Full-time, benefits earning position

Salary range: $50,000 - $55,000

Position Summary-

School of Government Services, Inc. assists faculty and staff at the UNC School of Government in carrying out its important mission: to improve the lives of North Carolinians by engaging in practical scholarship that helps public officials and citizens understand and improve state and local government. It is a nonprofit corporation and an official associated entity of the School of Government at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

As the largest university-based local government training, advisory, and research organization in the United States, the UNC School of Government offers up to 300 courses, webinars, and specialized conferences for more than 14,000 public officials each year. The activities of School of Government Services include assisting the School with or carrying out research, consulting, advising, trainings and educational workshops and seminars, and other services and projects.

The primary role of the Program Manager is to provide coordination and management of the School’s annual programs, courses, and conferences which occur online, onsite at UNC or off-site across North Carolina, with minimal supervision. The specific programs assigned vary and can change from year to year. Program Managers oversee programs of moderate to advanced complexity that range in size from single day programs to multiple day courses spanning 9 months. Occasional overnight travel should be expected.

Program Managers oversee an average of 2 programs per month. Programs range in size, format, and complexity. The Program Manager works closely with a lead faculty member for each program to determine format, location, schedule, activities, and additional services or functions and then takes the lead coordinating and implementing the logistics based on those decisions. Decisions must frequently be adjusted as the program develops, and the Program Manager is expected to apply the decisions to new contexts and identify and escalate issues that need further discussion.

The Program Manager typically serves as the primary point of contact with program participants before, during, and after a program. Attendance at the program location is essential. Additionally, the Program Manager is responsible for collaborating with all operational support divisions including but not limited to the Registrar, Human Resources, Business Office and the Strategic Communications Division to build interest in the program and ensure that all marketing is aligned with the program and implemented correctly. Familiarity with Zoom, website management, Canvas, and Learning Stream are a plus.

The Program Manager role is an in-person position with limited opportunities for remote or hybrid work. The majority of the work is local to Chapel Hill but travel may be necessary across North Carolina for individual programs.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities-

The essential functions include, but are not limited to the following:

Event Management

Coordinate and manage event management services for continuing education programs, courses, and conferences of moderate to advanced complexity. Examples of such programs include but are not limited to conferences attended by 100+ attendees; courses with multiple, concurrent tracks; courses spanning over multiple months and courses for “high-touch” audiences.
Facilitate program decisions applying expertise in event management, virtual class management and coordination with operational divisions.
Develop estimated budget for programs (analyze post-course financial report from previous year, consult with faculty coordinator on potential program needs, estimate costs for program, and complete budget workbook), monitor and manage expenses during implementation, and provide final financial and registration information to close the program.
Work with Strategic Communications Division to develop marketing plan for each program and ensure that the plan is implemented.
Monitor registrations and adjust communications and marketing approaches as appropriate to ensure program is effectively marketed to target audience and remains financially viable based on registration numbers.
Coordinate all logistics for virtual, on and off-site programs, including venues and lodging, program instructors and activities, course materials, catering, and other logistics as needed.
Be present onsite for each program preparing each day appropriately, greeting clients and speakers, monitoring catering needs, communicating any changes to operational divisions, closing up classrooms and others spaces as needed.
Manage communications with prospective and registered participants before, during, and after the program.
Manage and coordinate the administration and tracking of participant assessment tools, continuing education, attendance, and/or assignments.
Respond to participant questions and issues in a timely fashion.
Facilitate program post-mortems to identify lessons learned and changes to be implemented when the program is offered again.
Contract negotiation with hotels, conference centers, meeting sites and other vendors.
Adhere to School and University policies around payments, contracts and agreements related to speakers and other vendors while managing those payments against the program budget.

Project Management

Coordinate other projects for faculty and project leads that are of moderate to advance complexity and require working across multiple groups or a high-level understanding of the School’s mission, audiences, and/or processes. Projects may also include team-wide initiatives such as time tracking, designed to monitor workloads across the team and identify best practices. The time and scope for projects varies significantly, and some projects are considered ongoing assignments. Work with faculty, project leads, and Supervisor to define the scope of effort required.

Complete all tasks as identified in the project scope.
Provide regular updates on project progress.
Resolve issues that may arise, escalating issues to Supervisor and/or faculty only when unable to reach a satisfactory resolution within the limits of the position.

Best Practices and Process Improvement

The majority of event support efforts involve individual and independent coordination efforts by the program manager working with faculty and other support units across the School. In order to ensure that programs are delivered effectively and consistently, all program managers are expected to actively collaborate and participate in identifying best practices, evaluating event management processes, and improving standard operating procedures.
Communicate post-mortem results to Supervisor
Proactively identify and communicate processes or approaches that appear problematic or successful.
Collaborate with team members and managers to determine ways to improve processes and communicate change across the division.
Utilize effective time management and task-prioritization across programs and other projects.
Contribute to the growth and ongoing evaluation of guidelines, processes, and best practices developed by and for the team.

Minimum Qualifications (Skills, Knowledge, & Abilities)-

Bachelor’s degree in a related discipline or an equivalent combination of training and experience.
3-5 years of in-person event planning experience.
Ability to communicate effectively with various groups of constituents.
Highly organized with the ability to adapt quickly if necessary.
Working knowledge of the Microsoft Office suite.
Ability to travel to offsite locations, including regular driving and some overnight travel; must possess and maintain a valid driver’s license.
Familiarity with virtual programming, Zoom, website management, Canvas, and Learning Stream are a plus.