Project Coordinator

Position Overview

The University of Kansas seeks a highly organized individual with experience in supporting executive leadership in managing and communicating strategic projects, tasks and priorities. The Project Coordinator in the Provost Office works closely with the Provost & Executive Vice Chancellor and the Provost Office Chief of Staff to monitor and ensure the timely assignment and completion of tasks resulting from high-level meetings of the Provost and campus constituents. This individual also helps convey expectations and needs to external collaborators.

This position requires institutional knowledge regarding people, processes and practices. The project coordinator role is task-oriented and should be approached with a significant level of teamwork as well as independent effort.

The successful candidate will be a liaison for the Provost, monitoring and managing processes that foster collaboration, clarify roles and responsibilities, and lead to institutional advances. The individual will be a creative problem-solver, with strong communication and organizational skills and a high-level of attention to detail.

The project coordinator will engage with a broad range of stakeholders, including students, staff, faculty, administrators, governance leaders, as well as external consultants and constituents. As the Provost’s schedule determines, the project coordinator may potentially be on hand during meetings with government leaders. Discretion is required.

If you are looking for a rewarding and dynamic career, look no farther than the University of Kansas. In addition to a competitive salary, KU offers great benefits to employees with up to 176 hours of paid vacation per year, 96 hours of sick leave earned per year, 9 paid holidays plus one discretionary day, a great retirement program, medical and dental insurance, life and disability insurance, other benefit plan options and state of Kansas discounts offered by various vendors. KU also offers employees educational opportunities for employees. KU is a great place to work!

Job Description

Engagement and Coordination - 60%

Attend strategic and group meetings of the provost and record discussion themes and resulting action items and assignments.Draft follow-up correspondence to attending parties to reflect decisions, delegated assignments and due dates. Ensure the drafts reflect the wishes and understanding of the Provost.Lead a weekly Operations Team meeting with the Provost and the Provost Office’s senior administrative leaders to review pending and imminent initiatives and ensure that deadlines and directives are captured and met.Oversee the coordination and maintenance of the Provost Office master calendar. The calendar represents the totality of compliance obligations, statutory duties, and reporting deadlines; regular and recurring strategic initiatives – including annual budgeting and fiscal monitoring, annual evaluations and promotion and tenure review, strategic plan implementation and reporting, academic personnel planning and hiring, recognition and celebratory events; regular and recurring communications of the Provost office; coordination of key activities of academic and administrative units; and regular initiatives that are the responsibility of the Provost and the Provost’s Office.Monitor the calendar in order to prompt the individual responsible for annual initiatives, reminding them of deadlines.Lead small groups of faculty and staff through the five-year review process for deans, vice provosts and other senior leaders of the Lawrence and Edwards campuses. Ensure the process adheres to university policies and deadlines. Work closely with review committee leadership to draft the final report and prepare materials for the Provost’s review. Monitor and update the master schedule of reviews as necessary.Track assignment progress and initiate check-in with responsible parties to ensure on-time completion, deadline adjustments, or to document requests for needed resources.Keep Provost apprised of progress on tasks and follow up requests. Keep constituents apprised of changes to tasks or assignments.

Information Gathering and Facilitation - 30%

Conducts research and intelligence gathering related to Provost’s initiatives. May engage with Chief Data Officer and other campus and external constituents to collect information, distill and report findings to the Provost and other senior leaders.Assists the Chief of Staff in identifying and mitigating issues and potential bottlenecks toward task completion.Develops and maintains task and assignment workflow to ensure timely completion.Serves on the Provost Office Operations team.

Special Projects/Strategic Projects and Other Duties as Assigned - 10%

Position Requirements

This position will be on-site, with the possibility of remote work when the Provost is scheduled out-of-office.

Required Qualifications

Master’s degree OR Bachelor’s degree and three years related experience.Degree should be in a field such as management, communications, higher education administration, project coordination, or related field.Experience utilizing strong written and oral communications skills as evidenced by application materials and interview process.Experience working both independently and as a member of a high-functioning team.Experience with the Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, OneNote, Teams, PowerPoint) and ability to learn and adopt new technologies.Experience handling confidential information and materials.Experience managing multiple projects and processes concurrently to achieve desired outcomes.Experience working effectively and efficiently with a broad range of stakeholders, including those from diverse backgrounds or with diverse viewpoints or interests.

Preferred Qualifications

Master’s degree in a related field.Experience using communications and change management skills to facilitate projects and processes.Experience with collecting and analyzing information and generating reports to inform decision-making.Experience or familiarity with administrative structure, policies and procedures at the University of Kansas.Experience supporting leadership.

Additional Candidate Instructions

A complete application includes

ResumeCover letter addressing how the required and preferred qualifications are metContact information for three professional references

Application review begins April 30, 2024, apply prior to that date for consideration.

Contact Information to Applicants

Jill Hummels

785-864-6577

jhummels@ku.edu

Advertised Salary Range

Starting at $50,000, increases commensurate with experience

Work Schedule

M-F, 8-5

1450 Jayhawk Boulevard

Room 250 Strong Hall

Application Review Begins

Tuesday April 30, 2024

Anticipated Start Date

Tuesday May 28, 2024