Academic Program Manager; Mechanical Engineering

The Department of Mechanical Engineering seeks an Academic Program Manager to oversee its academic programs and provide complex programmatic, administrative, project oversight, assessment and reporting, and support to the department’s PhD, Master’s, Undergraduate and Visiting Student programs. The Academic Program Manager will collaborate with students, faculty, staff, and other departments as well as oversee the overall program and supervision of other academic staff in the department.

Responsibilities include comprehensive academic and student support, such as managing course logistics, student communications, administrative processing, coordinating events, and executing special projects of the Mechanical Engineering academic program. This role regularly has duties of a sensitive and confidential nature and occasionally requires availability outside regular business hours. The Academic Program Manager is expected to possess or be able to quickly develop extensive knowledge about academic programs, policies, procedures, and student support services.

Successful candidates will be detail-oriented and have excellent interpersonal and communication skills that create an environment of impeccable service that produces trust, respect, and efficiency and inspires this same service mindset in the academic staff whom they supervise. Candidates must be able to demonstrate program ownership, strong problem-solving skills, discernment and listening skills, excellence in service, management of multiple and shifting priorities, and the ability to work independently at a high level.

Proficiency in Microsoft Office and Adobe Acrobat is required.

The Academic Program Manager oversees all aspects of day-to-day administration of an academic program; this may include student admission, registration, training and grant administration.

• Develop and implement processes, procedures, and systems. May include course scheduling system, student and faculty database, faculty contracts, payroll processing.

• Work closely with program director or department chair in establishing program course schedules, developing marketing materials, brochures, catalogs, requiring planning, coordination, knowledge and understanding of the academic program.

• Represent the program in administrative matters. May include issues pertaining to space, facilities, technology, student information system, classroom support.

• Develops various program reports (budget and non-budget).

• Oversee and monitor program expenditures. Contributes to program budget development and projections.

• Define and document experiential learning program scope, objectives, activities, milestones, and outcomes based on partner needs, student interest, and resources.

• Create long- and short-term plans for experiential learning opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students that leverage the program.

• Coordinate multi-partner engagement in collaborative design and delivery of programming, including internships, workshops, and mentoring, to advance the university’s novel approach to career readiness and life design.

• Develop collaborative relationships with the university’s divisions to foster student enthusiasm, spur recruitment, guide program success, and establish a reputation for the assigned area as providing the university’s best experiential offerings.

• Serve as a point of contact for students and student programming staff and affiliates.

• Provide project updates to partners and manage expectations.

• Maintain proactive and feedback channels with executives, colleagues, and internal and external partners.

• Prepare project status reports, risk management assessments, and other program lifecycle reports and documentation.

• Create and communicate routine and periodic updates, such as bulletins, meeting summaries, and presentations for leadership, university divisions, and local government partners.

• Create briefings, presentations, and talking points about experiential learning programs for various audiences.

• Assess client needs, identify the resource best positioned to meet them, and activate internal subject matter experts or external partners.

• Adjust…