Education Development Center (EDC) is one of the world’s leading nonprofit research and development firms.  EDC designs, implements, and evaluates programs to improve education, health, and economic opportunity worldwide. Collaborating with both public and private partners, we strive for a world where all people are empowered to live healthy, productive lives.

EDC is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Women, minorities, people with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply.

The Health Promotion, Practice, and Innovation Portfolio, within EDC’s US Division, has an opening for a 75%- time Trauma Specialist (Training & Technical Assistance Associate II) reporting to the Associate Director, on the Trauma Recovery, Mental Health Promotion, & Violence Prevention Team to be based in or near Columbia, SC, as a telecommuter / virtual-based position. A strong candidate has been identified.                                       

This is a part-time and benefits-eligible position which involves three main roles: (1) project management (2) delivering trauma-informed and suicide prevention-focused training workshops to community groups including teachers, faith leaders, and other community leaders and (3) providing consultation and virtual coaching to school staff and community leaders who need consultation or have questions about how to apply approaches to their specific situations. As such, this person is expected to bring a high level of competence in training and teaching a diverse range of professionals, professional experience in working on community-based projects and initiatives, and experience in working with diverse groups of citizens.  The ideal applicant will have expertise in training in contextual areas of trauma-informed education and/or community approaches, and in either mental health screening and treatment or suicide-prevention focused work; project management experience (e.g. tracking of deliverables, reporting to funders, operations support across projects), and excellent interpersonal skills. The role also includes public speaking and professional coaching on issues of trauma-informed approaches, suicide prevention, and mental health resilience through high-profile webinars, virtual events, and post-COVID (when safe) in-person events.

Experience and interest in working with culturally and racially diverse and under-resourced communities is essential. Personal knowledge of South Carolina and several geographic areas of the state is also preferred.

The ideal candidate will be an experienced and engaging trainer/educator, an excellent communicator, and will be excited to travel and meet partners and stakeholders across the state (in line with EDC travel policy/COVID restrictions). The ideal candidate will be detail-oriented, organized, and interested in engaging in strategy discussions and in being a core member of a team supporting a variety of trauma, mental health, and violence prevention projects. 

 ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

The person in this position is expected to communicate clearly and courteously; to develop and maintain positive relationships with clients, consultants, collaborators, co-workers, field sites, and funders; and to work respectfully with EDC colleagues. The job requires adherence to EDC policies & procedures.

Under general guidance, the Trauma Specialist (Training & Technical Assistance Associate II) provides professional development training and technical assistance; to complex and high-impact projects, involving:

• Leading external relationship-building, stakeholder engagement for project
• Designing, facilitating, and leading external consultations, webinars, presentations, and meetings with external partners in the community and across counties
• May lead virtual community of practice learning sessions with diverse audiences
• Coordinating project management and tracking of project deliverables
• Applying best practices in adult learning to facilitate trainings and conduct train-the-trainer sessions
• Expert researching and needs assessment skills
• Writing and editing instructional materials
• Leading dissemination of information
• Modeling and leading facilitation of adult learning and web-based learning
• Strategizing
• Consulting with specialists
• Developing presentations
• Coordinating proposal development and project implementation
• Developing innovative techniques
• Analyzing trends and identifying opportunities
• Performing or supervising fieldwork

The Training & Technical Assistance Associate II

• Promotes equity and opportunity in support of EDC’s commitment to diversity
• Delivers training of high quality to various audiences
• Builds knowledge and capacity of organizations and staff
• Facilitates project teamwork and feedback exchanges
• Expands contacts and strengthens client relations
• Coordinates contract and quality adherence
• Coordinates administrative and logistical tasks
• Troubleshoots complex problems, proposing initiatives and recommending or negotiating solutions
• Provides training, supervision, and guidance or administrative direction to junior staff; may supervise support staff
• May lead parts of a project or coordinate sections of larger projects
• May travel frequently, especially within the state of South Carolina with multiple trips a year outside of South Carolina in line with EDC travel policy/COVID restrictions
• Monitors current data, trends and policy development to inform ongoing project work and new business

In summation, this position requires project management, content knowledge, stakeholder relationship building, excellent communication skills; educational achievement; excellent writing skills; demonstrable initiative, creativity, and flexibility; ability to work independently and effectively in groups; and strong interpersonal & organizational skills. Specific requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree required or equivalent combination of training and education in a related field, 7-10 years related experience in the disciplinary area, social science or public health research, education, training, curriculum design, consulting, organizational development or administrative management, including experience with computer applications, instructional design, and Internet research preferred
• Master’s degree, educational certification or PhD or equivalent combination of training and education in a related field, with 5-8 years related experience (as above) preferred
• Familiarity with multimedia techniques
• Some prior project leadership or supervisory experience preferred
• Must be able to travel regularly, throughout South Carolina and multiple times a year outside of South Carolina in line with EDC travel policy/COVID restrictions

Applications should be submitted directly through the EDC website (www.edc.org).  Please submit a thoughtful cover letter and resume. The cover letter should be a succinct statement of interest to include highlights of relevant qualifications and experience for the role. Note: applications without a cover letter will not be considered.

As an EOE/AA employer, EDC does not discriminate in its employment practices due to an applicant’s race, color, religion, sex, national origin, and veteran or disability status. EDC is a smoke-free workplace.