Program Coordinator, Professional Development

Duke University:

Duke University was created in 1924 through an indenture of trust by James Buchanan Duke. Today, Duke is regarded as one of America’s leading research universities. Located in Durham, North Carolina, Duke is positioned in the heart of the Research Triangle, which is ranked annually as one of the best places in the country to work and live. Duke has more than 15,000 students who study and conduct research in its 10 undergraduate, graduate and professional schools. With about 40,000 employees, Duke is the third largest private employer in North Carolina, and it now has international programs in more than 150 countries.

Position Summary

The position reports to the Assistant Dean for Graduate Student Professional Development within the Graduate Student Affairs (GSA) team. This individual plays a critical role in graduate student success through communication, program administration, and event planning to support students’ professional development needs, celebrate the accomplishments of the school’s students and faculty, and maintain strong alumni connections after students graduate. This position is responsible for communication efforts for professional development initiatives as well as coordinating communication for the broader GSA unit.

OrganizationalCharacteristics

The Professional Development Coordinator is one of eight regular, full-time staff members in the Graduate Student Affairs unit: an associate dean who leads the unit, three assistant deans, two senior program coordinators, and two program coordinators. In addition, the unit includes one graduate student intern and one work-study student. Full-time team members of Graduate Student Affairs are currently eligible for a hybrid work schedule; this option is subject to change based on departmental needs.

ProfessionalDevelopmentandGraduateStudentAffairsCommunications(50%)

• Prepare weekly professional development newsletters by curating and compiling content and distributing with the school’s preferred newsletter software (currently iContact). Select and create, as needed, images and graphics to enhance communications efforts, using university-wide communications resources as well as Canva and other tools. As relevant, coordinate with other GSA team members as well as the school’s Academic Affairs and Communications teams to share information with students, faculty, and staff through this newsletter.

• Assist in targeted marketing efforts for professional development programming with departments/programs, student organizations, and alumni through channels such as the GPSG newsletter, Duke events calendar, LinkedIn, the Duke Alumni Network, and others.

• Facilitate student connections with alumni through the Alumni Profiles series; ensure accuracy and quality of final profiles before publication.

• Maintain website content for GSA and professional development areas.

• Maintain updated content in Duke OPTIONS, the school’s online professional development planning tool.

• Manage digital and physical publications and their updates for the GSA team.

• In coordination with the school’s Communications team, review analytics to inform and improve communication strategies.

• Build relationships with departments and students to identify content for sharing through print and electronic mediums, such as program accomplishments, student stories and research, and other highlights of the Duke Graduate School experience

• Help to create, market, and facilitate information sessions and other publicity to promote GSA and professional development initiatives.

• Collaborate with the school Communications team on high touch-projects and special event coordination, e.g., photo shoots for Dean’s Awards, and special guest visits related to GSA and professional development programming

• Help to develop alumni-facing communications in coordination with Alumni Engagement and Development

• Respond to queries sent to general email addresses for GSA and professional development

ProgramAdministration(35%)

• Lead the annual Dean’s Awards process in collaboration with the school’s Academic Affairs and Communications teams. Coordinate timelines for announcements and communications, facilitate the collection and vetting of nominations, coordinate selection committees, manage financial awards, and help to announce and celebrate winners of the Dean’s Awards.

• Prepare Professional Development Grant proposal materials for selection committee and Dean’s review, coordinate funding transfers, and maintain records.

• Manage updates and distribution of the Mentoring Toolkit, including a user-friendly, portable handout as well as a digital download format. Track Toolkit use and collect feedback from users to continuously improve this resource.

• In coordination with the Assistant Dean for Professional Development and other GSA team members, develop new workshop offerings that address topics of relevance to graduate students and graduate faculty

• Formulate materials and resources that supplement, expand, or replace existing program components

• Support GSA Liaisons & Graduate Student Affairs Advisory Committee initiatives by maintaining updated minutes and rosters. Track topics of concern and prepare updates for group members between meetings.

• Coordinate administrative support for the Dean’s Graduate Fellowship (DGF) selection process, using SLATE to create and manage queries and Excel to prepare and manage data (esp. pivot tables, formulas) for the selection committee members. Compile and analyze information and prepare reports prior to and following selection meeting.

• Support professional development workshops for the University Center of Exemplary Mentoring (UCEM), including the preparation workshop series for the UCEM Research Summit.

• Track student attendance in professional development workshops and programs.

• Collect and compile evaluation and assessment feedback on professional development workshops and programs, preparing reports as requested.

• Work closely with the GSA Senior Program Coordinator for Assessment and Inclusive Excellence to analyze data, identify trends, and implement changes to programming and resources in response to evaluation and assessment.

• Track alumni engagement with professional development initiatives.

• Manage purchasing and reconciliation administration for professional development area

• Support the outreach efforts of the GSA team by maintaining an inventory of communications collateral and recruiting assets. Review needed items with the GSA Senior Program Coordinator for purchasing consideration by Associate Dean.

• Maintain inventory of office supplies and office equipment for the GSA team.

• Assist in monitoring budget for GSA unit; verify and reconcile expenditures of program accounts

• Represent GSA in school-wide monthly DGSA Onboarding events

• Serve as part of the GSA rotation for front desk lunchtime coverage and as needed

Event Planning and Coordination (15%)

• Plan major events that connect students with alumni, celebrate outstanding members of the school’s community, and provide intensive professional development experiences, including the annual Dean’s Awards celebration, The Graduate School’s Homecoming event, and the University Center of Exemplary Mentoring (UCEM) Research Summit.

• In collaboration with the GSA Senior Program Coordinator, provide support for signature events such as New Graduate Student Orientation and the PhD Hooding Ceremony.

• Provide support for the Assistant Dean for Professional Development and, as requested, GSA team to ensure that meeting and event needs are met on time, with student communication, logistics, and deliverables carried out as desired.

• Perform other related duties incidental to the work described herein.

Preferred Qualifications

• • Previous communications-focused experience in higher education highly desirable

  • Outstanding written and verbal communication skills

  • Experience in planning events and celebrations for 100+ attendees

  • Excellent independent organizational and project management skills, with the ability to organize work well, manage distractions and multiple demands, and maintain outstanding attention to detail.

  • Demonstrated competence in working with diverse student populations

  • Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to work cooperatively and collegially in a team-oriented environment

Skills

• Ability to provide guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting standards and monitoring performance.

• Skills using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions to problems.

• Skills evaluating program performance, summarizing findings, communicating results, and forming an action plan.

• Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, and coordination of people and resources.

Minimum Qualifications

Education

Work requires analytical, communications and organizational skills generally acquired through completion of a bachelor's degree program.

Experience

Work requires one year of experience in program administration or OR AN EQUIVALENT COMBINATION OF RELEVANT EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE involving academic, instructional or counseling activities to acquire skills necessary to plan, coordinate and implement a variety of program activities and events.

Job Code: 00002321 PROGRAM COORD
Job Level: 10

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