be in-person in Tallahassee, FL.

Responsibilities

Lead federal program development and oversight. These duties include developing and reviewing program applications and amendments; establishing and maintaining a budget that reflects the goals of the FDOE to meet the needs of the federal program; facilitating the collection and review of data relative to the federal program to improve outcomes annually; and ensuring program compliance with organizational, state and federal rules and regulations. 

Monitor school district compliance with federal program requirements. These duties include facilitating the review of applications (including plans, budgets, deliverables [if applicable] and other documents) submitted by stakeholders, the development of annual Tier I and II compliance monitoring activities, and the performance of real-time monitoring and reporting requirements. 

Facilitating and providing training, technical assistance, guidance, and support to FDOE and school district personnel. Guidance and support are provided in the following areas in coordination with Assistant Program Directors and staff: grant management, compliance with federal and state rules and regulations. Directors also facilitate training and technical assistance on a variety of topics that relate to the federal program(s) to build FDOE and school personnel staff capacity to implement educational policies and practices. These activities occur through face-to-face (e.g., school district site visits, conferences) and virtual (e.g., conference calls, webinars) platforms. 

Supervise and manage federal program staff. These duties include directing the operation, management, and hiring of staff; completing timely performance appraisals for direct reports; developing work plans for staff (plans include objectives and scope and details of tasks to be performed); and approving monthly attendance and leave for each position under their direct report. 

Performs other duties as assigned.