LSI Program Manager

Department

Graham Leadership & Society Initiatives

About the Department

The Graham School is a one-of-a-kind intellectual community that brings the best of the University of Chicago to lifelong learners who are seeking discovery and discernment. Through an array of distinctive programs and courses in the Great Books, the liberal arts, and advanced leadership, we welcome learners who seek to deepen their understanding of the world and lead examined lives of purpose.

Job Summary

The University of Chicago Leadership and Society Initiative (LSI) is a yearlong, cohort-based fellowship that supports distinguished individuals at or nearing retirement to transition from their longstanding careers toward purposeful next chapters of leadership for society. The initiative has a two-part mission, to help individuals live more meaningful, connected, and fulfilling lives; and to help society by equipping these individuals with the frameworks, pathways, and community to drive significant, positive societal impact.  

LSI is seeking a Program Manager to support operations and student engagement across the LSI team. Reporting to the Executive Director of the Leadership and Society Initiative, the Program Manager will have two areas of responsibility: 1) supporting the efficient and smooth operation of administrative functions across LSI and 2) developing student-facing resources and responding to student inquiries to deliver an exceptional Fellowship experience. This position requires a highly organized and detail-oriented individual who can oversee various operational processes, manage logistics and project timelines, and collaborate with different team members to maintain administrative tasks and records. This is an exciting opportunity for someone who enjoys building strong operational effectiveness alongside helping students succeed and who is passionate about social impact, leadership development, and lifelong learning.  

Responsibilities

• Supports operations across the LSI team by maintaining project plans, timelines, expenses, and scheduling partner meetings.   
• Assists with administrative processing including contracts, payments, and documentation with central University units such as the registrar, bursar, and human resources.   
• Organizes program supplies and order materials as needed, such as workshop materials, printing for classes and events, and swag orders.   
• Plans and executes events for LSI, its Fellows and future program alumni, including symposiums, workshops, info sessions, and cultural outings. This includes managing invitations to speakers and guests, creating a run of show for all participants, and coordinating with any event space providers on room setup, menus, and A/V as needed. Events will be held both in person and virtually. Some evening and weekend support is required, with comp time provided to offset irregular hours.   
• As needed, supports with the creation of written materials for external facing audiences, such as event promotion, website updates, and partner presentations.   
• Supports the Executive Director in designing and implementing new projects on an as-needed basis. 
• Supports the Executive Director and the LSI team in delivering key aspects of the cohort experience and resources for Fellows.  
• Oversees development and production of resource guides, weekly email updates, and maintains a Canvas site for LSI Fellows to provide instructions and guidance on key learning elements. 
• Serves as first point of contact for all Fellow inquiries, and triages to team members as appropriate.  
• Conducts research on University policies, offerings, and course catalog as needed, to help Fellows navigate the many University-wide resources available to them.  
• Leads the enrollment process for Fellows in audited courses across the University, including securing faculty approvals for audits, guiding Fellows on their audit selections, and liaising with department administrators. 
• Supports the development of each Fellow’s capstone project, a Purpose Plan. Includes providing updates to Fellows on deadlines a