Position Summary

The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (OPA), which is within the Office of the Executive Vice President for Research, is responsible for numerous activities that involve education, training and support for all University postdoctoral researchers and scholars (postdocs). The Manager of the OPA serves as the initial point of contact for many members of the postdoctoral community and manages the day-to-day operations of an academic administrative office responsible for supporting over 1700 postdocs.

The Manager of the OPA will support current postdocs by curating professional development and social events and programs, offering guidance related to Columbia policies, and answering general inquiries. The Manager will spearhead successful office operations to support the professional development and personal growth of postdocs in preparation for their own independent careers within or outside of academia. The Manager works closely with and reports to the Executive Director of the OPA.

Position is 35 hours/week and currently hybrid, with two in-office days per week on the Columbia Medical Campus. The number of days on campus is subject to change.

Responsibilities

Event Management:

-Manage logistical aspects of in person and virtual events, including room/venue selection and reservation, vendor and contract management, registration, equipment, A/V, food and beverage management, advertising and post-event follow-up.

-Spearhead end-to-end event planning for educational and social events.

-Lead regular New Postdoc Orientation event for new postdocs.

-Investigates emerging trends pertaining to the needs of the postdoctoral community.

-Manage relationships with external consultants and other vendors.

-Act as a liaison with the Columbia Postdoctoral Society (CUPS) leadership, assist with questions, event logistics and set-up, and provide general guidance as needed.

-Meet with postdocs 1:1 upon request.

-Work with other OPA staff members regarding post-event evaluation and reporting.
 
Communications:
-Create weekly emails to disseminate upcoming event information to the CU postdoc audience.

-Update and manage all OPA website pages; create new OPA website pages when needed.

-Send out monthly emails to users via the outcome tracking platform (12Twenty).

-Create and send out program completion certificates and postdoc awards.
 

Administrative:
-Assist with general inquiries via phone and via the shared office email account.

-Field inquiries from postdocs and from the general public on a wide variety of matters and refer to appropriate internal and external resources.

-Receive a list of new postdocs each month to upload onto the CU listserv servers.

-Liaise with CU administrative departments to complete the annual GSS survey of departmental postdoctoral data for graduate students and postdocs.

-Order office supplies and event supplies.

-Assist the Director and team on project management, reports, events and special assignments as needed.
 

Financial:
-Create and modify new and existing vendors in the Columbia vendor system.

-Process invoices and check requests for honorariums through the ARC finance system; resolve payment discrepancies.

-Track expenses in Excel and monitor budget for both OPA and CUPS.

Minimum Qualifications:

-BA and/or its equivalent in education or experience.

-Two or more years in higher education administration, program management, human resources, or similar areas of experience.

-Demonstrated writing and professional communication skills to be able to draft communications for weekly mass emails, event registration pages and website pages.

-Must be able to interact successfully and with empathy with a wide diversity of audiences, including postdocs, administrators, and others with diverse backgrounds and varying levels of English language proficiency.

-Self-motivation and ability to work independently and exercise sound judgment.

-Organizational skills needed; experience with project/event management highly desired.

-Strong analytical skills with a desire to use qualitative and quantitative data to inform OPA event and program decisions.

-Position requires regular use of Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, ARC (financial system), 12Twenty (outcomes software), 25Live (room reservation software), Bedework (event software), Listserv and other software; must be able to learn and become proficient with required software.

-Must be able to work select evenings for events; evening hours worked can be balanced out throughout the week.

-Familiarity with Columbia University-specific software highly desired.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.