Program Administrator

Target hiring range for this position is between $69,000 - $78,000 per year. Offered salary will be determined by the applicant’s education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data.

About the Role

The Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences (NUCATS) Institute, housed within the Feinberg School of Medicine, is dedicated to accelerating innovative and inclusive clinical and translational research to improve human health across diverse communities. Within NUCATS, the Center for Education and Career Development advances training, mentorship, and career progression for clinical and translational scientists across disciplines.

The Program Administrator oversees all administrative aspects of the K12 Multidisciplinary Career Development Program. This role provides leadership across education, research, and operational programming; establishes and recommends program goals; assesses feasibility and ongoing performance; and maintains day-to-day oversight of administrative and operational functions to ensure alignment with NUCATS’ mission. The Program Administrator reports to the Assistant Director of the Center for Education and Career Development and serves as a primary point of contact for all K12 trainees, supporting the full lifecycle from recruitment and appointment through alumni tracking and engagement.

The role also manages oversight of the NUCATS Mentoring Programs, including all associated logistics, coordination, and implementation of processes to support effective mentorship practices across interdisciplinary teams and adherence to federal requirements. Lastly, the role supports educational programming such as Succeeding with Your K Award series, Early-Stage Investigator (ESI) Academy, and any future programs that may be developed in the evolving research landscape. This is a hybrid role where the expectation is to be partially on campus and partially remote.

Responsibilities

• Administration
  • Directs and leads development of program/project strategic plan.
  • Oversees and ensures that day-to-day operations are appropriately managed, efficient, and effective.
  • Operationalizes goals and objectives; ensures that resources are created or obtained.
  • Manages customer service; creates associated practices, procedures, and metrics to measure success.
  • Analyzes data and recommends and implements changes and improvements to better ensure attainment of mission.
  • Manages logistics requirements, including facilities, venue, scheduling, technology, instruction, catering, etc.
  • Oversees documentation of agreements between NU and partner institutions, ensuring that agreements are complete and reviewed by all necessary NU officials.
  • Participates in developing IT strategy to meet the mission and needs of the program/project.
  • Ensures necessary hardware, software, and network infrastructure technology services are appropriated from central or internal IT.
• Budgets & Financial
  • Ensures that the program/project meets associated revenue and expense goals.
  • Develops and implements ideas for improving business processes, and increasing program/project revenues and margins.
  • Plans and manages complex budget(s) which fund strategic mission including financial sustainability and enhancement models.
  • Plans and implements the annual budget process.
  • Oversees all daily, monthly, and annual financial activities including transactions, analysis, and reporting.
  • Approves funds reallocation within budget as necessary and appropriate.
• Communication, Outreach & Recruitment
  • Directs program/project marketing/branding efforts.
  • Identifies and implements short- and long-term strategies and plans to meet program/project goals.
  • Engages in outreach/field relations serving a number of goals, including recruitment, participation, sponsorship, relationship building, etc., to support continued program/project development and improvement.
  • Interacts with internal/external resources and organizations to identify new markets and opportunities.
  • Builds relationships with program/project alumni to develop and cultivate professional networks, financial resources, and a sense of community among alumni.
• Evaluation
  • Oversees development and implementation of evaluation processes, quantitative and qualitative measurements that ensure program/project benchmarks are successfully attained and communicated in a timely and efficient manner.
  • Manages evaluation processes; recommends and implements changes for enhancement; monitors effectiveness through follow-up evaluation studies.
  • Collaborates with internal/external resources to develop meaningful outcome measurements and methods of program/project evaluation that will lead to enhancement.
• Events
  • Develops a comprehensive program of events such as lectures, symposia, speaker series, workshops, conferences, cultural events, etc., in collaboration with internal and external resources.
  • Develops proposals and recruits faculty leaders for interdisciplinary research working groups, and works with them to develop programming.
• Grants & Contracts
  • Manages professional research administration support staff to facilitate and enhance all administrative grant processes and related compliance.
  • Responsible for pre- and post-award administration completed by research administrators.
  • Builds relationships with Principal Investigators (PIs) and NU research-associated offices.
  • Transfers knowledge and advises on research policy and procedure.
  • Manages payroll administration for research appointments.
• Human Resources
  • Determines and implements organizational structures to align with strategic mission.
  • Manages implementation of human resource programs, policies, procedures, and talent management lifecycle, including related mentoring and training.
  • Oversees recruitment and selection process; Performance Excellence plan for each employee; and merit increase process.
  • Manages and provides consultation regarding complex performance problems and issues; administers leaves; approves timesheets and oversees completion of annual staff Conflict of Interest survey.
  • Interprets HR policy to maximize effectiveness of HR administration to meet strategic plan objectives.
• Program Development
  • Manages goals, objectives, outcome measurements and metrics, financial feasibility, marketing strategies, and collaboration opportunities with other internal and external organizations.
  • Manages the ongoing development and refinement of the program's/project's current and future curriculum and course offerings in consultation with subject matter experts.
  • Manages the recruitment, hiring, and direction of instructors/faculty.
  • Provides leadership for planning, scheduling, delivering, and maintaining program(s)/project(s) to sustain quality instruction in all educational activity.
  • Manages for consistently high-quality standards across all partner programs/projects, including admissions, teaching, grading, service levels, and facilities.
• Regulatory Compliance
  • Oversees development and implementation of processes and procedures for all safety, security, and compliance programs.
  • Ensures compliance with all applicable federal, state, local, and NU laws, regulations, policies, and procedures.
  • Oversees creation and/or implementation of associated training.
• Strategic Planning
  • Creates and leads a coordinated program of activities designed to increase program/project objectives.
  • Develops and executes strategies to involve internal/external constituents and cultivate new individual, corporate, institutional, and/or foundation collaborations.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in business, accounting, or a related field + 4 years of program administration or similar experience; or 6 years of program administration or similar experience.

Pay

Target hiring range: $69,000 - $78,000 per year.

Schedule

This is a hybrid role with the expectation to be partially on campus and partially remote.