Programming & Outreach Specialist - Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement

Location

SAINT LOUIS, MO 63130

 Scheduled Hours

37.5

Position Summary

WashU's Division of Student Success seeks a dedicated professional for the position of Programming and Outreach Specialist. The Division of Student Success advances the educational mission of the university through resources and experiences outside the classroom that prepare our students for lifelong success.

The Programming and Outreach Specialist leads educational, engagement, and outreach initiatives focused on undergraduate and graduate students throughout Washington University. This position advances the Gephardt Institute’s mission to catalyze student learning, participation, and impact in civic life. This is a core programming position that fuels student involvement, civic learning, civic dialogue, and community engagement through a wide range of events, social media, outreach, and related innovative strategies.

The Programming and Outreach Specialist leads the development and implementation of programs, events, outreach, and engagement strategies through detailed project management, team coordination, campus partner collaborations, continuous outreach and visibility, cultivation of stakeholder relationships, and an eye toward continuous improvement.

This position requires a strong commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion. This position also requires a strong commitment to non-partisanship and to engagement of all Washington University students and stakeholders regardless of their political positions.

Job Description

Primary Duties & Responsibilities:

Program Planning and Project Management

Serves as primary programmatic staff for signature Gephardt Institute programs and other Institute events. This includes, but is not limited to, The Longest Table civic dialogue event; Civic Café, a weekly civic learning and dialogue series featuring civic leaders; the Gephardt Commencement Celebration; special events; and emergent programs and events across the Institute.

Activities associated with these programs include strong and detailed project management, coordinating with Gephardt staff and campus partners, outreach to guest speakers, event logistics, event promotion, record-keeping, and evaluation.

Manages program planning from ideation through execution and evaluation, which includes coordinating collaborative teams, developing detailed project plans, overseeing implementation, and leading continuous improvement with attention to strategic goals and operational effectiveness.

Outreach and Engagement

Coordinates Gephardt Institute outreach and engagement efforts to ensure visibility and reach across the student body and cultivate student awareness and involvement. This includes, but is not limited to, Orientation, opening of the semesters, presentations, workshops, information sessions, and related efforts. Activities include coordinating and preparing staff, materials, and messages; serving as a liaison with campus partners; speaking with students at tabling events, fairs, and presentations; and detailed project management.

Oversees outreach and engagement strategies that reach students digitally, with a focus on social media, regular Gephardt email marketing, and the Student Success Event Hub.  Activities include, but are not limited to, supervising student staff; coordinating digital engagement plans across the Institute; overseeing the social media content calendar; conceiving, creating, and/or reviewing social media content; managing distribution and content submissions; ensuring accuracy and alignment with brand guidelines and strategy; and

identifying and implementing techniques to increase visibility and engagement.

Manages targeted outreach to students, student-facing staff, faculty, and other campus partners to ensure broad student awareness and engagement with the Gephardt Institute.  Activities include, but are not limited to, identifying target audiences, direct email outreach, relationship building with campus partners and student leaders, presentations, information sessions, and other related and innovative strategies.

This also includes reviewing student engagement data to identify opportunities and strategies for continuously strengthening engagement, with attention to broad student involvement, new audiences, audiences aligned with specific program opportunities or topics, and audiences underrepresented in Gephardt Institute programs, events, and classes.

Coordinates Gephardt Institute outreach and engagement through initiatives such as campus partner engagement events and inquiries, Admissions events and prospective student visits, and Reunion Weekend open house.

Serves as an essential member of the Gephardt Institute team.

Contributes to initiatives, meetings, and events of the Gephardt Institute, including student outreach, campus partner and community partner engagement, special projects, and special events.

Collaborates with Gephardt Institute staff and relevant stakeholders to coordinate planning, implementation, evaluation, and continuous improvement of all Gephardt Institute programs and services.

Performs other duties as assigned.

Applicant Special Instructions:

Please provide your cover letter along with your full resume when applying.

Working Conditions:

Job Location/Working Conditions

Normal office environment.

Ability to travel to on- and off-campus locations for meetings and events throughout campus, the St. Louis community, and periodically to other cities/states.

Physical Effort

Typically sitting at a desk or table.

Repetitive wrist, hand or finger movement.

Equipment

Office equipment.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all job duties performed by the personnel so classified. Management reserves the right to revise or amend duties at any time.

Required Qualifications

Education:

Bachelor’s degree or combination of education and/or experience may substitute for minimum education.

Certifications /Professional Licenses :

No specific certification/professional license is required for this position.

Work Experience:

Relevant Experience (3 Years)

Skills:

Not Applicable

Driver's License:

A driver's license is not required for this position.

More About This Job

Preferred Qualifications:

• 2 or more years of experience with program design and event planning, preferably in higher education.
• Experience and interest in social media and other digital engagement strategies.
• Demonstrated knowledge and passion for civic engagement, community engagement, civic learning, civic dialogue, community development, community partnerships, social change, the public purpose of higher education, and/or related areas.
• Project management experience and demonstrated experience managing details across multiple priorities.
• Experience or interest in building proficiency in project management.

Preferred Qualifications

• Education: Master's degree
• Certifications /Professional Licenses : No additional certification/professional licenses unless stated elsewhere in the job posting.
• Work Experience: No additional work experience unless stated elsewhere in the job posting.
• Skills: Action-Oriented, Adaptability, Budget Management, Collaborative Spirit, Confidentiality, Critical Thinking, Deadline Management, Diversity Awareness, Effective Listening, Effective Written Communication, High Accuracy, Microsoft Office, Oral Communications, Oral Presentation, Organizing, Outreach Development, Prioritization, Purchasing Supplies, Social Media Development, Sound Judgment, Student Success, Work Efficiency, Working Independently, Workload Management
• Grade
• G10