Northwestern University · 12 hours ago
Program Administrator
Evanston, IL
Full-time
Onsite
Mid Level
$64K/yr - $80K/yr
4+ years expNorthwestern University is an esteemed institution seeking a Program Administrator to oversee a major division/department-wide program or project. The role involves providing strategic administrative leadership, managing daily operations, and ensuring compliance with university policies while supporting new research centers until they are self-sustaining.
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Responsibilities
Directs and leads development of program/project strategic plan
Oversees & ensures that day-to-day operations are appropriately managed, efficient and effective
Operationalizes goals & objectives; ensures that resources are created or obtained
Manages customer service; creates associated practices & procedures & metrics to measure success
Analyzes data & recommends & implements changes & improvement to better ensure attainment of mission
Manages logistics requirements, including facilities, venue, scheduling, technology, instruction, catering, etc
Oversees documentation of agreements between NU and partner institutions, ensuring that agreements are complete and reviewed by all necessary NU officials
Participates in developing IT strategy to meet the mission & needs of program/project
Ensures necessary hardware, software & network infrastructure technology services are appropriated from central or internal IT
Ensures that the program/project meets associated revenue & expense goals
Develops and implements ideas for improving business processes, and increasing program/project revenues and margins
Plans & manages complex budget(s) which fund strategic mission including financial sustainability & enhancement models
Plans & implements annual budget process
Oversees all daily, monthly & annual financial activities including transactions, analysis, & reporting
Approves funds reallocation within budget as necessary & appropriate
Directs program/project marketing/branding efforts
Identifies and implements short- and long-term strategies and plans to meet program/project goals
Engages in outreach/field relations serving a number of goals, including recruitment, participation, sponsorship, relationship building, etc. to support continued program/project development & improvement
Interacts with internal/external resources & organizations to identify new markets & opportunities
Builds relationships with program/project alumni to develop and cultivate professional networks, financial resources, and sense of community among alumni
Oversees development & implementation of evaluation processes, quantitative & qualitative measurements that ensure that program/project benchmarks are successfully attained and communicated in a timely and efficient manner
Manages evaluation processes; recommends & implements changes for enhancement; monitors effectiveness through follow-up evaluation studies
Collaborates with internal/external resources to develop meaningful outcome measurements and methods of program/project evaluation that will lead to enhancement
Develops a comprehensive program of events such as lectures, symposia, speaker series, workshops, conferences, cultural events etc. in collaboration with internal & external resources
Develops proposals & recruits faculty leaders for interdisciplinary research working groups, and works with them to develop programming
Manages professional research administration support staff in order to facilitate & enhance all administrative grant processes & related compliance
Responsible for pre- & post-award administration completed by research administrators
Builds relationships with Principal Investigators (PIs) & NU research associated offices
Transfers knowledge & advises on research policy & procedure
Manages payroll administration for research appointments
Determines & implements organizational structures to align with strategic mission
Manages implementation of human resource programs, policies, procedures & talent management lifecycle & related mentoring & training
Oversees recruitment & selection process; Performance Excellence plan for each employee; & merit increase process
Manages & provides consultation regarding complex performance problems & issues; administers leaves; approves timesheets & oversees completion of annual staff Conflict of Interest survey
Interprets HR policy to maximize effectiveness of HR administration to meet strategic plan objectives
Manages goals, objectives, outcome measurements and metrics, financial feasibility, marketing strategies and collaboration opportunities with other internal and external organizations
Manages the ongoing development and refinement of the program's/project's current and future curriculum and course offerings in consultation with subject matter experts
Manages the recruits, hires, and directs instructors/faculty
Provides leadership for planning, scheduling, delivering and maintaining program(s)/project(s) to sustain quality instruction in all educational activity
Manages for consistently high quality standards across all partner programs/projects, including admissions, teaching, grading, service levels, and facilities
Oversees recruitment, application evaluation, interview, selection and notification of students or participants
Establishes admissions criteria in accordance with associated NU policy
Manages student orientation, registration, student life, graduation, etc
Addresses student matters, such as academic probation and other issues escalated from staff
Ensures that an advising system is in place to support all students, including working directly with prospective and enrolled students on issues ranging from qualifications for enrollment, course and placement planning, as well as career planning
Creates department strategy for structure, process, & staff support of students
Oversees academic year course schedule; monitors course registration & enrollments
Performs other duties as assigned
Qualification
Required
Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree; OR appropriate combination of education and experience
4 years program/project administration or other relevant experience
Demonstrated strong organization skills
Professional and precise written and verbal communication
Superior customer service; able to meet competing deadlines with reasonable turnaround times
Preferred
2 years in program/project administration within a university or research setting
Experience with financial and budget administration within a university or research setting
Benefits
Meaningful, competitive, high-quality health care plans
Retirement benefits
Tuition discounts
Comprehensive programs and services to help you and your family navigate life’s challenges and opportunities
Flexible work arrangements
Programs to help you locate and pay for quality, affordable childcare and senior/adult care
Employee career development
Tools and resources for developing your professional potential or continuing your formal education
Company
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research and teaching university that offers academic programs across various fields of study. It is a sub-organization of Northwestern Athletics.
5001-10000 employees
H1B Sponsorship
Northwestern University has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (325)
2024 (308)
2023 (280)
2022 (282)
2021 (184)
2020 (155)
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageTotal Funding
$98.02MKey Investors
National Peanut BoardAdvanced Research Projects Agency for HealthGRAMMY Museum
2024-10-30Grant
2024-10-04Grant· $34M
2023-11-28Grant· $0.02M
Leadership Team
Diego Klabjan
Professor
Henry Bienen
Interim President
Recent News
2026-01-11
Digital Journal
2026-01-11
2026-01-09
Company data provided by crunchbase