Utah Valley University · 14 hours ago
Program Director - PBL, Excelerate and Empowered
Orem, UT
Full-time
Onsite
Mid, Senior Level
$63K/yr - $74K/yr
5+ years expUtah Valley University is seeking a Program Director to join their Project-Based Learning team and lead the growth of high-impact, applied project-based learning programs. This role involves providing strategic and operational leadership while supporting students, faculty, and project clients in designing and delivering meaningful, real-world project-based experiences.
EducationFinanceProfessional ServicesBusiness Development
Responsibilities
Leads the overall planning, coordination, and execution of UVU's PBL summer programs, including Excelerate, Empowered, and other related initiatives. Provides direction and oversight to ensure alignment with institutional goals, student success outcomes, and engaged learning priorities. Initiates, facilitates, and oversees faculty collaboration, student mentorship structures, and external partner engagement to drive project and program success. Creates this vision and guides the design and delivery of program operations, including student recruitment planning, course coordination, mentoring events, and development of key program components. Leads staff in developing systems, manuals, and processes that support consistent program operation and scalability. Directs the organization of professional training sessions, career readiness workshops, and project-based learning seminars to enhance participant experience. Supports faculty and project collaborators in building meaningful project partnerships that enrich student learning. Resolves challenges and facilitates solutions across internal departments and community partnerships to ensure student success and project alignment. Supervises and mentors program staff and student employees, fostering a collaborative culture that advances innovation, accountability, and excellence
Builds and sustains strong partnerships across UVU departments, colleges, and external organizations to strengthen project-based learning opportunities and enhance program visibility. Develops and maintains systems for partner communication, student enrollment tracking, project documentation, and course coordination. Ensures accurate, timely maintenance of databases for student participants, courses, projects, partners, and contacts. Cultivates ongoing communication and collaboration with students, faculty, industry partners, and community organizations to promote program participation and deepen relationships. Represents UVU's PBL programs in meetings, events, and collaborative efforts, serving as a liaison between internal and external stakeholders. Identifies and addresses participation or partnership challenges to strengthen collaboration and enhance overall program impact. Coordinates across units to promote program visibility and connect PBL initiatives to institutional marketing, recruitment, and engagement goals
Directs program evaluation in line with overarching PBL vision and direction. Creates avenues for impact reporting to ensure data-informed decision-making and continuous program improvement. Leads the collection, analysis, and interpretation of program data from students, mentors, and faculty to evaluate outcomes and identify trends. Prepares reports, project summaries, and presentations that highlight the success of student projects, partner collaborations, and program growth. Uses data to inform strategy, communicate program value, and guide improvement of operations, systems, and partnerships
Other duties as assigned
Qualification
Required
Graduation from an accredited institution with a bachelor's degree in a related field and five years of progressively responsible experience in higher education, program leadership, partnership development, or project-based/experiential learning; OR a combination of relevant education and experience totaling seven years
Demonstrated understanding of project-based learning strategies and experiential learning practices that support student engagement and career readiness
Knowledge of project management fundamentals and the project lifecycle within academic and co-curricular programs
Working knowledge of student success programs, including summer bridge, first-year experience, and mentorship-based initiatives
Working knowledge K-16 education pathways and student transitions from K-12 to higher education
Experience with instructional design principles and curriculum-aligned programming
Knowledge of Utah Valley University systems, policies, and academic program operations
Demonstrated ability to coordinate and deliver project-based learning programs and initiatives aligned with institutional goals
Ability to collaborate with and support faculty and external partners in designing and implementing effective project-based learning experiences
Proficiency in coordinating projects, including tracking timelines, deliverables, and program milestones
Experience supporting student employees and mentors through training, coaching, and ongoing day-to-day oversight
Strong organizational skills related to program operations, documentation, and record-keeping to ensure consistency and accountability
Effective written and verbal communication skills for working with students, faculty, staff, and external partners
Ability to develop reports, summaries, and presentations to inform program evaluation and continuous improvement
Ability to manage competing program priorities and deadlines while operating within established guidelines and direction
Ability to work collaboratively across departments and with external partners to support successful program implementation and delivery
Capacity to apply sound judgment and independently address routine operational and programmatic challenges
Strong professional communication skills, both written and verbal
Ability to organize, plan, and adapt within fast-paced program environments
Preferred
Graduation from an accredited college or university with a master's degree in a directly related field, such as education, leadership, teaching, or organizational development, plus progressively responsible professional experience in program or partnership leadership
Company
Utah Valley University
Utah Valley University is a teaching institution which provides opportunity, promotes student success.
1001-5000 employees
H1B Sponsorship
Utah Valley University has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (9)
2024 (10)
2023 (4)
2022 (11)
2021 (16)
2020 (6)
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageTotal Funding
unknownKey Investors
Utah State Legislature
2021-11-11Grant
Leadership Team
Marilyn Stiborek Meyer
VP, People and Culture
Recent News
2026-01-16
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