General Summary:
Salish Kootenai College seeks a highly analytical and strategic Project Director to lead a short-term Strategic Initiatives and Institutional Readiness initiative that may lead to a more substantial project. This role is responsible for bridging the gap between education and employment for Native and rural youth by envisioning sustainable systems and coordinating external regional partnerships, especially those with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. A primary focus of this position is overseeing a campus-wide gaps analysis and provide collaborative reconsiderations for current organizational structures to ensure SKC is grounded in our mission, vision, values, and is operationally ready for multiple year implementation of sustainable education-to-employment frameworks and an accompanying capital campaign.
Key Responsibilities
1. Project Governance & Compliance
· Manage the project’s timeline, ensuring all milestones are met.
· Work closely with the Institutional Advancement, Institutional Effectiveness, the Executive Council, and the President to establish baseline metrics, program success, and verify outcome data.
· Act as the primary liaison for the AMB Family Foundation regarding technical reporting, budget management, and summative evaluations.
2. Oversight of Organizational Assessment
· Oversee the external contract this includes managing the evaluation of current administrative procedures and staffing structures, as well as facilitating focus groups across all SKC departments.
· Lead the collaborative synthesis of gathered data to identify institutional assets, and barriers. A primary focus will be evaluating how existing structures support or hinder the integration of "education-to-employment" pathways for Native and rural youth.
· Oversee the development of collaboratively determined recommendations for SKC’s organizational structure, prioritizing data collection and operational efficiency while remaining grounded in SKC’s Mission, Vision, and Values.
· Ensure all recommendations support the long-term goal of strengthening and sustaining campus-wide efforts and youth development offerings.
3. Capital Campaign & Sustainability Planning
· Partner with the President, Executive Council, and Institutional Advancement to lead the development of a Comprehensive Sustainability and Capital Readiness Plan.
· Identify and prioritize critical infrastructure needs for a future capital campaign, including housing, academic facilities, technology, workforce development centers, and dedicated cultural spaces.
· Contribute to the design of long-term sustainability models, prioritizing innovative campus resource utilization and community-based revenue streams.
· Lead the collaborative development of high-level briefing materials, case statements, and prospectuses to secure funding from potential philanthropic partners.
· Collaboratively prepare grant submissions and contracts to ensure the continued sustainability of this position, ongoing research efforts, and the education-to-employment pipeline for Native and rural youth.
4. Workforce & Academic Integration
· Coordinate collaboration between appropriate SKC parties, Montana Tribal Colleges, and the Montana University System to build on SKC’s current articulation agreements and dual-enrollment pathways.
· Support the management and expansion of regional employer partnerships to secure additional formal internship and apprenticeship agreements.
· Collaborate with appropriate SKC parties to support workforce readiness workshops and student engagement events (targeting 200+ students).
Minimum Qualifications (required)
· Education: Master’s degree and experience in Education, Leadership, Higher Education, Educational Leadership, Organizational Leadership, Development, Public Administration, Native American Studies, Leadership Development, and any Indigenous-centered or related field.
· Experience:
o Proven track record in coordination, leadership, organizational assessment, and/or change management in an Indigenous higher education setting.
o 3-5 years of experience in facilitation, project management, institutional advancement, Indigenous education/research, and/or leadership.
o Documented experience working with the Séliš, Ksanka, and Ql̓ispé communities, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, and/or in culturally diverse settings, with respect for local community and cultural protocols.
Preferred Qualifications:
· Preferred Qualifications:
o Doctorate or other terminal degree.
o Experience in Higher Education.
o Experience in capital campaign planning or large-scale institutional fundraising.
To apply you must submit an SKC application, cover letter, resume, three professional references and applicable transcripts to Human Resources, P.O. Box 70, Pablo, MT 59855 or email Venessa_sandoval@skc.edu David_miller@skc.edu Your application must include evidence that you have the skills, experiences and abilities indicated in this announcement. Applicants are asked to provide copies of academic transcripts and any other educational, training or applicable credential or license, which may support your application for this position.
The information you provide with your application and resume will be used as deciding factors in our employment process.
As an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer, we encourage applications from minorities, veterans and women. SKC is a tribal member preference employer as set forth in SKC policy. SKC is a drug free workplace.
All pre-hires must pass a drug test before formal hiring. THC is on the panel.
www.skc.edu – check us out – it’s a great place to work!