Assistant Director, The Office of National Fellowships (ONF)

This position will be posted until filled. Priority review will be given to applications received by August 21, 2026.

Pay Grade: 30E

Context of Job:

The Office of National Fellowships (ONF) at the University of Delaware seeks an Assistant Director to support the recruitment, advisement, and scholar development of students applying to nationally and internationally competitive awards. Established in 2025 under the Provost’s Office, ONF is designed to increase student knowledge of, access to, and participation in high-quality fellowship opportunities through innovative and diverse programming, direct student advising, support of faculty mentors, assessment, and the recognition of outstanding student performance. ONF’s work is grounded in the belief that student engagement in the nationally competitive award space and close student mentoring can activate purposeful exploration that allows students to at once expand and clarify their ambitions and vision for the future.

At the University of Delaware, ONF leads the fellowship effort by providing individual, targeted advising, information sessions, workshops, and presentations; by creating tailored resources, such as essay writing guides and Canvas sites; and by managing campus endorsement procedures. ONF collaborates with faculty, staff, departments, colleges, and units across campus to identify and support undergraduate and graduate students in their applications to nationally competitive fellowships.

The Assistant Director will work closely with the Associate Director and Director of ONF to recruit and support applicants for a range of fellowships including the Fulbright, Gilman, NSF GRFP, Goldwater, Boren, Rhodes, and Marshall, among others, based on their subject expertise, interests, and student demand.

Major Responsibilities 

• Meet with promising students seeking general and introductory fellowship advising, both in-person and virtually, to help them assess their potential as candidates, strengthen their individual candidacies, and place fellowships within the context of their academic and professional goals.
• Provide individual orientation to and feedback on the application process for students actively applying to fellowships by mentoring them on essay composition, interview preparation, and other skills appropriate to award requirements.
• Provide scaffolded and iterative feedback on students’ written application materials.
• Under the guidance of the Associate Director and Director, deliver programming and presentations from preexisting materials, including information sessions, writing workshops, bootcamps, and retreats that support the composition of competitive fellowship applications.
• Provide support for fellowship application resources, including Canvas sites, presentation slides, writing guides, orientation videos, and interview tutorials.
• When assigned, serve as a point of contact for scholarship foundations and their representatives.
• Represent the University of Delaware as an active member within the National Association of Fellowships Advisors and remain current with standards, trends, data, and technologies related to fellowship support.
• Under the guidance of the Associate Director and Director, assist with the design and delivery of surveys to assess and refine the student experience with ONF.
• Under the guidance of the Associate Director and Director, assist with collecting and analyzing data to assess ONF operations and campus impact.
• Provide miscellaneous support during peak fellowship seasons.
• Contribute to the continued maintenance and expansion of the ONF website and Canvas learning sites.
• Maintain the monthly fellowship newsletter for students.
• Under the guidance of the Associate Director and Director, coordinate email outreach and maintain email lists.
• Serve as primary administrator of the ONF email account.
• Handle logistics, including reserving rooms and ordering supplies, when organizing events such as endorsement interviews, mock interviews, writing retreats, and information sessions.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree required and two years of related work experience.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience working directly with academically exceptional, first-generation, and limited-income students alike.
• Ability to work effectively and collaboratively with individuals from all backgrounds to promote equity and access, foster inclusion, and effect positive change.
• Knowledge of best practices in writing pedagogy at the college level and the ability to design programming, advise, and provide critical feedback to its best effect.
• Ability to remain organized, composed, and detail-oriented under the pressure of deadlines.
• Public speaking skills necessary to present to large and diverse audiences, especially students.
• Ability to take direction, initiate action, develop ideas into initiatives, and work as a highly collaborative team member.
• Ability to leverage data and student systems technologies to make informed, timely decisions.
• Strong organization, project management, problem-solving and time management skills.
• Must be available and willing to work occasional evenings and weekends as required for events and programming.