Program Manager - Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies

The Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (GPS Office) is a core unit in the Medical School and serves to oversee and support the training of graduate students and postdoctoral trainees. The GPS Office develops and manages programs aimed at enhancing recruitment, retention, research training, and career development for graduate students and postdoctoral trainees. The Program Manager will be assigned primarily to focus on either graduate student or postdoctoral trainee programs, but will also collaborate with and provide assistance to other GPS Office team members.

The position reports to the Associate Director of the GPS Office and works closely with a number of internal stakeholders including the Medical School Office of the Dean, Office of Research, and the Office of Diversity Equity and Inclusion. Other internal stakeholders specific to the programs include:

• Graduate Student Programs: Directors of Graduate Programs (DGS), Council of Graduate Students (CGS) in the Medical School, and Graduate Program Coordinators (GPC).
• Postdoctoral Trainee Programs: UMN Postdoctoral Association, Graduate School Office of Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Initiatives, and Medical School Postdoctoral Council

Job Responsibilities:

The position works to design, develop, implement and manage program initiatives and activities for graduate students, and postdoctoral trainees to:

1. Increase the number, quality and diversity of graduate students and postdoctoral trainees applying to and being accepted into graduate and biomedical research programs in the Medical School through the development of targeted recruitment initiatives and outreach efforts.
2. To support and create initiatives and programming elements to enhance advanced research education, research training outcomes and career development.
3. Assist the Associate Director of the GPS Office in executing strategic plans for structured academic support activities to enhance the training quality and activities for graduate students and postdoctoral trainees.
4. Develop and implement tools and processes for performance tracking, analytics and quantitative/qualitative measurements to evaluate success outcomes and training environments for key programs.
5. Assist graduate programs in generating data of key metrics, outcomes and productivity for intramural and extramural funded programs.

Primary Responsibilities: Graduate Student Programs OR Postdoctoral Trainee Programs

The primary responsibilities listed below are separated into graduate student and postdoctoral trainee responsibilities. Note that incumbents will be primarily assigned to one focus area, Graduate Student Programs OR Postdoctoral Trainee Programs, with an expectation for collaboration and coverage across the GPS Office responsibilities.

Graduate Student Programs

50% Effort - Design and manage outreach and recruiting initiatives for prospective MS and PhD students

• Establish pathways and activities to bolster recruitment of top-tier prospective graduate students, with a chief focus on addressing under representative minority matriculation into graduate programs in the Medical School (e.g., Initiate and maintain recruiting relationships with Minority Serving Institutions, identify regional/national graduate fairs to attend, coordinator on-campus recruitment events, application waiver program, etc.).
• Manage communication plans to drive prospective student awareness of and interaction with our graduate programs resulting in increased application submissions.
• Collaborate with the Medical School Office of Diversity Equity and Inclusion, Graduate Program Admissions/Recruitment Committees, and the Graduate School Diversity Office on recruiting top-tier graduate students.
• Assess visibility of existing PhD program web sites on the Internet (WebSEO software). Analyze traffic of PhD program web sites (Google Analytics). Make recommendations to individual programs to bolster prospective student engagement and current student retention.
• Initiation and development of grad programs' recruitment plans (e.g., development of 5-year strategic plan for increasing year-over-year gains in measurable objectives)

35% Effort - Create and support programming elements and initiatives to enhance retention, research education, and career development training outcomes for current MS and PhD students

• In collaboration with the Program Manager for Career Development Services, develop and implement seminars and workshops to enhance career development and student training outcomes, which include, but not limited to: CV development and resume building seminars, networking opportunities, and career exploration services.
• Develop and implement seminars and workshops to enhance research education, which include, but not limited to: scientific writing and grantsmanship, grant application submission, and laboratory management.
• Serve as a resource for current MS and PhD students to assist in matters related to student financial assistance (i.e., stipend, scholarships), health benefits, admissions, bridge funding, application for fellowship positions and other student-required resources.
• Act as liaisons between departments and Graduate Studies in the admission, tracking, and graduation of students.
• Advise and direct administrative support to assist Association of Multicultural Scientists (AMS), Biomedical Sciences Graduate Programs Research Recognition Day student organization, local chapter of the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science consultations with the MS administrators and faculty/students on grad program related concerns such as climate, incivility, and faculty-student conflict

15% Effort - Develop and implement performance tracking, analytics and quantitative and qualitative measurements for evaluating admissions, student outcomes, and research education environments.

• Develop and evaluate information technology methods to provide the following: Grad program recruitment and admissions outcomes, the number and productivity (grants & publications) of current graduate faculty and students, student progress to degree.
• Track graduate program admissions outcomes, past MS and PhD alumni, individual and institutional training awards focused on MS and PhD graduate students, and publications of graduate program faculty and graduate students within the Medical School. This data will be compiled reports to be disseminated to the school and administration.
• Develop and implement a survey administered to students, faculty and staff to gauge current research climate, measurable diversity goals achieved, student wellness and other analytical metrics important for enhancing the research education climate. Utilize these surveys to determine barriers to graduate student retention by assessing grad programs' culture and climate, identifying and employing best practices for diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Oversee and implement key analytics and data reporting to support individual graduate programs' extramural research funding efforts.
• Manage the data acquisition and analytics for reporting for T32 and R25 grant PIs and document diversity recruiting plans for new or renewing applications.
• Perform continual assessment of graduate program cultures and climates by interfacing directly with graduate students, program directors, admission committees and steering committees to promote diversity and inclusion practices.
• Develop and evaluate data tracking methods to provide the Biomedical Sciences Graduate Council with graduate data, such as grad programs outcomes (includes admissions, matriculation, & enrollment data), the number and productivity (grants & publications) of current graduate faculty and students, and student progress towards degree.
• Oversee career development metrics to support graduate matriculation and career success outcomes.

Postdoctoral Trainee Programs

40% Effort - Design and manage outreach and recruiting initiatives for prospective postdoctoral trainees in biomedical research for the Medical School

• Develop program recruitment initiatives and outreach approaches to bolster the recruitment of top-tier prospective postdoctoral trainees to research laboratories across the Medical School, with a chief focus on increasing the number of women and trainees from underrepresented groups. This includes identifying and employing best practices for outreach, developing recruiting content, establishing and building relationships with institutional partners, identification of and attendance to recruitment fairs and webinars, among other activities.
• Manage communication plans to drive prospective postdoctoral trainee awareness of and interaction with Medical School Centers, Institutes, and Departments to result in increased application submissions.
• Collaborate with various Medical School Offices and Departments to recruit top-tier postdoctoral trainees for research positions using various online tools, databases and social platforms.
• Maintain an internal postdoctoral trainee application database that Departments, Faculty Members and Administrative Units can utilize to post available positions for mentor identification and postdoctoral trainee placements.

45% Effort - Create and support programming elements and initiatives to enhance retention, research education, and career development training outcomes for current postdoctoral trainees in the Medical School

• In collaboration with the Program Manager for Career Development Services, develop and implement seminars and workshops to enhance career development and postdoctoral training outcomes, which include, but not limited to: CV development and resume building seminars, networking opportunities, and career exploration services.
• Develop and implement seminars and workshops to enhance research education, which include, but not limited to: scientific writing and grantsmanship, grant application submission, and laboratory management.
• Serve as a resource for postdoctoral trainees and assist in matters related to onboarding, orientation, financial assistance (i.e. fellowships, grants), health benefits, and other postdoctoral trainee support resources.
• Implement program activities in conjunction with Medical School Basic Science Departments to foster networking and research education opportunities for current postdoctoral trainees. Establish relationships with key administrative units for continual dialogue on how to provide best practices and support for postdoctoral training activities.
• Advise and direct administrative support to assist the Medical School Postdoctoral Council in consultation with the Medical School Administrators and Associate Director of the GPS Office. Additionally, serve as a liaison to or a representative for committees and working groups focused on postdoctoral trainee initiatives and enhanced training outcomes.

15% Effort - Develop and implement performance tracking, analytics and quantitative and qualitative measurements for evaluating student outcomes and research education environments.

• Develop and evaluate information technology methods to provide the following: postdoctoral trainee recruitment and entry outcomes, performance metrics (i.e. fellowships, publications, honors and awards), departure dates, and career progression of former postdoctoral trainees.
• Define and employ information technology for record keeping, data analytics, survey/evaluative assessments and performance tracking of postdoctoral trainees.
• Oversee and implement key analytics and data reporting to support individual Department and Administrative units for extramural research funding efforts.
• Manage the data acquisition and analytics to provide key metrics for T32 grant PIs and document diversity recruiting plans for new or renewing proposals.
• Develop and implement a survey administered to postdoctoral trainees, faculty and staff to gauge current research climate, measurable diversity goals achieved, trainee wellness and other analytical metrics important for enhancing the research education climate. Utilize these surveys to determine barriers to trainee retention by assessing research education culture and climate, as well as identifying and employing best practices for diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Assess visibility of existing Department and Administration Units website (WebSEO software). Analyze traffic to postdoctoral training program websites (Google Analytics). Make recommendations to individual Departments and Administrative Units to bolster trainee engagement and retention.
• Create methods to assess the effectiveness of the complex constellation of activities, diverse research climates, and changing/evolving base to pivot as necessary in modification of best practices to compete for the most talented postdoctoral trainees.

Required Qualifications

• BS degree in the biomedical sciences or public health-related fields
• Minimum of 3 years of relevant work experience in program management
  

Preferred Qualifications:

• MS or EdD/PhD degree in higher education, leadership, biomedical sciences or education policy & analysis
• Familiarity with Smartsheet, Qualtrics and Tableau
• Understanding of biomedical graduate training and NIH guidelines
• Experience in a higher education environment involving students and administration
• Experience in leading workshops for graduate students or postdoctoral trainees
• Understanding of leadership principles either through application or training
• Experience collecting survey and outcome data and gaining stakeholder input

Committed to innovation and diversity, the Medical School educates physicians, scientists, and health professionals; generates knowledge and treatments; and cares for patients and communities with compassion and respect. We value excellence, inclusiveness, collaboration, and discovery.

The mission of the regional campus located in Duluth is to be a national leader in improving healthcare access and outcomes in rural Minnesota and American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities. In partnership with CentraCare, the regional campus in St. Cloud offers a wide range of patient experiences throughout students' education in Greater Minnesota and prepares them to become exceptional clinicians and leaders for rural and immigrant populations.

Founded in 1888, the University of Minnesota Medical School has three campuses. A four-year MD program and the MD/PhD program are located on the Twin Cities campus in addition to MD programs at regional campuses in Duluth and St. Cloud.

Pay Range: $68,000-$72,000; depending on education/qualifications/experience

Time Appointment: 75%-100% Appointment

Position Type: Faculty and P&A Staff

Please visit the Office of Human Resources website for more information regarding benefit eligibility.

The University offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes:

• Competitive wages, paid holidays, and generous time off
• Continuous learning opportunities through professional training and degree-seeking programs supported by the Regents Tuition Benefit Program
• Low-cost medical, dental, and pharmacy plans
• Healthcare and dependent care flexible spending accounts
• University HSA contributions
• Disability and employer-paid life insurance
• Employee wellbeing program
• Excellent retirement plans with employer contribution
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) opportunity
• Financial counseling services
• Employee Assistance Program with eight sessions of counseling at no cost
• Employee Transit Pass with free or reduced rates in the Twin Cities metro area

Applications must be submitted online. To be considered for this position, please click the Apply button and follow the instructions. You will be given the opportunity to complete an online application for the position and attach a cover letter and resume.

Additional documents may be attached after application by accessing your "My Job Applications" page and uploading documents in the "My Cover Letters and Attachments" section.

To request an accommodation during the application process, please e-mail employ@umn.edu or call (612) 624-8647.

The University recognizes and values the importance of diversity and inclusion in enriching the employment experience of its employees and in supporting the academic mission. The University is committed to attracting and retaining employees with varying identities and backgrounds.

The University of Minnesota provides equal access to and opportunity in its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. To learn more about diversity at the U: http://diversity.umn.edu

Any offer of employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a background check. Our presumption is that prospective employees are eligible to work here. Criminal convictions do not automatically disqualify finalists from employment.

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (UMTC)

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (UMTC), is among the largest public research universities in the country, offering undergraduate, graduate, and professional students a multitude of opportunities for study and research. Located at the heart of one of the nation's most vibrant, diverse metropolitan communities, students on the campuses in Minneapolis and St. Paul benefit from extensive partnerships with world-renowned health centers, international corporations, government agencies, and arts, nonprofit, and public service organizations.

At the University of Minnesota, we are proud to be recognized by the Star Tribune as a Top Workplace for 2021, as well as by Forbes as Best Employers for Women and one of America's Best Employers (2015, 2018, 2019, 2023), Best Employer for Diversity (2019, 2020), Best Employer for New Grads (2018, 2019), and Best Employer by State (2019, 2022).