GRADUATE STUDENT SERVICES & POSTDOCTORAL SERVICES SPECIALIST

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The Academic Affairs (AA) team within the College of the Environment (CoEnv) Office of the Dean manages programs, initiatives, and events that serve hundreds of students and faculty across seven degree-granting units. The cross-college scope of the AA team affords opportunities to collaborate with departments and schools within the college and with key campus partners to leverage capacity and resources for highest impact. The AA team focuses on supporting the college’s academic units in delivering excellent courses, programs, and degrees; and in recruiting and retaining a diverse pool of academically outstanding students.

The Graduate Student and Postdoc Services (GSPS) Specialist leads the implementation and strategic innovation of college-wide graduate student programming, including:

• Events and services aimed at providing graduate students with additional professional and career development opportunities.
• Leveraging the community of unit-based Graduate Program Assistants (GPAs) to provide coordinated services across the college.
• Working with the unit-based Graduate Program Coordinators (GPCs) to coordinate and innovate centrally-delivered graduate student programming.

This position will also lead the implementation and strategic innovation of college-wide postdoctoral programming, including but not limited to:

• Events and services aimed at providing postdoctoral scholars with professional and career development opportunities.
• Building and leveraging the community of postdoctoral scholars across the college.
• Set, adjust, and manage priorities and stakeholder needs in a fast-paced environment in concert with college and unit-level leadership, and with the Graduate School. At any given moment, this position must be able to sort and (re)prioritize stakeholder needs, and make independent decisions about best use of time and resources to highest effect.
• Bring critical leadership to expanding the foundation of cooperative graduate student and postdoctoral scholar initiatives and events across the college. This position must forge strong alliances with relevant faculty and staff in all degree-granting and research units in the college, and must work seamlessly with these individuals and disciplinary communities to leverage unit-based work.
• Develop strong working relationships with all chairs/directors of degree-granting units in CoEnv, faculty GPCs, and staff GPAs.
• Maintain highly visible webpages highlighting the diversity of, and achievements of, graduate students and postdoctoral scholars.
• Work directly with the College’s graduate student and postdoctoral scholar communities to understand their needs beyond disciplinary specialties, and speak directly to recruitment, retention and career launching of these sectors of our academic and research community.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Implement and innovate college-wide graduate student and postdoctoral scholar programming, cooperative initiatives, and coordinated services. This area would include:

• Serve as a liaison to various student leadership groups and work to provide College support to student-led initiatives and programming.
• Maintain a current graduate webpage, and social media aimed at graduate students.  Maintain a current postdoc webpage.
• Lead regular meetings of GPAs to plan and implement college-wide graduate student recruitment and retention efforts, such as prospective student receptions and new student orientation events.  Serve as central liaison to the Graduate School and report updates and policy changes to GPAs and GPCs. Work closely with Associate Dean and GPCs to develop and refine policies to support graduate education within the college.
• Create and maintain a vibrant community of postdoctoral scholars across the College.  Serve as central liaison to the Graduate School Office of Postdoctoral Affairs.
• Manage the annual graduate student scholarships and research awards, and the College travel and meeting fund, including proposal solicitation, review process and fund allocation.
• Manage appointments for Teaching Assistants appointed by the Dean’s Office to support interdisciplinary teaching efforts, including the the “Engage: Communicating Science Effectively to the Public” graduate student-led course and speaker series.

Implement and innovate professional networking and career development initiatives and events. This area would include:

• Organize and manage professional development, networking, science communication, and career services programming and resources for graduate students and postdocs at a minimum of one event quarterly for each audience during the academic year.
• As needed, organize and manage regular online Zoom conversations and/or meet & greet events between graduate students and the Associate Deans; and between postdocs and the Associate Deans.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

• A Master’s degree in a STEM-related field (or equivalent experience) and/or 4 or more years of experience with:
• Providing student services, professional development, or career services to graduate students and/or postdoctoral associates.
• Working with university faculty.
• Event planning, implementation, and management experience.
• Quantitative data manipulation to provide outward reporting on a variety of metrics to include advanced Excel use and/or database design and use. Designing and implementing tracking systems to facilitate monitoring student trends and other data to manage decision making processes.
• Project management, especially involving cross-university teams and committees. Working with underrepresented populations, and able to effectively communicate across various demographics within and beyond the UW campus.

Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• A highly motivated self starter with an ability to set and meet goals and to multi-task and prioritize in fast-paced environments. A team player who can play both leading and a supporting role. Flexible to work evenings and weekends as needed.
• Strong communication, interpersonal, and presentation skills.

DESIRED:

• PhD and/or postdoctoral experience in a STEM-related field.
• Education and/or professional experience in higher education administration/counseling.
• Familiarity with the administrative structure of a large university.
• Experience autonomously planning and managing projects and events.

Application Process:
The application process for UW positions may include completion of a variety of online assessments to obtain additional information that will be used in the evaluation process.  These assessments may include Work Authorization, Cover Letter and/or others.  Any assessments that you need to complete will appear on your screen as soon as you select “Apply to this position”. Once you begin an assessment, it must be completed at that time; if you do not complete the assessment you will be prompted to do so the next time you access your “My Jobs” page. If you select to take it later, it will appear on your "My Jobs" page to take when you are ready. Please note that your application will not be reviewed, and you will not be considered for this position until all required assessments have been completed.