Senior Graduate Education Specialist

University of Washington Medical Center

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Office of Research and Graduate Education (RGE) in the School of Medicine (SoM) promotes and facilitates research, teaching and science training within the UW Medicine community. We do so by building and enhancing infrastructure, providing UW Medicine and University leadership with strategic information and analysis, fostering an open and collaborative environment, streamlining processes, and maximizing opportunities for achievements in research and education. Reporting to the Administrative Services Manager, the Senior Graduate Education Specialist is independently responsible for developing and delivering training and professional development content for workshops and seminars designed to support the research trainee community, as well as provide resources and guidance to graduate program faculty leadership and advisors. This position partners with SoM and interdisciplinary graduate programs to provide resources and guidance in areas related to research education and training for both graduate students and research postdoctoral scholars, including professional development; curriculum and handbooks; recruitment and admissions; and scholarships and fellowships. This role partners closely with the other members of the Administrative Services Unit, particularly the Senior Outreach Specialist, on planning and executing education-related workshops and school-wide events such as the PhD hooding ceremony and the research mentor education program. Strong organizational and leadership skills are required to manage relationships, deadlines and competing priorities. This position has the lead responsibility within RGE for partnering with the Associate Dean for Research Education and Training and other faculty leaders and administrative directors to provide biomedical research training resources appropriate for both graduate students and postdoctoral scholars. The Senior Graduate Education Specialist must exercise independent judgement and ownership of managing fellowship and scholarship allocations and notifications; supporting committees, councils, and recurring stakeholder meetings; and supporting student organizations. The scope of this position is UW wide, partnering and collaborating with Public Health, Engineering, other UW Health Sciences schools, UW Bothell Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences Program, and with regional partner institutions (e.g., Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Allen Institute, Gonzaga University, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, others). UW is challenged in offering career development programming for over 1,300 research trainees at the graduate and postdoctoral levels. The SoM employs over 400 postdocs in research-intensive roles and enrolls approximately 900 graduate students in our biomedical PhD programs. This is a mission-driven staff position, and requires a skilled, knowledgeable, and motivated individual to plan, implement and adapt events and services based on results and feedback. Faculty leaders are committed to and supportive of these programs. By improving the readiness of research trainees for careers in science RGE is increasing SoM’s success in training and placing the next generation of research scientists in academia, teaching, and government, which in turn increases interest in our graduate programs and postdoctoral opportunities and attracts high-achieving faculty researchers. Additional expected impacts include improved communication among trainees and faculty mentors and between international trainees and their mentors, a more attractive workplace for high-performing trainees, better resources for department and program managers to complement their formal training programs, enhanced relationships between the SoM and private sector business partners, and improved collaborative capacity overall within and among research labs and departments.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in education, life science, communications, or related field.
Three years' experience in educational program management including recruitment, admissions, student advising and faculty support, and academic student employment.
Exemplary attention to detail.
Ability to define and achieve clear goals and deliverables.
Outstanding written communication skills to write and edit meeting and event materials, emails and correspondence.
Outstanding oral communication skills to work efficiently and collaboratively throughout the University community and among partner institutions.
Demonstrated excellence in problem-solving.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in higher education administration, life science, or related field.
Experience in administering a biomedical or life science PhD program in an academic setting.
Experience in workshop and seminar content design and delivery.
Experience in managing graduate student employment and fellowship appointments in Workday.
Experience with National Institutes of Health (NIH) institutional training grant and individual fellowship award mechanisms.
Experience with academic program metrics and reporting.

Responsibilities

Plan and implement workshop and seminar content for the SoM’s research trainee community, encompassing programs such as the Bioscience Career Seminar Series, Inclusive Leadership Workshop, Future Faculty Fellows, Science Teaching Experience Program (STEP).
Coordinates closely with the team to support large school-wide events honoring research trainees such as the PhD Welcome Event, PhD Hooding Ceremony, and fellowship receptions.
Works closely with the Associate Dean for Research Education and Training and Director of Research and Graduate Education to implement strategies that enhance infrastructure, provide data and analysis, foster collaboration, streamline processes, and maximize opportunities for the achievements PhD graduate students and research postdoctoral scholars and fellows.
Works closely with the Senior Outreach Specialist and the Director of Research Mentor Education to plan and implement the Research Mentor Education program throughout the academic year.
Works closely with the Data and Analytics Unit on the development and presentation of new metrics and reporting resources to programs and department leaders related to the support and development of research trainees.
Works closely with the Director and Associate Director to strategize support and infrastructure to directors and administrators of SoM institutional training grants.
Works closely with the Director to provide detailed and easily accessible guidance on compliant student employment best practices, policies and procedures.
Cultivate and sustain strong relationships with PhD programs’ faculty Graduate Program Coordinators (GPCs) and staff Graduate Program Advisor (GPAs) to provide resources in support of each program’s goals.
Conducts surveys and gathers important information required for strategic planning and analysis at both the SoM and departmental levels.
Supports student organization and affiliate group facilitators in meeting their community building goals through guidance, relationship management, and resources.
Represents SoM at school and campus-wide meetings and processes related to graduate programs and research postdoctoral scholars.
Monitor and track budgets for assigned programs.
Work with the Administrative Manager to closely manage financial allocations of school-wide scholarships and fellowships while maintaining fiscal responsibility.
Monitor student organization activities for compliance with financial requirements.
Make budget recommendations to leadership related to resources and awards provided to research trainees.
Works closely with the Senior Outreach Specialist to develop internal communications to research trainees and mentors.
Partner with department leadership and Alumni Association teams on strategic engagement of graduating students to build a strong PhD alumni community.
Develop and refine career development on-demand resources for postdoctoral trainees.
Create and adapt guides and materials for prospective students, new student orientation, graduating students, and alumni.
Serve as a point of contact for inquiries regarding education and training resources and services.
Administratively support various committees including Graduate Program Coordinators (GPCs), Graduate Program Advisors (GPAs), Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program directors, and T32 peer networks.
Assure standard operating procedures are accurate, current, and utilized.
Routinely provide backup to other team members, including the Senior Outreach Specialist, Assistant to the Vice Dean, and Administrative Services Unit Manager as needed.
Serve as lead staff within the Office of Research and Graduate Education for ad hoc postdoctoral scholar and graduate education support needs.
Perform other duties as assigned.