Program Coordinator - School of Public Health

Washington University in St. Louis • Indianola, IA

1d • Onsite

About The Position

The Healthier Futures Lab in the School of Public Health is seeking a Program Coordinator to serve as the primary operational partner to the lab's director, Dr. Salma Abdalla. The lab conducts externally funded research on the macrosocial forces that shape health outcomes, population mental health, and public health metascience. The Program Coordinator will manage the day-to-day operations of the lab, including scheduling, team coordination, content production, grant administration, research support, and event planning. This role requires a high degree of independence, proactive judgment, and comfort with using technology tools to improve operational efficiency.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or combination of education and/or experience may substitute for minimum education.
• Relevant Experience (3 Years)
• Demonstrated experience managing complex operations, multiple concurrent projects, or a senior leader's workflow in a fast-paced environment.
• Demonstrated track record of building and maintaining organizational systems (project trackers, calendars, workflows) that improve team effectiveness.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to draft professional correspondence.
• Active, fluent use of AI tools to improve productivity.
• Strong judgment and discretion in handling sensitive information related to grants, personnel, and institutional relationships.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, and comfort learning new software tools.

Nice To Haves

• Master's degree in public administration, public health, or a related field.
• Proficiency with project management tools such as Notion, Asana, Monday, or similar platforms.
• Experience with content production: newsletters, podcasts, Substack, social media, or science communications.
• Experience with grants administration in an academic setting, including familiarity with NIH, foundation, and international funder requirements.
• Familiarity with IRB processes and regulatory compliance.
• Experience planning and coordinating events.
• Familiarity with reference management software (Zotero).

Responsibilities

• Manage the full grant lifecycle across multiple concurrent awards and funders, including tracking deadlines, support the submission or grants, preparing progress reports, and coordinating renewals and no-cost extensions.
• Submit and track expenses, reimbursements, and procurement.
• Coordinate IRB processes.
• Support manuscript preparation and submission.
• Assist with literature reviews and evidence synthesis as needed.
• Serve as the primary calendar manager and scheduling strategist, including protecting focused work time and ensuring meeting preparation materials are ready.
• Draft and send communications to funders, collaborators, and institutional partners as needed.
• Coordinate travel logistics including booking, reimbursements, visa applications, and itinerary management.
• Build and maintain a project management system to track deliverables, deadlines, and accountability across the research team.
• Run regular check-ins and keep projects on schedule.
• Manage onboarding and offboarding for lab personnel.
• Support production of a podcast and two Substack newsletters, including scheduling guests, coordinating recordings, light editing, drafting show notes, formatting posts, and tracking audience metrics.
• Prepare and update slide decks and presentations for talks, funder meetings, and conferences.
• Support the planning of events.
• Perform other duties as assigned to support the lab's research, communications, and operational needs.

Benefits

• Up to 22 days of vacation, 10 recognized holidays, and sick time.
• Competitive health insurance packages with priority appointments and lower copays/coinsurance.
• Take advantage of our free Metro transit U-Pass for eligible employees.
• WashU provides eligible employees with a defined contribution (403(b)) Retirement Savings Plan, which combines employee contributions and university contributions starting at 7%.
• Wellness challenges, annual health screenings, mental health resources, mindfulness programs and courses, employee assistance program (EAP), financial resources, access to dietitians, and more!
• We offer 4 weeks of caregiver leave to bond with your new child. Family care resources are also available for your continued childcare needs. Need adult care? We’ve got you covered.
• WashU covers the cost of tuition for you and your family, including dependent undergraduate-level college tuition up to 100% at WashU and 40% elsewhere after seven years with us.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Number of Employees: 1,001-5,000 employees