A Project Administrator is needed to assist with a National Science Foundation Research Traineeship (NRT) program on Data-Driven Discovery and Engineering from Atoms to Processes (3DEAP) that is currently launching at the University of Minnesota as a collaboration between the Chemical Engineering & Materials Science (CEMS), Chemistry, Aerospace Engineering & Mechanics (AEM), and Computer Science & Engineering (CS&E) departments. This individual will provide support to meet the diverse programmatic, communications, and event management needs of the program.
 

Position Summary
The Project Administrator will provide leadership and support to meet the diverse programmatic, communications, event management, and student recruiting needs of the NRT. The NRT Project Administrator will work closely with the Director, Associate Director, and core faculty participants and program evaluator to assist with all aspects of the graduate training program. The administrator will interact with students to serve as the point of contact for answering NRT-related questions. Some periodic overnight domestic travel for annual NRT meeting and recruitment purposes will be a responsibility for this position. Additional responsibilities include support for general CEMS operations including, but not limited to, grant proposal project management and office management.
 

This is a full-time, in-person position with flexibility to work from home up to two days per week. The expected pay range for this role is $28.85-$33.66 per hour ($60,000-$70,000 annually), depending on qualifications and experience.
 

Primary responsibilities of the NRT Project Administrator:
 

Program Administration (55%)
● Manage logistics on all NRT related initiatives, including among faculty, the program evaluator, and students.
● Coordinate internships for NRT Trainees, maintain an internship portal, help recruit internship hosts, assist with matching NRT trainees with opportunities, and coordinate logistical aspects.
● Oversee graduate trainee recruitment activities, including organizing and attending recruiting events, advertising the program, receiving, and organizing applications and their review,
tracking demographic information, sending offer letters, and recording and communicating responses.
● Manage graduate student expectations documents and advise graduate students on policies and procedures.
● Work with graduate trainees to develop Individualized Development Programs (IDPs) and track their progress in the program, including publications and scientific conference presentations.
● Work with graduate trainees to develop a program and track its progress towards obtaining the masterâ™s in data science for Chemical Engineering and Materials Science degree.
● Develop educational materials relevant to the program.
● Organize the annual industry forum.
● Organize the annual short course for industry.
● Work with the external program evaluator to collect data, solicit and organize materials required for external program evaluation, and assist with preparation of annual reports to NSF.
 

Communications (15%)
● Managing the NRT website and social media presence.
● Maintain appropriate contact with public, university, and private officials, staff, and others.
● Work with communications staff to prepare press releases, newsletters, stories, and blog posts involving faculty and students.
● Provide graphics support.
● Develop promotional materials (booklet/pamphlet design) for recruitment, the annual industry forum, and the industry short course.

Event Management (10%)
● Organize and manage events, such as bootcamps, workshops, advisory board meetings, the annual symposium/retreat, social events, outreach activities, the annual industry forum, and the
annual short course.
● Managing logistics of NRT meetings, including scheduling, attending, and documenting meetings among the core leadership team, NRT faculty, students, evaluator, and multiple advisory boards and track attendance.
 

CEMS Department Operations (20%)
● Project management of multi-PI, collaborator, and/or multi-million-dollar extramural grant proposals.
● Management of required grant materials to NSF, NIH, and other common sponsors in the department.
● Office management support, including Facilities Management and space
● Other duties as assigned

Required Qualifications:                      
● Bachelorâ™s degree in a science, engineering, education, business management, communications, marketing, or equivalent field and at least two years of related experience in educational,
developmental, or social program planning, or a combination of related education and work experience to equal at least six years
● Proven and effective time management and organizational skills
● Proven and effective written, verbal, and communication skills
● Ability to interact with and foster positive interactions between diverse external and internal stakeholders
● Demonstrated proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite; Social Media (Twitter, Facebook, Flickr)
● Demonstrated ability to work independently and as part of a team
● Ability to travel overnight periodically
 

Desirable Qualifications:
● Masterâ™s degree in a science, engineering, education, business management, public policy, communications, marketing, or equivalent training and experience                                                   ● Experience in event planning
● Working experience or coursework in data science
● Experience in a college career services office or human resources/recruiting role
● Experience with education program evaluation and assessment tools
● Experience with scientific communication or related communications focus
● Excellent visual communication skills
● Proficiency using software for marketing and communications, multimedia and video, website design and maintenance

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