Program Coordinator, Senior

Duke University:

 

Duke University was created in 1924 through an indenture of trust by James Buchanan Duke. Today, Duke is regarded as one of America’s leading research universities. Located in Durham, North Carolina, Duke is positioned in the heart of the Research Triangle, which is ranked annually as one of the best places in the country to work and live. Duke has more than 15,000 students who study and conduct research in its 10 undergraduate, graduate and professional schools. With about 40,000 employees, Duke is the third largest private employer in North Carolina, and it now has international programs in more than 150 countries.

 

Occupational Summary

The Senior Program Coordinator develops and manages environmental health communication, outreach, and engagement as part of programming and activities associated with the Duke University Superfund Research Center (SRC). The Senior Program Coordinator is responsible for planning, coordinating, administering and reporting on activities within assigned program areas, particularly the Administration and Research Translation Core (ARTC) and Community Engagement Core (CEC) and reports to the Directors of Research Translation and Community Engagement. The position is based at the Duke Campus in Durham, NC and is an onsite position with flexibility for some remote work. 

 

Work Performed

This position focuses on the communication of environmental health science and research for various audiences including the public, community partners, policymakers, funders, and more, and community engagement related to exposure to chemical contaminants and related health risks. The Administration and Research Translation (ARTC) and Community Engagement (CEC) Cores are based within the Duke University Superfund Research Center (SRC) at the Nicholas School of the Environment, and this position works in close conjunction with SRC researchers and other Center staff. The focus of the RTC and CEC is to effectively communicate research findings of the Center, and to assist affected communities in understanding, preventing, and/or mitigating the impacts of targeted hazardous chemicals. The Program Coordinator makes operational and programmatic decisions that have a significant impact on the successful achievement of science communication and community engagement strategies and objectives within the SRC; the Senior Program Coordinator is specifically responsible for the activities below:

 

                        Coordination of Science Communication and Engagement Programs (85%)

 

• Develops and manages communication strategy to reach the Duke SRC’s primary audiences: communities impacted by targeted environmental health issues, relevant policy makers and government agencies, and environmental health researchers and funders.
• Writes and edits technical communications that synthesize scientific concepts for these audiences and translates complex scientific research and writing for a lay audience in written, graphic, and oral forms of communication.
• Meets regularly with the ARTC and CEC Directors and staff to strategically plan for research translation and community engagement and then leads the management and execution of planned initiatives and activities.
• Provides guidance and feedback to Duke SRC researchers and students related to communicating their research and/or engaging with impacted communities and manages.
• Supports the selection of and supervises summer undergraduate and master’s student interns.
• Monitors and evaluates program effectiveness using qualitative and quantitative research techniques; investigates trends and recommends and implements modifications to improve program effectiveness.
• Collaborates with and maintains partnerships with other Superfund Research Centers to further these programmatic efforts.
• Occasional travel to conferences, events, stakeholder meetings, and community meetings, which may include night and weekend effort.

 

Evaluation and Reporting (15%)

 

• Tracks and reports on Duke SRC research and activities.
• Manages financial transactions and provides budget oversight for the ARTC and CEC and meets with program administrators as needed to discuss any financial concerns.

Perform other related duties incidental to the work described herein. The above statements describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this classification. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and duties required of personnel so classified.

Skills

• Passionate, skilled and experienced at communicating complex scientific topics in engaging and accessible ways for a variety of audiences in written and graphic forms.
• Educational background and/or significant experience in