Program Administrator

Department: MED-NU-CATS Institute
Salary/Grade: EXS/7

Target hiring range for this position will be 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.

Job Summary

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.

Within this context, 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 role will require efficient project and task management, and a high level of organizational and communication skills. This is a hybrid role where the expectation is to be partially on campus and partially remote. The NUCATS Institute is committed to maintaining a culture that values and prioritizes professional growth and work-life balance and to sustaining a welcoming environment for all team members.

Specific Responsibilities

Administration

• Directs and leads development of program/project strategic plan.
• Oversees & ensures that day-to-day operations are appropriately managed, efficient and effective.
• Operationalizes goals & objectives; ensures that resources are created or obtained.
• Manages customer service; creates associated practices & procedures & metrics to measure success.
• Analyzes data & recommends & implements changes & improvement 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 & needs of program/project.
• Ensures necessary hardware, software & network infrastructure technology services are appropriated from central or internal IT.

Budgets & Financial

• Ensures that the program/project meets associated revenue & expense goals.
• Develops and implements ideas for improving business processes, and increasing program/project revenues and margins.
• Plans & manages complex budget(s) which fund strategic mission including financial sustainability & enhancement models.
• Plans & implements annual budget process.
• Oversees all daily, monthly & annual financial activities including transactions, analysis, & reporting.
• Approves funds reallocation within budget as necessary & 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 & improvement.
• Interacts with internal/external resources & organizations to identify new markets & opportunities.
• Builds relationships with program/project alumni to develop and cultivate professional networks, financial resources, and sense of community among alumni.

Evaluation

• Oversees development & implementation of evaluation processes, quantitative & qualitative measurements that ensure that program/project benchmarks are successfully attained and communicated in a timely and efficient manner.
• Manages evaluation processes; recommends & 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 & external resources.
• Develops proposals & recruits faculty leaders for interdisciplinary research working groups, and works with them to develop programming.

Grants & Contracts

• Manages professional research administration support staff in order to facilitate & enhance all administrative grant processes & related compliance.
• Responsible for pre- & post-award administration completed by research administrators.
• Builds relationships with Principal Investigators (PIs) & NU research associated offices
• Transfers knowledge & advises on research policy & procedure.
• Manages payroll administration for research appointments.

Human Resources

• Determines & implements organizational structures to align with strategic mission.
• Manages implementation of human resource programs, policies, procedures & talent management lifecycle & related mentoring & training.
• Oversees recruitment & selection process; Performance Excellence plan for each employee; & merit increase process.
• Manages & provides consultation regarding complex performance problems & issues; administers leaves; approves timesheets & 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 recruits, hires, and directs 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 & implementation of processes & procedures for all safety, security & compliance programs.
• Ensures compliance with all applicable federal, state, local & NU laws, regulations, policies & procedures.
• Oversees creation &/or implementation of associated training.
• Strategic Planning
• Creates & leads a coordinated program of activities designed to increase program/project objectives.
• Develops & executes strategies to involve internal/external constituents and cultivate new individual, corporate, institutional &/or foundation collaborations.

Miscellaneous

Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications: (Education, experience, and any other certifications or clearances)

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

Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected characteristics, including disability and veteran status. View Northwestern's non-discrimination statement. Job applicants who wish to request an accommodation in the application or hiring process should contact the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance. View additional information on the accommodations process.