Scholar Immersion Program (SIP) Online Program Manager

This is a remote position which requires occasional travel to the UCSC campus and to other locations within the United States for outreach.

HOW TO APPLY

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INITIAL REVIEW DATE (IRD)

UC Santa Cruz jobs are posted until filled. All application materials submitted by 11:59 pm on the IRD will be routed to the hiring team for consideration. NOTE: Applicants who miss the IRD are still encouraged to apply; their materials will still be forwarded for consideration if requested by the hiring team. Application materials cannot be accepted outside of the jobs portal. Applications cannot be edited on an applicant's behalf. For more information about the IRD and the applicant review process, view this link.

The IRD for this job is: 11-30-2026

ABOUT UC SANTA CRUZ

UC Santa Cruz is a public university like no other in California, combining the experience of a small, liberal arts college with the depth and rigor of a major research university. It's known as an unconventional place where innovation and experimentation is part of the campus's DNA. That playful, bold spirit still thrives today, all on a campus renowned as among the most beautiful in the world.

DEPARTMENT OVERVIEW

CREST is a department within the UCSC Silicon Valley Extension (UNEX) division. CREST's mission is to provide life-changing experiential learning programs that build self confidence, foster equity, and inspire impactful change in our world. CREST provides students and educators of all ages around the world access to experiential learning opportunities. CREST's programs include Shadow the Scientists (StS), Shadow Indigenous Worlds (SIW), Python and Research (PyaR), and the Scholar Immersion Program (SIP). More information can be found at https://crest.ucsc.edu/.

Under the general direction of the CREST Deputy Director, this position works to develop and oversee a new initiative being created and implemented in CREST, which is a new online version of our Scholar Immersion Program (SIP) planned to launch in summer 2027.

More information can be found at https://crest.ucsc.edu

JOB SUMMARY

In this inaugural role, the SIP Online Program Manager (PM) position supports a new initiative at UCSC CREST, Scholar Immersion Program (SIP) Online, which offers high school students aged 14-17 the opportunity to spend their summer participating in open-ended research with professors, post-doctoral students, undergraduate and graduate students alongside roughly 150 other scholars from around the state, the country, and the globe in an online experiential learning environment. In our in-person flagship program, SIP scholars have participated in research across 26 academic disciplines in all five academic divisions on our campus: Arts, Humanities, Engineering, Physical and Biological Sciences, and Social Sciences. We anticipate that scholars of SIP Online will also participate in projects across these fields when the modality suits the research project.

The PM will use their knowledge and skills as a seasoned, experienced educational program coordinator to perform the full range of duties and responsibilities within a high school focused, online experiential learning specialization. They will manage daily program activities, lead promotional and marketing strategy, support mentors and researchers during the summer as well as a pilot cohort of roughly 150 students, aid and assist with long-term program planning and evaluation, and assess situations as they arise and determine appropriate action or referral. They will work independently under general supervision to provide information and interpretation of complex policies, procedures and regulations, and identify and respond to student needs for programs, services, and crisis intervention.

APPOINTMENT INFORMATION

Budgeted Salary: $69,150 - $77,500/year. Salary commensurate with skills, qualifications and experience.
Under California law, the University of California, Santa Cruz is required to post a reasonable estimate of the compensation for this role. The salary shown above is the budgeted amount the University reasonably expects to pay and the salary extended should not exceed this posted amount.

Benefits Level Eligibility: Full benefits

Schedule Information:

• Full-time, Fixed
• Percentage of Time: 100%, 40 Hours per Week
• Days of the Week: Mon-Fri
• Shift Includes: Day

Employee Classification: Career appointment

Job End Date: None

Work Location: Remote. This is a remote position which requires occasional travel to the UCSC campus and to other locations within the United States for outreach.

Union Representation: SV Union

Job Code Classification: 005152 (STDT LIFE DEV SPEC 3 SV)

Travel: Up to 25% of the time

JOB DUTIES

30% - Program support

• Performs the full range of administrative activities year-round in support of the new online high school research program while in-session during the summer (tentatively late June through late July)
• Coordinates any changes, additions and/or cancellations to academic activities and events, including payment detail
• Monitors daily and weekly summer program attendance
• Provides administrative and logistical support as well as accountability for program mentors
• Coordinates and facilitates a final program closeout event
• Manages the program's email account, responds to phone inquiries throughout the year, maintains the program's website, and ensures customer service needs are met.
• Establishes operating calendar for upcoming program cycle, and manages event calendar.
• Supports team in annual review and update of all participant and program handbooks and manuals.

20% - Finances

• Tracks expenditures and maintains program budget in collaboration with the CREST Deputy Director.
• Reconciles program financial transactions against campus fiscal reports; reviews for accuracy and reports progress on a regular schedule and as requested; provides summary analysis.
• Processes direct payment forms, individual refunds, reimbursements, vendor payments, and agreement payments; obtains necessary approvals and supporting documentation.
• Inputs purchasing requests into a computerized financial information system to create purchase orders. Works closely with CREST Operations Coordinator to process invoice payments against purchase orders.

20% - Student recruitment, mentorship, and partnership development

• Builds out participant and mentor program applications in Campus Marketplace and/or RegPack systems, using other program applications as a reference.
• Strategically determines an outreach and admissions timeline in collaboration with CREST team.
• In collaboration with the CREST Deputy Director, continually improves and participates in the recruitment plan and application process for the high school participants. This includes serving as primary contact for all prospective students, parents, and teachers; planning and attending recruitment conferences and open house school events; and providing information about the program to maintain lasting partnerships with high school educators.
• Develops and maintains relationships with internal and external organization stakeholders critical to program success.
• Maintains communication with partners throughout the recruitment, application and acceptance process; builds on existing CREST relationships through teammate collaboration.
• Uses an application management system during admissions and enrollment periods; tracks applications and acceptances; manages student placement in the program and notifies them of their acceptance and placement; exports student data for various tracking and follow-up needs; sends request reminders for teacher recommendations, etc.
• Collects enrollment packets and ensures completeness; manages Sundry email accounts, library access, and lab safety training access.
• Maintains accurate CRM Data. Updates alumni contact information and records including college destination, attendance graduation, and current industry affiliations.

15% - Mentor recruitment, training, coaching and support

• Actively leads mentor hiring in collaboration with CREST Deputy Director and CREST Faculty Director.
• Participates in the onboarding and training of mentors (roughly 30 in pilot year).
• Facilitates individual and group meetings with program mentors and participants. Attends all team meetings, trainings, social programs, etc.
• Collaboratively and effectively resolves project progression issues with mentors and their faculty advisors.

10% - Case management and advising of program participants

• Provides ongoing transformational advising and development to student participants on a wide range of issues. Advises students on complex and sensitive issues.
• Guides student interaction with program leadership and represents students when appropriate. Coaches students on communication and leadership skills.
• Participates in the adjudication process for student conduct cases of moderate complexity. Interviews witnesses and writes up findings regarding alleged conduct violations. Consults with higher level professionals as needed.
• Independently resolves moderate complex cases regarding student affairs or student life.

5% - Training and development

• Develop and maintain professionally relevant skills through available training programs, reading and attendance at workshops.
• Participate in collaborative efforts with other programs at University Extension, University, industry, and other community organizations.
• Maintain knowledge of current campus systems and policies through regular ongoing training.
• Recommends new programmatic opportunities.
• Participates in long range planning and development of new initiatives.
• Other duties as assigned.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in related area and / or equivalent experience / training.
• Experience managing a program budget, monitoring expenses, and demonstrated ability to work within an established budget.
• Experience coordinating online programs.
• Experience in youth programming to advance the interests of underserved populations.
• Thorough knowledge of advising and counseling techniques.
• Thorough knowledge of Student Affairs / Student Life specialization.
• Effective project management skills.
• Critical reasoning and thinking skills necessary to identify problems and opportunities for improvements, develop original ideas to solve problems, if necessary, and exercise sound judgment in implementing decisions.
• Demonstrated cultural competency and humility with respect to gender, race, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, ability, religion, etc.
• Strong interpersonal skills, including leadership, engagement, negotiations, persuasion, conflict resolution, and providing constructive feedback.
• Strong verbal communication skills, including active listening, empathy, public speaking, presentation skills, etc.
• Effective writing skills used in emails, memos, correspondence, reports and analyses.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience leading experiential learning programs for diverse groups of high school students.
• Experience with research programs at UC Santa Cruz in coordination with campus support units.

SPECIAL CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

• Selected candidate will be required to pass a pre-employment criminal history background check.
• Selected candidate must pass the employment misconduct disclosure process.
• Ability to work long periods of time at a computer with or without accommodation.
• This is a fully remote position, and the selected candidate must be able to work successfully from a home/remote office and be able to fulfill the requirements of the UCSC telecommuting agreement.
• Must reside within the State of California.
• Ability to work a variable schedule.
• Ability to work occasional evenings and weekends as directed.
• Ability to respond to emergencies after hours as necessary.
• Ability to travel to multiple work locations on and off campus.
• Ability to travel within a defined regional or service area.
• Ability to travel nationally.
• Ability to travel internationally.
• Ability to maintain appearance and conduct suitable for working in a professional setting.
• Selected candidate will be required to complete training within established time frames as directed including UC compliance training.
• The University of California has implemented a Vaccination Policy covering all employees. Employees, including new hires, are required to comply with any applicable policies relating to the University of California vaccine program.
• Per the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act (CANRA), this position has been identified as a Mandated Reporter. The selected candidate will be required to report known or suspected child abuse or neglect as defined by CANRA and will be required to sign a Statement Acknowledging Requirement to Report Child Abuse prior to commencing employment. CANRA Penal Codes, and related definitions, requirements, and responsibilities may be obtained here.

MISCONDUCT DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENT

As a condition of employment, the final candidate who accepts a conditional offer of employment will be required to disclose if they have been subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct; received notice of any allegations or are currently the subject of any administrative or disciplinary proceedings involving misconduct; have left a position after receiving notice of allegations or while under investigation in an administrative or disciplinary proceeding involving misconduct; or have filed an appeal of a finding of misconduct with a previous employer.

• "Misconduct" means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant's previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, discrimination, dishonesty, or unethical conduct, as defined by the employer. For reference, below are UC's policies addressing some forms of misconduct:
  • UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy
  • UC Anti-Discrimination Policy
  • Abusive Conduct in the Workplace

SAFETY STATEMENT

All UCSC employees must understand and follow job safety procedures, attend required health and safety training, proactively promote safety at work, and promptly report actual and potential accidents and injuries.

NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY

EEO/AA

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status or other protected categories covered by the UC Anti-Discrimination Policy.

It is the policy of the University of California to undertake affirmative action and anti-discrimination efforts, consistent with its obligations as a Federal and State contractor.