Postdoctoral Scholar - Research Associate at University of… · Los…

Summary: The University of Southern California's Office of Student Accessibility Services (OSAS) is dedicated to ensuring equitable access for students with disabilities. The Lead Specialist will manage a caseload of students, provide training, and collaborate with faculty to ensure compliance with disability-related laws and effective service delivery. Responsibilities: - Maintenance of a caseload of several hundred students with disabilities - The individual in this role is expected to attend and/or lead weekly documentation review meetings - Training Specialists on their designated service area and the accommodations that typically apply to students in that area - Ability to determine fundamental requirements of USC courses and programs in collaboration with USC faculty and programmatic departments - Offer targeted presentations to campus partners in a variety of modalities (in-person, Zoom, hybrid) on OSAS policies and processes - Documentation review and caseload management in a manner that is legally compliant, student-centered and reflective of best practices in the field - The Lead Specialist will be adept in discussing accommodations and limitations of students with diagnosing clinicians - The individual in this role must exhibit effectiveness in understanding and applying disability-related laws to accommodation and service delivery, as well as to issue identification and problem-solving - All OSAS staff are expected to maintain student records in accordance with FERPA guidelines - In addition, the successful candidate must demonstrate, through ideas, words and actions, a strong commitment to USC’s Unifying Values - This role will also cross-train to be additional support in one or more primary services or programs provided by OSAS and will be a significant contributor to strategic departmental projects - This may include data collection and high-level reporting to support division needs Required Qualifications: - Master's degree in a relevant field (i.e. Disability Studies; Counseling Psychology; Special Education; Rehabilitation Counseling; Higher Ed Administration/Student Affairs; etc.) - Three years working with students with disabilities in a higher education setting - Combined experience/education as substitute for minimum education - Knowledge of, or ability to quickly learn, understand, and apply disability-related laws (i.e. ADAAA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act) to routine accommodation and service delivery, as well as to basic issue-identification and problem-solving - Maintain student records in accordance with FERPA guidelines - Knowledge of operating systems (PC, Mac) - Adeptness with basic office software (Microsoft Office Suite), email (Outlook), and internet - Ability to format in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint - Knowledge of Google Drive, SharePoint and/or OneDrive - Comfort and ability to learn department database to access, update and edit student records - Demonstrated ability to work effectively as part of a team, as well as independently - Commitment to ensuring the on-going, successful functioning of the unit via day-to-day and longer-term operations - Willingness to assist staff as needed - Excellent written and interpersonal communication skills demonstrated across a wide range of populations (e.g. students, faculty, academic department contacts, University and Division staff, as well as the OSAS staff) - The ability to adapt to various communication styles and maintain professionalism in the face of challenging communications - Exhibit discretion with private and/or confidential student, staff, or other departmental information - Sound professional judgment, exhibited in areas including, but not limited to: raising issues to the appropriate team member(s), effective prioritization, responsiveness, proactivity, assisting students in distress, safety measures on behalf of the office, etc - Proven ability to successfully manage and shift between multiple competing priorities, complete necessary work by established deadlines, and provide quality assurance to all deliverables - Demonstrate attention to detail, effective issue identification, excellent organizational skills, trouble-shooting and problem-solving skills and proactivity in work and communication - Ability to deliver high quality, time-sensitive work and operate effectively in varying levels of intensity within the department Preferred Qualifications: - Doctorate Degree in a relevant field (i. e. Disability Studies; Counseling Psychology; Special Education; Rehabilitation Counseling; Higher Ed Administration/Student Affairs; etc) - 5 years working with students with disabilities in higher education - Additional experience with teaching, law school, external work placement accommodations, peer mentorship programming is preferred to contribute to other programmatic needs Required Skills: Disability-related laws, FERPA compliance, Student records management, Microsoft Office Suite, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Drive, SharePoint, OneDrive, Department database management, Higher education student services, Judgment, Project Management