The University System of Georgia (USG) is one of the nation’s largest and leading public higher education systems. The USG is committed to creating a more educated Georgia that is prepared for the global, knowledge economy by increasing degree completion, ensuring academic excellence, spurring research and creativity, driving business creation, and making effective and efficient use of resources. The USG will accelerate our state’s higher education commitment to educational attainment, accountability, partnerships, performance, value, and global competitiveness. Our organizational core values are founded upon the principles of Integrity, Excellence, Accountability, and Respect.

USG Information Technology Services Building, Athens, GA. This is a virtual-attendance position with occasional in-person meetings and a flexible option to work in the office. When hired, employee must be, or become, a state of Georgia resident.

Affordable Learning Georgia (ALG) is an initiative to reduce textbook costs to USG students by supporting the implementation of affordable alternatives to expensive commercial textbooks, particularly Open Educational Resources (OER) and open textbooks, along with encouraging the use of electronic resources made available through GALILEO, Georgia's Virtual Library, as instructional materials.

The Program Manager, Affordable Learning Georgia assists in all management areas of the program, including the administration of Affordable Materials Grants, communications and outreach with all stakeholders such as USG instructional faculty, librarians, instructional designers, and administrators, in-person and virtual training in all areas of ALG for these stakeholders, and the administration of the USG repositories for Open Educational Resources. This position requires extensive knowledge of instructional design, metadata creation and maintenance, providing professional advice and assistance with the creation of new instructional materials, research and training on pedagogical practices with OER, and faculty development programming.

• Collaborates with the Program Director in planning strategies that will have a strong impact on textbook affordability across the USG, including but not limited to grant-making, partnerships, and collaborations.
• Provides guidance on instructional design to the initiative, to partners creating open educational resources (OER), and to grant teams.
• Coordinates the creation of new OER by partner organizations and assists in reviewing these resources with a focus on instructional design.
• Organizes and coordinates in-person and online professional development events on key topics related to Affordable Learning Georgia (ALG).
• Organizes and coordinates synchronous and asynchronous training for ALG grantees.
• Assists in inviting, reviewing, and responding to inquiries and proposals for ALG grants. Facilitates training in best practices for development of OER for grantees.
• Assists in managing active grants, assessing their progress, and tracking grant activity. Establishes and maintains effective relationships with current and prospective grantees.
• Assists in ensuring that sound financial controls are in place for each grant and that funds are spent wisely and according to grant agreements.
• Assists in the development of briefing papers and program- related reports that contribute to the understanding of new approaches, best practices, and issues in open educational resources.
• Assists in managing and producing communications content and publications including the ALG website, newsletter, social media, presentations, handouts, and reports.
• Participates fully in GALILEO and Affordable Learning Georgia life, including sharing best practices with colleagues and initiating and engaging in GALILEO-wide activities.
• Represents ALG at appropriate meetings, conferences, and site visits.
• Maintains a high level of working knowledge of current trends and developments in the appropriate instructional design, open education, instructional technology, assessment, and information technology areas by reading appropriate publications and attending related seminars, conferences, etc.
• Participates within national and international open education events and/or organizations and other avenues of influence, participation, and information gathering relative to supported services and the overall campus environment.
• Communicates with ALG Champions at each institution to ensure campus engagement and gather feedback on ALG activities.
• Activities and decisions are varied in nature, requiring the solving of both common and unusual problems.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

Bachelor’s degree in a related field and over five years related experience and/or training or equivalent combination of education and experience is required to perform this job.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES REQUIRED:

• Knowledge of existing and emerging methods and research within fields related to ALG, including open education, instructional design, and/or library and information science.
• Knowledge of the educational technology market and policy trends with the ability to assess a variety of technology related products/platforms/concepts.
• Knowledge of the key concepts underlying open educational resources, including ways in which they can promote teaching and learning.
• Experience leading and managing research in areas related to the program’s grant- making and an ability to implement work with limited staff support.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills in collaborating and communicating effectively with others.
• Flexible, clear strategic thinking and a strong desire to help ALG create impact using varied quantitative and qualitative means.
• Exceptional attention to detail necessary.
• Demonstrated exceptional analytical skills necessary for evaluating grants and proposals.
• Excellent communication skills, including the ability to write complicated documents quickly and well and communicate complex ideas to a variety of audiences.
• Independent initiative and a collegial spirit in sharing ideas and receiving feedback.
• Adaptable, flexible nature.
• Skills in facilitation, including the ability to identify common ground among groups of individuals with diverse backgrounds; advising, recommending, negotiating, exchanging information and troubleshooting; participating in and conducting meetings, and making presentations.
• Skills in project management, assessment, and reporting.
• Skills in reading, analyzing, and interpreting technical documentation and procedures manuals.
• Skills in collaborating with multiple constituents, interpersonal relations, and dealing with the public.
• Skills in oral and written communication.
• Ability to self-motivate, maintain a strong service orientation, and be flexible in a rapidly changing environment.
• Computer skills and knowledge of standard office equipment, office productivity software including word processors, spreadsheets, presentation software, publication software, and website content management systems.
• Familiarity with and knowledge of library and search technologies.
• Interest in and willingness to travel for meetings, presentations, and conferences.

Master’s degree in instructional design or library and information science or comparable degree with at least five years of experience in the profession. Experience working within or collaborating with a center for teaching and learning or library at a higher education institution.

Experience with accessibility work, including working with accessible resources and/or providing guidance on creating accessible resources.

Resume or curriculum vitae, cover letter, and a list of three professional references, all in either DOCX (Word, LibreOffice) or PDF (Acrobat) formats.
The salary range for this position is $67,125 - $83,906.