Program Associate, Civic Leadership Academy; CLA

Job Summary

Reporting to the Executive Director, the Program Associate will work in coordination with staff and faculty of the Civic Leadership Academy to provide administrative and project support. This role is a perfect fit for an early‑career professional who is a strong multi‑tasker with excellent communication and organizational skills.

• Support strategy and coordinate day‑to‑day activities of a portfolio of programmatic initiatives and act as primary program coordinator for the University of Chicago Civic Leadership Academy.
• Recruitment: create presentation materials, coordinate on‑site visits, and lead biweekly virtual and in‑person information sessions throughout summer.
• Cohort Selection: manage Slate files, create interview rubric, recruit alumni for interview panels, book space, manage catering.
• Cohort Onboarding: collect fellows’ onboarding materials, manage financial assistance requests, plan agenda and speakers for December orientation.
• Curriculum support: liaise with guest faculty, course Canvas, textbooks and class materials acquisition, prepare class agendas.
• Global Practicum planning and execution: manage all aspects of the Global Practicum trip, coordinate all logistical aspects with UChicago satellite center(s) and partners abroad.
• Alumni Advisory Board: manage board’s selection process, coordinate meetings, prepare agendas, support board activities and communications, maintain documentation.
• Signature Events: collaborate with Harris School event team to manage technical and logistical aspects of event planning, including venue bookings, speaker engagement, registration, catering, video/photography, printed materials, etc.
• Communication and marketing: serve as primary point of contact for CLA fellows and alumni.
• Budget Management: prepare documentation for budget proposals, track expenses, process tuition payments.
• Support CLA’s engagement with external stakeholders (civic practitioners, faculty, journalists, funders, students) and development activity including grant‑writing and reporting.
• Enter CLA data into Salesforce and liaise with data partners regarding Salesforce and other data projects.
• Support Executive Director in day‑to‑day program management: finances, development, operations, communications, technology infrastructure and supervision of student workers where applicable.
• Coordinate meetings for CLA faculty and staff: space reservation, scheduling, catering, technical support.
• Triage emails and phone calls for action and resolve routine and complex inquiries.
• Compile research and briefing documents for CLA Executive Director and staff when necessary.
• Plan and conduct quality assurance reviews and recommend changes as appropriate.
• Analyze program budgets and recommend or make budgetary recommendations.
• Oversight of onboarding of student workers and new staff.
• Administer delivery of services to program participants and/or beneficiaries using general understanding and experience.
• Interact with faculty, researchers, and staff for committee work or information.
• Perform other related work as needed.

• Education:
  
  College or university degree in a related field.
• Work Experience:
  
  Less than 2 years of work experience in a related discipline.

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., humanities, social sciences).
• Interest in leadership development, institutional reform, and effective government topics through coursework, work, or internships.
• Technical skills: ability to learn and adapt to new technologies and platforms; previous experience with Hub Spot and Salesforce; working knowledge of Microsoft Office and social media platforms.
• Professional competencies: ability to project manage and track own portfolio of responsibilities; experience with Salesforce, Hub Spot, Concur, and similar software; professional demeanor, tact, discretion, customer‑service orientation.
• Superior interpersonal and communication skills (written and verbal); strong organization, accuracy, planning skills; high attention to detail; ability to work collegially and collaboratively; creative problem‑solving mindset; exceptional work ethic and personal initiative.