Job Description

The Operations Coordinator will primarily support the administrative and operations functions of the University of Minnesotaâ™s (UMN) central Graduate Admissions Office (GAO) in its goal to provide exceptional service and support to prospective graduate students; system-wide graduate program faculty and staff; and internal and external agencies related to graduate admissions. The Coordinator is responsible for assisting the development, implementation, and administrative management of general operations of the GAO. 

As a critical member of the GAO team, the Operations Coordinator is responsible for Admissions Operations and the management of Frontline Support to ensure the delivery of an exceptional suite of system-wide admissions services for graduate faculty and staff, prospects, applicants, current graduate students, and externally sponsored student agencies. 

The Operations Coordinator drives the effectiveness, accessibility, and accuracy of admissions services by ensuring a high level of administrative support to all constituents, developing and implementing efficient services, and helping safeguard institutional risk by having a working knowledge of and advising on administrative policies, best practices, and proper protocols for protecting student data. This role is also an integral partner to the Graduate Schoolâ™s diversity and communication teams. 

This is a 100%, 12-month continuing Civil Service appointment (job code 8208A1, Admin Associate 1).

JOB DUTIES. 

Unit Administrative Operations - 50%

• Research, design, deliver and assess best practices and protocols for administrative efficiency and operational excellence in support of the work of the GAO.
• Execute the daily operations of the Universityâ™s central GAO, which provides critical support to more than 200 graduate programs on the Twin Cities, Duluth, and Rochester campuses.  
• Conduct analysis and recommend short and long-term strategies and best practices for technology, process, policy, and other areas of support for 18,000 applicants per year as well as the graduate programs, faculty, admissions staff, Graduate School staff, and other constituents who depend on the office to effectively support their strategic and daily work. 
• Support the development and lead the implementation of new administrative initiatives, processes, and workflows to align with University policy and procedures for graduate admissions.
• Prepare reports for budget, admissions applications, recruitment yield, and ad hoc topics for the GAO, Graduate School, graduate programs, and other constituents to enable data-driven decision making. 
• Serve as facilities support partner for the Graduate School: maintain and participate in projects to implement space and equipment changes. This includes ensuring facilities management requirements are met, analyzing and implementing technology to support hybrid work, coordinating equipment repair, and supporting pilot projects with new technologies (AI, mobile scanning, etc.) 

Frontline Support Service Management/Advising - 30%

• Serve as the primary supervisor and contact for student support staff. 
• Advise and counsel applicants, graduate program faculty and staff in more than 200 graduate programs on the administrative admissions process and provide resources to ensure equity among applicants, both international and domestic.
• Serve as the Universityâ™s central point of contact and liaison for international student sponsoring agencies, Fulbright, Amideast and other partner agencies. Includes serving as liaison between agency placement officers and graduate programs, investigating, troubleshooting and responding to inquiries from agency officers, graduate programs and applicants; reviewing applications for completeness and requesting additional materials when necessary; and collaborating with International Student and Scholar Services staff to address to ensure the highest level of support and service for sponsoring agencies and students.

Communications - 10%

• Research, develop and maintain a modern, accessible and sustainable platform for GAO job aids/tutorials (Toolkits, automated reminders, etc.).  
• Draft and deliver communications to effectively engage internal and external audiences
• Ensure communication content accessibility, accuracy, and relevance across all Graduate Admissions platforms. 
• Assist the development of communication strategies for the GAO and individual graduate programs via the Universityâ™s central graduate admissions Slate CRM system
• Develop and enhance Graduate Admissions web pages, internal Google tools (sites/drives/etc.), and other communications tools to ensure critical content reaches graduate admissions stakeholders. 

Outreach/Recruitment - 10%

• Coordinate and support event planning, and implementation of admissions recruitment activities; and Graduate School events related to graduate student support. This includes outreach events, recruitment events, online presentations, in-person presentations, and other event related work. 
• Provide support as directed and/or necessary to deliver the mission of the GAO, and the Graduate School.

WORK MODE: The Graduate School is currently working in a hybrid work model (some time remote and some time on campus) and all staff are required to work in-person on campus on Wednesdays.  This agreement is subject to change based on mission needs.

PAY: The salary for a maximally qualified hire is $53,250.00

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• BA/BS or a combination of related education and work experience to equal four years
• A high level of cross-cultural sensitivity and ability to successfully communicate and develop positive relationships, as demonstrated by experience providing customer service and/or experience interacting with people of diverse backgrounds. 
• Proficiency with PCs, Microsoft Office, Adobe PDF, and Google Workspace applications, or has the ability to work in similar software systems.
• This position will require travel to represent the University of Minnesota at recruitment fairs, conferences, and/or provide information sessions to various audiences.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Superior interpersonal skills, including strong oral and written communication skills  
• Proven ability to successfully manage substantial workload that includes multiple commitments and competing priorities
• Strong organizational skills - focused, and results-oriented. Is highly motivated as demonstrated by the ability to take initiative and make informed decisions. 
• Able to work as part of a team, and independently. 
• Experience in a university office setting, particularly pertaining to administrative coordination and support of student services. 
• Customer service experience in a dynamic, fast-paced environment
• Experience with PeopleSoft, Slate, MyU Portal, Mitel Communicator, Zoom, and Perceptive Content programs

About University of Minnesota Twin Cities

The University of Minnesota, founded in the belief that all people are enriched by understanding, is dedicated to the advancement of learning and the search for truth; to the sharing of this knowledge through education for a diverse community; and to the application of this knowledge to benefit the people of the state, the nation, and the world.

Connections working at University of Minnesota Twin Cities

Job Tags

Temporary work, Work experience placement, Remote job,

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