Jobs at Member Institutions & APLU

Summary

The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) is seeking a Program Associate to provide logistical and administrative support to the APLU-led NSF INCLUDES Aspire Alliance for an Inclusive and Diverse Faculty and related projects focused on developing inclusive and diverse STEM faculty. Successful candidates will have strong administrative support skills, a facility with Excel and data, and possess a keen attention to detail. This full-time position is based in Washington, DC. Employees of APLU are eligible to telework at least two days per week. They must reside in DC, MD, or VA, be up-to-date with their COVID vaccinations and pass standard background checks. Employees of APLU are eligible to telework at least two days per week. For more information, consult www.aplu.org.

Background

APLU is a research, policy, and advocacy organization dedicated to strengthening and advancing the work of public universities in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. With a membership of 248 public research universities, land-grant institutions, state university systems, and affiliated organizations, APLU's agenda is built on the three pillars of increasing degree completion and academic success, advancing scientific research, and expanding engagement. Annually, member campuses enroll 5.0 million undergraduates and 1.3 million graduate students, award 1.3 million degrees, employ 1.3 million faculty and staff, and conduct $49.5 billion in university-based research.

The Aspire Alliance is a National Science Foundation funded project focused on increasing the diversity of the STEM professoriate, creating more inclusive environments for STEM faculty and students, and cultivating inclusive and welcoming cultures at institutions of higher education. APLU serves as the lead organization on this project, and houses two of the project’s teams. The Institutional Change Initiative works with APLU members and other institutions of higher education to support institutional leaders in designing action plans for change. The Backbone coordinates efforts across the six Alliance project teams to ensure effective operational, communications, and evaluation strategies.

Responsibilities

The Program Associate will provide support to the APLU-led NSF INCLUDES Aspire Alliance for an Inclusive and Diverse Faculty, primarily on the Backbone and Institutional Change Initiative, and related projects. The Program Associate’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Support the logistics, planning, and administrative aspects of project meetings (in-person and virtual), including notetaking, resource preparation, agenda management, refreshments, hotel accommodations and contracts etc.
• Maintain records within APLU and Aspire knowledge management platforms and client relationship management systems (CRM).
• Coordinate grant partners’ completion of quarterly, annual, and final reports to the funder.
• Support the alliance’s strategic communications plan to engage membership (through social media and web-related communications) through social media, newsletters, and other promotional materials. Assist in the development of content and maintenance of webpages and databases.
• Provide administrative support related to project finances and reporting, including tracking invoices, reconciling grant expenditures, drafting and coordinating vendor and sub-award agreements, and support in management of reporting requirements from vendors and sub-awardees.
• Support the alliance’s evaluation activities by collecting and maintaining participation data, preparing data for entry into common data systems for the alliance and APLU, and creating simple visualizations and infographics of data from registration reports, polls, and simple surveys.
• Participate as an integral member of the Aspire/STEM Education Team and APLU employee, and contribute to an inclusive, welcoming, and collegial workplace.
• Provide other administrative and logistical support as needed to support the goals and objectives of the project, the Office, and APLU.

Preferred Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional administrative support experience. Work experience at a college/university, a higher education organization, a non-profit organization, or a non-profit involved with relevant issues is a plus.
• Excellent communications skills, verbally and in writing.
• Demonstrated organizational skills. Ability to balance multiple, complex tasks and priorities, to resolve problems, to meet important deadlines, and to recognize potential issues and bring them to the attention of the appropriate team members.
• Experience planning and coordinating events, including workshops, webinars, and conferences.
• A keen attention to detail.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to navigate relationships with individuals from diverse backgrounds.
• The ability to maintain poise, professionalism, focus, consistency, and accuracy under pressure.
• Experienced and skilled in the use of Microsoft office products (especially Excel), social media, Zoom, and web-based research and information tools. Experience using a customer relations management (CRM) system and databases a plus. Comfort using and learning new technologies.
• Demonstrated ability to work both as part of a team and independently, taking direction from and communicating with multiple team members to keep track of activities and priorities on multiple projects.
• Commitment to the work of the STEM Education and Research Policy Office and APLU.
• Ability to travel domestically as needed.

To Apply

Please send a letter of interest and resume to APLU’s Human Resources Department at resume@aplu.org with the subject line: Program Associate, Aspire. Applications will be reviewed as received with preference given to those received by August 15, 2022. APLU is committed to a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environment, and supports staff with a generous benefits package.

APLU is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and is committed to recruiting, employing, training, compensating and promoting staff regardless of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.