Washington University is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, genetic information, disability, or protected veteran status.

Please include a cover letter and resume with your application.

WORKING CONDITIONS / EQUIPMENT:

The work will be mainly performed in an office at the Brown School.  The position will have a private cubicle/carrel or an office shared with one other person.  Primary work conducted in an office setting with travel locally, nationally, or internationally for data collection and dissemination.  Work outside normal business hours may be needed.  This position is supported through external grant and contract funding. 

This position is full-time and works approximately 37.5 hours per week.  

This position is for the Social Policy Institute.  The position is located at Hillman Hall.  This position is for the Danforth Campus.

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Social Policy Institute is a university-wide initiative at Washington University in St. Louis dedicated to addressing pressing social issues through transdisciplinary empirical research, dissemination of evidence-informed policy, and training. The institute seeks a Program Coordinator to manage daily activities surrounding strategic initiatives including fundraising, developing partnerships, and communications efforts for the Director. The program coordinator will also be responsible for meeting multiple deadline schedules, supervising staff, coordinating communication efforts, managing project grants, cultivating strong internal and external relationships, participating in development activities for the Institute, and contributing to a positive and dynamic environment.

PRIMARY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Project Management

• Manage the coordination of all project activities and oversee team and project timelines in the portfolio.
• Maintain close communication and coordination with research partners concerning implementation of evaluations and engage in constructive problem-solving with research partners should challenges arise.
• Align research activities and products with deliverables identified through grant agreements and contracts, engage and communicate with funders and research partners concerning progress of projects in the portfolio.
• Organize of internal team meetings, including developing agendas and leading discussions.
• Plan and coordinate high-profile stakeholder meetings as needed.
• Help the Director prepare for and follow-up after meetings, including the creation of meeting materials (e.g., contact notes, bio sheets, meeting notes/minutes), locations, and reservations. Work with the Director and Associate Director to triage meeting follow ups, directing and delegating follow-ups to SPI as appropriate.
• Supervise staff associated with the projects in portfolio, including project coordinators and research assistants.

2. Program Communications

• Work with communications staff and management to create communications plans for projects in the portfolio.
• Lead the creation of practice and policy materials related to the project, in collaboration with relevant colleagues at SPI.
• Support research brief and other content creation efforts to disseminate findings and insights from portfolio.
• Present the results of the research at academic conferences and in practice and policy-oriented settings, as needed.
• Maintain administrative systems for responding to inquiries to the Director, sending correspondence on behalf of the Director, and tracking follow ups related to engagements with the Director. Work with the Director and Associate Director to triage communications, directing and delegating follow-up correspondence to SPI staff as appropriate.
• Assist the Director with drafting of correspondence, documents, presentations, class materials, special committee work and other work product as relevant.

3. Program Development

• Develop proposals and identify new funding streams.
• Under senior leadership’s direction, work on special initiatives such as researching organizations, collecting materials, creating drafts, attending meetings, planning events.
• Serve as primary point of contact to coordinate program activities with funders, as appropriate

4. Administrative Support

• Work with the Director to set priorities and arrange their work flow, proactively tracking and following up on their deadlines and needs. Make informed decisions about the urgency of work tasks and work flow and communicate status of work from the Director to staff and other stakeholders, as appropriate.
• Manage the Director's schedule, responding to meeting requests and scheduling on behalf of the director. Use judgment in prioritizing demands on the Director's time.

5. Perform other duties as assigned

• High school diploma or equivalent high school certificate and five years related work experience or Bachelor’s degree in social work, social sciences, or related field and one year of related work experience.
• Program development and project management experience, ideally in an academic environment.
• Experience with implementation and dissemination research.
• Experience writing and editing research project reports, plain English summaries of research projects, grant reports, project proposals, etc.
• Experience working with and managing relationships with corporate or non-profit research partners.

• Master’s degree in related field.
• Excellent organizational skills, ability to manage multiple tasks, and ability to balance competing demands.
• Strong interpersonal and communication (oral and written) skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with diverse groups, including faculty, staff, students, public affairs, and health and news organizations.
• Strong analytic skills and the ability to think strategically and programmatically.
• Ability to represent the projects and Director effectively with scholars, students, and community groups.
• Ability to assess the amount of time required for a task and meet multiple deadlines.
• Highly organized with attention to detail in writing and editing
• Strong ability to work under pressure to meet deadlines.
• Interest, or demonstrated experience, in developing an area expertise on household financial and health behaviors, and familiarity with research on low-income populations.

The hiring range for this position is $21.18 - $26.99 per hour.

All external candidates receiving an offer for employment will be required to submit to pre-employment screening for this position. Current employees applying for a new position within the university may be subject to this requirement. The screenings will include a criminal background check and, as applicable for the position, other background checks, drug screen, employment and education or licensure/certification verification, physical examination, certain vaccinations and/or governmental registry checks. All offers are contingent upon successful completion of required screening.

This position is eligible for full-time benefits.  Please click the following link to view a summary of benefits:  https://wustl.box.com/s/8wkhs25yssf0775x9d6nd6vqa7obpth7.

Please attach a copy of your most current signed performance evaluation (completed within the last 18 months) to your online account.  If you have not received a performance evaluation, you may provide two current signed letters of recommendation (written within the last 18 months), preferably to include one letter from either a current or recent former supervisor.  To attach these documents, go to:  My Career Tools, Add Attachment, Attachment Type – Performance Reviews or Letters of Recommendation.