Principal Digital Navigator

Summary: The Center for Digital Equity, in partnership with the Ageless Access Initiative, is seeking a Principal Digital Navigator to provide specialized digital navigation services for aging adults and consult with organizations that serve this population. This hybrid role combines direct service delivery with organizational consultation, leveraging the Ageless Access Digital Navigator Toolkit. The position is full-time and reports to the Digital Navigator Program Director at the CDE. This role is vital to supporting digital inclusion for aging adults through a combination of personalized assistance and strategic community collaboration. This position is a grant funded full-time benefit eligible positions and are expected to continue through September 23, 2025.

Location: Must live and work in Pembroke and Wilmington and surrounding counties- Richmond, Scotland, Hoke, Robeson, Bladen, Columbus, Pender, New Hanover, Brunswick

This position is exempt from the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and is not eligible to earn overtime pay for hours worked above 40 in a single work week. This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include:

Digital Navigation Services:

• Provide personalized digital navigation services through in-person, telephone, email, and text communications.
• Initiate, receive, and return contact with clients seeking assistance with internet access, technology use, and device needs.
• Assess and confirm each client’s technology access, digital skill level, connectivity needs, and internet use priorities.
• Advise clients on affordable home internet service options, assist with applications, and support them in securing services.
• Guide clients in sourcing affordable computers or devices and assisting with repairs as needed.
• Coach clients to effectively use their home internet services, referring them to additional digital literacy training if required.
• Track client progress, maintain accurate records, and report outcomes using the CDE Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system.
• Plan and manage client assistance to achieve their objectives, ensuring compliance with policies and procedures.

Consultation with Community Providers:

• Collaborate with partner agency staff to create and refine digital equity plans, aligning organizational programming with the needs and goals of aging adults.
• Understand and address the digital literacy needs, barriers, and goals across a spectrum of aging adults.
• Consult with organizations serving aging adults to implement best practices in digital skills programming.
• Utilize existing digital skilling pathways to enhance aging adult access to local, state, and national resources, particularly in areas such as social connection.
• Facilitate digital connection and learning opportunities that are person-centered, accessible, and adaptable to changing needs.
• Use specially designed tools and templates to make digital skills programming more relevant and responsive to aging adults.

Resource Management:

• Maintain and update knowledge base and tools to enhance service delivery and ensure they remain relevant to the aging population.
• Collaborate with the Operations team to ensure effective data management in the CRM system.

Community Engagement:

• Participate in community meetings and events to foster engagement and understand team interactions with residents.
• Lead efforts in mapping digital resources and identifying community partners to support aging adults.
• Attend relevant meetings and coordinate with fellow Digital Navigators to enhance program

Non-Essential Duties:

• Other duties and special projects may be assigned to meet department and/or university needs.

Experience, Knowledge and Skills Required:

• Proven experience in managing individuals to achieve team goals.
• Ability to create space for effective team collaboration and input.
• Demonstrated professionalism, judgment, and leadership, with the ability to step into leadership roles as needed.
• Ability to learn and teach basic technological concepts related to internet services, devices, and online applications.
• Familiarity with CRM systems, Microsoft Office, and other digital tools.
• Strong self-organization, language capacity, and cultural competency.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to establish trust with diverse clients and community members.
• Creative problem-solving skills and the ability to handle stressful situations positively.
• Experience in customer service performance and balancing multiple priorities.
• At least two (2) years’ program management experience, project management and/or nonprofit management
• 1-3 years’ experience in nonprofit program development and/or training
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Note:

Don’t meet every qualification listed? We encourage you to apply anyway! Research shows that marginalized communities—such as women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and people of color—are less likely to apply for roles unless they meet every single requirement. At the Center for Digital Equity, we are committed to fostering an inclusive, diverse, equitable, and accessible environment where everyone feels a sense of belonging. If you’re passionate about our mission but your experience doesn’t perfectly align with every qualification in the job description, we still encourage you to apply. You might be the perfect fit for this role or another opportunity with us!

Application Process
Does this sound like a good fit? Click on the green “I’m interested” button and submit:

1. A cover letter addressing the position qualifications and experience
2. Current résumé
3. Salary requirements
4. Contact information for three professional references.

Applications received by November 15, 2024, will receive first consideration. Queens will continue to accept applications until the position is filled.

About Queens University of Charlotte

Located in the heart of the nation’s second fastest growing metropolitan area, Queens University of Charlotte leverages the city’s diverse and thriving environment as an extended classroom. Nationally recognized for undergraduate programs in international and interdisciplinary education, Queens blends the best of liberal arts learning with professional preparation and community engagement. Focused on supporting success for diverse learners, faculty build close and collaborative relationships with students and help them build intentional and individualized roadmaps for flourishing at Queens and beyond. At the graduate program level, the University offers innovative educational experiences that help learners advance professionally and retool for new opportunities. Our environs afford faculty myriad opportunities to advance their own professional growth and teaching and research interests by collaborating with vibrant industry, non-profit, and community organization sectors. 

Because of our history of innovation and our legacy of strong leadership, Queens is positioned to be among the new forerunners of American higher education. This is a defining moment for Queens. While other institutions are focused on sustaining and surviving, we are thinking much bigger. 

Institutions that understand what is needed and are willing to reimagine what is possible can position themselves to thrive and strengthen their market position after the pandemic with innovative approaches that are deeply connected to the world and its greatest challenges. 

By 2030, Queens aspires to become the leading, private, national university of Charlotte with deep, meaningful, and reciprocal connections to the needs of our local community and economy; inventive and multidisciplinary academic programs that are connected to the world’s most pressing challenges and biggest areas of opportunity; a fully connected, integrated, and innovative set of experiences that support holistic wellness and wellbeing; a culture of continuous improvement and investment that enables faculty and staff to flourish and achieve their full potential; and a comprehensive approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion that begins on campus and radiates throughout the community. 

Queens University of Charlotte aims to be a leading comprehensive university, distinguished by its commitment to transforming the lives of its students and enhancing the intellectual and cultural fabric of its community. Queens is a campus where diversity, equity, and inclusion are core values. The mission of Queens is to provide transformative educational experiences that nurture intellectual curiosity, promote global understanding, encourage ethical living, and prepare individuals for purposeful and fulfilling lives. To this end, the University recruits talented faculty, staff, and students from across the United States and around the world. Queens encourages applications from women, people of color, people with disabilities, and members of other protected classes and historically minoritized communities. The University also invites applications from individuals who are prepared to provide a rich and varied educational experience to our increasingly diverse student body and to collaborate with colleagues to make Queens an equitable and inclusive place to live, learn, and work. 

Queens works to provide an accessible living, learning, and working environment for current and prospective faculty, staff, and students and visitors to our campus. If there are accommodations, we can provide to make your application process more accessible, please contact the Director of Human Resources ([email protected], 704-337-2297). The position duties and responsibilities listed above should be able to be completed with or without reasonable accommodations. HR works in partnership with employees to manage the workplace accommodations process. 

Benefits

Queens offers comprehensive benefits to eligible employees, including: medical, dental and vision insurance, domestic partner benefits, a 403b retirement plan, with two options (pre-tax or post-tax (Roth) contributions) with a generous match, vacation and generous paid holidays, tuition remission and tuition exchange, Queens-paid life insurance, supplemental life insurance, dependent life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment insurance, disability insurance, flexible spending accounts (medical, dependent care, Health Savings Account), sick leave and long-term disability leave, paid parental leave, FMLA leave when eligible, reduced cost meals at Morrison Dining Hall, employee assistance program (EAP), free access to the Levine Center, wellness programs. In addition, employees may choose benefits such as pet insurance, critical care insurance and legal assistance.