Assistant Director of Fellowships - Division of Student Success - UTK

About the job

Undergraduate Research & Fellowships (URF) is responsible for UT's centralized undergraduate research programming and nationally competitive fellowships student support services. URF's work is grounded in a  belief that undergraduate research and the pursuit of competitive fellowships can activate, for all students, purposeful exploration through which they can develop key skills, cultivate strengths, and expand, clarify, and strategically pursue their goals and unique vision for improving their communities, from the campus to the global.

The Assistant Director (Fellowships) will work alongside the Assistant Director (Research), the Associate Director and the Director, as well as its numerous faculty and staff partners, in service of one of URF’s objectives: to identify, advise, mentor, and develop a robust pool of candidates for nationally and internationally competitive awards. The Assistant Director should possess a demonstrated commitment to working effectively with high-achieving students and faculty across academic fields and backgrounds, as well as superior skill in writing, rhetoric, and composition, as evidenced by literary, journalistic, or scholarly publications and/or successful grant applications. The Assistant Director will also spearhead activities to further raise awareness of nationally competitive awards among students, faculty, and staff.

Responsibilities

Management of Competitive Application Processes and Applicants

• Serve as the primary lead on the Fulbright US Student Grant application process by setting a strategy, timeline, and internal review process. Work with the Director, Associate Director, and other team members to ensure all applicants have access to advising resources.  Advise a significant caseload from recruitment through submission, including leading students through grant/country selection, managing one-on-one and cohort-based review processes, and developing/refining written application components. Management also includes building strong relationships with faculty/staff recommenders to encourage timely completion of all recommendations and language evaluations, as well as creating creative, often in-the-moment solutions to common student roadblocks to successful application submission.

• Teach a 1-credit course each spring focused on successful application completion and focused primarily on the Fulbright US Student Grant.

• Using strong student advising, project management skills, and a Clifton Strengths-based approach, manage or a portfolio of awards from recruitment through submission. Awards may include CLS, Goldwater, Knight-Hennessy, Schwarzman, Marshall, or other awards, based on preferences and experience. Assistant Director is responsible for process/student management from start to finish, identifying key characteristics of successful applicants for each award, strategizing to determine effective recruitment efforts at a large (R1) institution, establishing relationships with faculty and student groups from which to recruit, meeting regularly with applicants to lead competitive application development, and leading students through the submission process.

• Lead student review panels to make difficult decisions regarding student nominations; provide insightful, objective feedback regarding student progress to the Associate Director and Director to facilitate important decisions regarding the advancement of candidates for top awards.

• Use creativity, student-centered design, and prior experience to envision, build, evaluate, and manage multiple Canvas sites to develop uniform advising standards for the Office. Lead the office in researching and advancing strategies for the successful management of large application cohorts.

• Envision, design, lead, and evaluate writing workshops, writing retreats, and other student-facing support to successfully manage large cohorts.

Management of Pipeline Development and Communications

• Develop, maintain, and expand strong relationships with faculty, departments, and student-supporting offices across campus to recruit and retain top fellowship candidates. This may include building existing relationships, but it will often involve identifying underrepresented colleges or departments, creating outreach strategies, establishing new contacts, and expanding the reach of the office through careful and considered promotion of Office functions.

• Attend and speak at campus events, class sessions, department meetings, and other venues to promote awards and the ongoing student development benefits of applying for competitive awards.

• Work with office and campus partners to create and maintain a robust pipeline of future applicants.

Office Leadership and Support

• Supervise one URF Coach including mentorship, development, and annual reviews. Collaborate closely with Assistant Director of Research and second URF coach. During times of high-volume activity, position may supervise a part-time seasonal employee.

• Provide URF office-wide support as needed, especially during peak seasons. For example, the Assistant Director will lead or participate in written candidate evaluations and nomination letters, mock interviews, and major campus events, including Discovery Day and EUReCA.

• Support the URF office sponsored grant processes each term, reviewing and scoring applications

• Contribute to URF mid-year and annual reports. Aid in decision-making regarding data collection, evaluation metrics, and reporting strategies.

• Manage data collection and data maintenance for several hundred fellowship applicants annually.

• Encourage and support completion of the Vol Edge for all undergraduates.

• Serve as a leader in positive office and divisional culture

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Education:

• Master’s Degree

• Experience:

• 2-3 years of professional experience supporting the academic pursuits and intellectual development of college or high school students. Examples of relevant professional experience include, but are not limited to, teaching positions or advising experience in the context of fellowships, study abroad, honors, undergraduate research, writing support, TRiO programs, or academic or career services.  Graduate assistantships in a relevant area noted above, and postgraduate experience working, studying, teaching, and/or conducting research abroad, such as through a nationally competitive fellowship (e.g., Fulbright), can be considered as part of a candidate's body of relevant professional experience.

• Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

• Experience teaching writing in 1-on-1 and/or group/workshop settings

• Superior skill in written communication

• Experience with public speaking and/or teaching

• Experience exercising sound judgment/discretion/confidentiality

• Demonstrated ability to work well and remain composed under pressure during high-volume times of the year

Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis without need now or in the future for sponsorship for employment-based visa status.

Preferred Qualifications

• Education:

• Doctoral Degree

• Experience:

• Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

• Experience advising nationally competitive fellowship applicants

• Knowledge of experiential learning in a higher education context, such as international education, undergraduate research, service-learning, and internships

• Demonstrated ability to take direction, initiate action, develop ideas, and work as a collaborative team member

• Experience creating, updating, and maintaining resources/documents/virtual courses in support of student writing and/or development

• Demonstrated ability to effectively challenge, support, and develop rapport with talented students across all disciplines and career interests

• Experience using Microsoft Office suite

• Experience using Canvas

Work Location

• Location: Knoxville, TN

• Onsite

Compensation and Benefits

• UT market range: MR10

• Anticipated hiring range:

• Find more information on the UT Market Range structure here

• Find more information on UT Benefits here

Application Instructions

****To express interest, please submit an application with the noted below attachments. To be assured of full consideration, completed applications with all requested materials should be submitted.

• Resume

• Cover Letter

About Us

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has shaped leaders, changemakers, and innovative thinkers since its founding in 1794. The university is home to more than 38,000 students and 10,000 statewide employees—the Volunteers—who uphold the university’s tradition of lighting the way for others through leadership and service.

UT Knoxville offers over 900 programs of study across 14 degree-granting colleges and schools. As Tennessee’s flagship land-grant university, its footprint spans the entire state. The university holds the highest Carnegie classification for research activity and has deep partnerships with industry leaders and the US Department of Energy’s largest multidisciplinary laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

The Knoxville campus serves and recruits for UT Knoxville, including the Institute of Agriculture and the Space Institute, as well as the UT Institute of Public Service.

UT Knoxville considers its employees its number one asset. With values that focus on work-life balance, compensation, and innovation leadership, all Vols are supported to advance professionally. Employees have access to career development and coaching, continued education, and an extensive list of development and training possibilities. The Volunteer employee experience implements structures and practices to attract and retain top-tier talent, fostering a strong staff community and supporting a culture of involvement and engagement for everyone.

The university holds a strong commitment to its land-grant mission of learning and engagement, with a tradition of service and leadership that carries that Volunteer spirit throughout the state and around the world. It has been ranked nationally as “Best Employer for New Graduates,” “One of America’s Best Large Employers,” and “Best Workplace for Women,” and has been designated as “Best Place for Working Parents” by Forbes Magazine.

Apply today and join the Tennessee Volunteer community!

Additional Information

• Job Identification: 10604
• Job Category: Student Services
• Posting Date: 2026-11-03
• Job Schedule: Full time
• Locations: 1412 Circle Drive, Knoxville, TN, 37996, US ()