Project Manager, Graduate Education and Strategic Initiatives (Hybrid) - Provost Office - Institutional Development

Washington University in St. Louis • Brookings, SD

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

Provides high level administrative/operational program and project management support for the Graduate Education program and the Doctoral Council. Plays a central part in advancing the quality, consistency, and effectiveness of PhD education across the university. Manages key governance processes, oversees academic program reviews, facilitates communication among schools and departments, and ensures smooth execution of graduate education policies and initiatives.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree
• Relevant Experience (3 Years)

Nice To Haves

• Analytical Thinking
• Computer Literacy
• Conducting Assessments
• Confidentiality
• Creating Action Plans
• Detail-Oriented
• Effective Written Communication
• Interpersonal Relationship Management
• Microsoft Office
• Presentation Development
• Problem Solving
• Program Evaluations
• Program Reviews
• Qualitative Analysis
• Quantitative Analysis
• Relationship Building
• Resourcefulness
• Self Motivation
• Teamwork
• Verbal Communications
• Working Independently

Responsibilities

• Doctoral Council Support Coordinates all aspects of Doctoral Council (DC) meetings, including scheduling, agenda development, preparation of presentation materials, and distribution of relevant documents.
• Records and maintains accurate meeting minutes and ensures follow‑up on action items.
• Supports recruitment and onboarding of new DC members.
• Manages meeting logistics such as organizing catering arrangements, facilitating guest speaker invitations, and liaising with campus partners.
• Academic Program Review Management Oversees the regular review cycle for PhD programs, ensuring timely communication, documentation, and adherence to established processes.
• Implements process improvements, informed by recent evaluations and stakeholder feedback.
• Assigns review committees and coordinates the solicitation, engagement, and payment of external reviewers.
• Collaborates with Vice Deans and Deans on program selection, review outcomes, and follow‑up actions.
• Conducts orientations for programs entering the review cycle and provides ongoing guidance throughout the process.
• Reviews written program reports for completeness and consistency.
• Manages survey distribution and develops faculty survey reports.
• Generates standardized metric data to support and inform program evaluation and guide decision‑making processes.
• Schedules academic program review “Action Plan” meetings between reviewers and program leadership, following the conclusion of the academic program review process.
• Develops procedures for delivering updates to the Doctoral Council about improvements based on “Action Plans” from previously reviewed programs.
• Administration and Policy Support Manages internal and external enquiries related to Graduate Education.
• Provides research, analysis, and related support for graduate education policy issues.
• Contributes to drafting policy updates, communications, and guidance documents.
• Serves as a central point of contact for graduate education questions and issues across the university.
• Maintains VPGE website sections contain accurate and current information.
• Collaborates on Bulletin updates for pages related to the VPGE.
• PhD Academic Requirement Support Serves as the primary liaison for questions, issues, and other concerns regarding the core academic requirements of the PhD experience, as stated in the Bulletin.
• Collaborates on Bulletin updates for pages related to the PhD Academic Requirements.
• Serves as the key point of contact for questions related to the guardrails and administrative guidelines to support the Mentored Experience Requirement (MER).
• Champions recommendations for the change to the MER guardrails, administrative processing, and other operational steps.
• Liaises with the school academic operations staff as needed to gather feedback and input on potential policy or requirement changes.
• Other duties as assigned.

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: Mid Level