Director, Aerospace Education Programs

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

Aerospace Education Program Strategy and Engagement (approximate 75% of effort):

• Develop and execute comprehensive vision, policies, and strategies to grow and sustain CyberPatriot and StellarXplorers programs; particularly identifying and cultivating new revenue streams for future program growth.

·         Establish key performance indicators and reporting tools to measure progress and/or success of established programs.  

·         Supervise and develop Cyber Patriots and StellarXplores staff.

• Maintain a robust network with local school administrators and pertinent entities within the network of educators, mentors, and family members in support of the local programs. 

·         Work with AFA’s staff, Field and Membership Relationship department to liaison with and inform AFA’s chapter and field leaders on program activities.

• Provide regular inputs to the Executive Vice Present and President of AFA regarding challenges and opportunities that exist for AFA within the broader state and local education systems, with special focus upon Department of Defense, Department of the Air Force, defense industry contacts and interested parties.   
• Build and maintain essential partnerships at the national, state, and local government levels to garner support and participation for Aerospace Education programs.
• Serve as the national and international face and voice for CyberPatriot and StellarXplorers; actively recruit, retain, and build program support and participation through various AFA communication channels.
• Maintain issue awareness regarding all pertinent aerospace defense issues, with special emphasis on stakeholder interests from the view of the Department of the Air Force, individual members of the Air Force and Space Force, aerospace industry, aerospace science and technology community, and the broader policy and budget vantage.
• Maintain a robust network in the Department of Defense, Department of the Air Force, Congress, defense industry, broader policy and budget community, and defense media to inform and shape key aerospace defense decisions.
• Serve as the overarching AFA liaison on all matters related to Aerospace Education programs and the respective advisory boards for CyberPatriot and StellarXplorers. 

Support Air Force Association and Mitchell Institute programs (approximate 20% of effort):

·         Maintain necessary professional networks to facilitate issue expertise, subject matter currency, subject matter expert access, fundraising capability, and general mission execution.

Other Duties as assigned (approximately 5% of effort):

·         Other duties as projects as assigned.

WORKING CONDITIONS: 

·         Works out of Air Force Association’s headquarters in Arlington, VA. 

·         Office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday to Friday, subject to modification based on the needs of each program or site. 

·         Operates in a professional office environment with travel to local offices, community partners, and events. 

·         Routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, copiers, filing cabinets and fax machines. 

·         Must be able to travel (5%) and work overtime as required. 

Physical Demands: 

The position requires sedentary work (sitting most of the time with no adverse environmental exposure) and occasional exertion of up to 25 pounds of force occasionally and/or negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects. The position also includes the following physical requirements: 

·         Movement. The employee in this position needs to occasionally move about inside the office to access file cabinets, office machinery, etc. 

·         The employee in this position needs to be able to operate a computer and other office productivity machinery such as a copy machine and printer. 

·         The employee is required to communicate and hold verbal conversations with others by means of the spoken word. Employee must be able to exchange accurate information in these situations. 

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

REQUIRED JOB QUALIFICATIONS

Education and Experience Requirement(s):

·         Bachelor’s degree or minimum 15yrs equivalent work experience

Education and Experience Preferred: 

·         Master’s degree

·         Experience with national security community or in the Department of the Air Force and aerospace industry.   

Certifications & Licenses:

• None

Department Core Competencies: 

Technical Competencies (IT) 

Problem-Solving 

Event Planning 

Business Acumen 

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Required:

• Demonstrated ability to lead at the executive level.
• Demonstrated knowledge of national defense and aerospace industry issues to provide analysis and strategic courses of action to develop and excite future STEM graduates in cyber and space disciplines.   
• Experience developing and ability to grow an extensive professional network between military staffs, broader education communities, and aerospace industry partners.
• Ability to set strategy and goals for events, and to deploy organizational, management, planning and presenting skills effectively.
• Able to exercise discretion with senior leaders in defense and industry with the handling of information that is formative, pre-decisional, or proprietary.
• Knowledge of and experience to build and maintain strong external partnerships with local, state, and federal agencies, AFA chapters, industry, and academia.
• Strong policy research and analysis skills.
• Strong written and oral communication skills to present strategic analysis for advocacy
• Strong time management skills and ability to prioritize work and meet long-term and short-term deadlines.
• Strong judgment/decision-making skills and political acumen.
• Experience overseeing a budget and budget administration.
• Strategic policy leader who can guide aerospace STEM education programs and act as the voice for AFA throughout education, industry, and military enterprises.
• Able to exercise project management and planning principles and practices
• Demonstrated ability to be honest and ethical in work.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office with extra focus on Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.