About the Opportunity

Your Responsibilities

As the Associate Director of PhD Programs, your primary responsibility will be managing and implementing all student facing programming for the PhD Network within the Office of the Provost. You will convene the STARS PhD Fellows with bi-weekly with structured programming as a mentorship and training toolkit. You will be active with national professional societies and develop and implement strategies to promote PhD students and postdoctoral research associates. You will also develop a program evaluation process to assess and inform future programming.

Who is the PhD Network at NU?

The PhD Network collaborates with academic colleges and the many offices providing support to graduate students including the Center for Teaching and Learning through Research, LEADERs, Global Student Success, Employee Engagement and Career Design, Student Life, and many others to offer research-based programming for PhD students and postdoctoral research associates. This role requires a teaching mindset to design new programming appropriate to research scholars that will prepare them for future research careers in academia and beyond.

Your Qualifications:

• A passion to support the graduate education mission.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in higher education with specific experience with graduate students and postdoctoral research associates, collaborative environments, and supervision. Applicants with 5 years of relevant experience will be considered for an Associate Director level.
• Applicant must be self-motivated, anticipate problems and demonstrate significant independent judgment – must be able to take initiative and follow through on tasks independently.
• Demonstrated record of leadership, collaboration, establishment of effective processes, commitment to process and self-improvement, and integrity is required.
• A natural leader; this is demonstrated by influence, collaboration with colleagues from different disciplines and functions, critical thinking, attention to detail, and excellent communication (verbal and written) skills.
• Computer skills are essential along with an aptitude to learn new tools. Commonly used software packages include the Microsoft packages, Adobe suite, SharePoint, WordPress, MailChimp, and database tools, and PowerPoint.
• Master's degree required and PhD (not professional PhD) preferred.

More Job Details:
40% PhD student and Postdoc Programs: This position will be responsible for:

• Creating student-facing programming for PhD students. These include workshops, conferences and skill-building activities. Many activities will involve collaboration across the Northeastern system.
• Developing and delivering a distinctive postdoctoral fellowship development program.
• Plans and develops programming for signature events hosted by the PhD Network, including but not limited to: (Annual events) Fall PhD Orientation, Fall PhD Pop-Up: Resource Showcase and Networking Social, Experiential PhD Expo, recruitment activities, workshops and retreats.

• Serve as a guide as these students learn how to navigate Northeastern.
• Develop semester programming and meet weekly with the STARS Fellows.
• Develop mentoring programs to support URM PhD recruitment, retention and career development.
• Partner with recruitment specialists and colleges to deliver programming to PhD applicants.

• Maintain an annual calendar of programs for the PhD Network.
• Maintain regular student experience communications sent to PhD students and Postdocs related to weekly events, onboarding, beginning of the semester communications, etc.
• Manage the PhD student profiles project.
• Develop and implement an integrated communications plan to communicate to our PhD students, prospects and partners.

• In collaboration with experts across campus, develop cohesive plans for assessment and evaluation for regular programming.
• Partner with University Decision Support to collect meaningful outcome data for students and postdocs.

• Collaborate with the LEADERs team on programming to recruit PhD students and Postdocs to LEADERs.
• Provide resources and support to aid in student preparation for interviews with partners.

• Perform special projects as needed such as bench-marking studies.
• Take on national leadership activities with organizations that support PhD students and postdocs.

Position Type

Academic Administration

Additional Information

Northeastern University is an equal opportunity employer, seeking to recruit and support a broadly diverse community of faculty and staff.  Northeastern values and celebrates diversity in all its forms and strives to foster an inclusive culture built on respect that affirms inter-group relations and builds cohesion. 

All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, disability status, or any other  characteristic protected by applicable law.

To learn more about Northeastern University’s commitment and support of diversity and inclusion, please see www.northeastern.edu/diversity .