AJ Fletcher Fellow

About the Role

As the AJ Fletcher Fellow, you will play a key role in advancing initiatives that strengthen partnerships, support organizational priorities, and create positive outcomes across the university and the communities we serve. In this role, you'll work closely with university leaders, faculty, staff, community organizations, government agencies, and external partners while exercising independence, professional judgment, and strategic thinking. Your ability to build relationships, manage complex initiatives, and drive organizational effectiveness will help advance Duke's mission of education, research, and service.

This is a one-year term-limited position with the possibility of renewal based on satisfactory performance and grant funding availability.

Responsibilities

• Lead Programs and Strategic Initiatives
  • Manage multiple projects, initiatives, and workstreams that support division and institutional priorities.
  • Monitor progress on strategic goals, organizational commitments, and project deliverables across stakeholder groups.
  • Develop and maintain systems to track projects, action items, partnership agreements, and strategic objectives.
  • Evaluate competing priorities and recommend adjustments that support changing organizational needs.
  • Prepare agendas, reports, presentations, briefing materials, and communications that support planning and decision-making.
  • Anticipate project needs, identify challenges, and implement solutions that promote operational continuity and effectiveness.
  • Handle sensitive and confidential information with professionalism and discretion.
• Collaborate Across Duke and the Community
  • Lead cross-functional initiatives and special projects that advance Duke Community Affairs' goals and mission.
  • Develop project plans, timelines, milestones, performance measures, and accountability tools.
  • Build collaborative relationships with university leaders, faculty, staff, community organizations, government entities, and external partners.
  • Serve as a trusted liaison between internal and external stakeholders.
  • Identify risks, monitor progress, and develop recommendations that support successful outcomes.
  • Evaluate initiative effectiveness and recommend improvements that enhance impact.
  • Plan and coordinate meetings, stakeholder engagements, conferences, community events, and special initiatives.
  • Prepare reports, presentations, and summaries that support evaluation, planning, and leadership action.
  • Conduct research and analysis related to community engagement, organizational priorities, trends, and emerging opportunities.
  • Develop workflow tools, reporting mechanisms, and business processes that improve efficiency and stakeholder engagement.
  • Represent Duke Community Affairs on committees, workgroups, and collaborative initiatives as assigned.
• Support Partnership and Agreement Management
  • Coordinate workflows related to partnership agreements, Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs), Memoranda of Agreement (MOAs), sponsorship requests, and related documentation.
  • Maintain tracking systems that support the development, review, approval, implementation, renewal, and completion of agreements.
  • Monitor partnership commitments and identify opportunities to strengthen outcomes.
  • Facilitate communication among university departments, community organizations, and external partners throughout agreement processes.
  • Ensure documentation is maintained according to university procedures and recordkeeping requirements.
  • Support timely follow-up and resolution of partnership-related issues.
• Provide Research, Analysis, and Decision Support
  • Conduct research on organizational priorities, partnerships, community engagement activities, and strategic initiatives.
  • Gather, analyze, and synthesize information from multiple sources.
  • Create reports, dashboards, presentations, briefing documents, and other decision-support resources.
  • Develop performance measures and assess the effectiveness of initiatives and partnerships.
  • Analyze stakeholder feedback, trends, and data to support planning and continuous improvement.
  • Translate complex information into clear, actionable recommendations.
• Drive Continuous Improvement
  • Identify workflow challenges and opportunities to improve efficiency, accountability, and service delivery.
  • Develop templates, tracking tools, standardized procedures, and business processes that support operational excellence.
  • Recommend and implement improvements that strengthen organizational effectiveness.
  • Promote a culture of accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement.

Requirements

• Education: Work requires communication and analytical skills normally acquired through a 4-year college education.
• Experience: Work requires a general knowledge of research methods, procedures, and activities normally acquired through 1 year of social science research experience. OR AN EQUIVALENT COMBINATION OF RELEVANT EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE.

Skills

• Strong project management, organization, and prioritization skills.
• Ability to manage multiple initiatives and shifting priorities simultaneously.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and research capabilities.
• Ability to build collaborative relationships with diverse stakeholder groups.
• Experience developing processes, tracking systems, and workflow improvements.
• Professional judgment, adaptability, and discretion when managing sensitive information.
• Commitment to community engagement, partnership development, and organizational excellence.

Pay

Duke University provides an annual base salary range for this position as USD $45,661.00 to USD $73,140.00. Duke University considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position; candidate's work experience, education/training, and key skills; internal peer equity; as well as market and organizational considerations when extending an offer.

Benefits

Your total compensation goes beyond the dollars on your paycheck. Duke provides comprehensive and competitive medical and dental care programs, generous retirement benefits, and a wide array of family-friendly and cultural programs to eligible team members.

Learn more at: https://hr.duke.edu/benefits/