The University of St. Thomas invites qualified candidates to apply for a Program Manager, Fowler Competitions position within the Opus College of Business.

*This is a limited term position and is expected to run through June of 2021, depending on business needs*

The University of St. Thomas embraces diversity, inclusion, and equal opportunity for all. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. This commitment is consistent with our mission to inspire our students, using the Catholic intellectual tradition, to think critically, work skillfully, and act wisely – all for the common good.  A successful candidate will possess a commitment to the ideals of this mission.

JOIN OUR COMMUNITY

The University of St. Thomas offers a competitive and comprehensive benefits program, which includes:

• Up to 100% tuition remission for employees, spouses, and dependents upon eligibility
• A generous Employer retirement contribution of 9.4% of annual salary upon eligibility
• Medical, dental, and vision options
• Employer-paid disability, life, and AD&D benefits

JOB SUMMARY

The Program Manager, Fowler Competitions will be in charge of the Global Social Innovation Challenge, (GSIC), the Idea Labs series, and workshops related to the execution of these events; and will support the delivery of the Fowler New Business Concept Challenge (NBCC).  Success in the position requires building relationships with other university centers, institutes and individuals, community partners and business leaders, and supervising part-time staff and/or interns.  The Program Manager is to work closely with and receive general guidance and support from the senior Director of the Schulze School of Entrepreneurship and serve as primary liaison with our GSIC partner, the Assistant Director of the Center for Peace and Commerce at the University of San Diego.  There are four major areas of duties: (a) developing and implementing all promotion and program delivery associated with the GSIC, including Idea Labs, workshops, and competition events, (b) actively supporting development and delivery of the NBCC, (c) recruiting, onboarding and supporting other university partners who participate in GSIC, and (d) serving as a liaison and main point of contact with our GSIC partner, the Center for Peace and Commerce and the University of San Diego.

Internal Operations:  

The Program Manager, Fowler Competitions is responsible for managing the internal operations of the Fowler Competitions including planning and delivering the associated events, supervising student workers and/or interns, meeting with members of the university community and local, Twin Cities community.  It will also include coordinating email and telephonic communications of the Fowler Competitions, as well as maintaining the competition websites, in conjunction and consultation with the St. Thomas information technology department.

Programming: 

The Program Manager’s duties will include managing, planning, and coordinating the GSIC, Idea Labs series, and other relevant activities and workshops, while actively supporting delivery of the NBCC.  This includes maintaining and developing partnerships with university and community based organizations, industry and entrepreneurs to promote the successful implementation and development of these events. Directing the GSIC will include managing the entire process of program delivery, including faculty and student promotion to engage participation, student support and preparation, application and judging process for all rounds, (including both online rounds and on-campus events), design and management of on campus events. The Program Manager will develop and implement activities and workshops that are relevant to the Fowler Competitions.  This will involve planning meetings, setting up timelines, communicating with potential participants in advance and then coordinating the actual event.

Promoting Internal & External Relations:

The Program Manager will oversee all marketing and communications related to the Fowler Competitions, including:

• Deploying effective integrated marketing and communication initiatives to drive programming and its key performance indicators.
• Overseeing social media, PR campaigns with the St. Thomas marketing, insights & communications team to maximize effectiveness and resource efficiency.
• Aligning strategies with other on-campus and off-campus partners and existing Schulze School of Entrepreneurship programming.
• Developing an effective marketing strategy, including presentations to classrooms and student clubs and organizations.
• Managing internal and external vendors such as catering and printing companies.
• Overseeing strategic partnerships to coordinate messaging and marketing initiatives.
• Developing and refining web platform graphics, copy and functionality.
• Attending internal and external events and programs to promote the initiatives of the Fowler Competitions and make additional contacts

The Program Manager will recruit and prepare the following stakeholders to participate in programming related to the Fowler Competitions:

• Students, to attend workshops and Idea Labs and apply for the Fowler Competitions
• Community members, faculty and alumni, to mentor students
• Community leaders and entrepreneurs, to mentor and serve as judges for the Fowler Competitions

This position requires periodic visits to our partner at the University of San Diego up to 15% of the year.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

1.   Organization and delivery of Fowler Competition activities:  Develop promotional materials, including fliers, posters and manage the Fowler Competition websites. Plan and coordinate strategic meetings with faculty and staff involved in Fowler Competitions, create agendas.  Organize periodic surveys and focus groups with students, faculty, community and industry leaders to identify areas of interest and strategies for maintaining continuous engagement with diverse stakeholders.  Conduct strategic outreach with potential internal and external program partners. Organize logistics of events, information sessions and workshops. Work with the university’s Marketing, Insights and Communications department both verbally and an in writing to assure events are properly publicized. Supervise the design of promotional material and marketing plans for events and activities. Design systems to track promotional material for assessment and improvement. Manage and coordinate all logistical aspects of associated events. Liaise with other student groups (i.e. Sustainability Club, VISION etc.), to promote events and activities at the university. Develop, in coordination with the Associate Dean and Senior Director of the Schulze School, strategic goals of the University of St. Thomas and University of San Diego GSIC partnership and action plans. Plan, organize, and implement all activities related to the Fowler Competitions including: classroom presentations; promotional activities; cross-campus communications and marketing; procurement of promotional materials; involvement of faculty, staff and involvement of social entrepreneurs; delivery of workshops; management of application and judging process; delivery of high quality on-campus competition events. Create relevant content, information and format for workshops and Idea Labs series including speaker invitations, travel coordination and event logistics. Assist the Senior Director of the Schulze School of Entrepreneurship with ad hoc projects, activities that support success of the competitions. Manage the online platform for the Fowler Competitions. Create impact measurements for the Fowler Competitions, workshops and Idea Labs Series. Benchmark with similar initiatives in Universities in the United States and abroad.  Serve as liaison to the Center for Common Good to ensure strategic positioning within St. Thomas, build strategic partnerships externally and internally. Connect students applying for Fowler Competitions to mentors and workshop opportunities. Recruit, onboard and support university partners who are participating in the GSIC

2.   Liaise with the Center for Peace and Commerce, University of San Diego: Serve as primary point of contact to our partner for the GSIC, the Center for Peace and Commerce (CPC) at the University of San Diego. In conjunction with the Associate Dean and Senior Director of the Schulze School, collaborate and align strategies to grow and scale the GSIC and create measurements and metrics for evaluation.

3.   Administration: Develop and maintain budgets for the various activities of the Fowler Competitions. Prepare budgets for large multi-faceted events such as workshops and Fowler Competitions. Prepare annual report for Fowler Competitions. Maintain accurate records and accounting systems. Know the university accounting system and procedures and work as a liaison with other university departments. Work with OCB finance to manage accounts receivable and payable. Reconcile credit card and other monthly expense reports

Minimum Qualificaitons:

• Bachelor’s degree
• Three years of program administration experience

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in higher education and development
• Knowledge of corporate social responsibility and social enterprise
• Experience in organizing events a plus.

This position requires periodic travel to our partner at the University of San Diego.  

HOW TO APPLY

On the University of St. Thomas Jobs page, follow the instructions to complete an online application which includes uploading a resume and copy/pasting a job specific cover letter.

In light of its commitment to create and maintain a safe learning and working environment, employment with the University of St. Thomas requires consent and successful completion of a background screening.

The University of St. Thomas, Minnesota Human Resources Department advertises the official job listing on its website at www.stthomas.edu/jobs.

The University of St. Thomas is an Equal Opportunity Employer

*This is a limited term position and is expected to run through June of 2021, depending on business needs*