Rowan Institute for Public Policy & Citizenship (RIPPAC)

Program Assistant, Administrative Services

Job

The Rowan University Institute for Public Policy & Citizenship (RIPPAC) is seeking a high-energy, entrepreneurial, and well-organized individual for a new external-facing position of Program Assistant. This full-time position will work directly for the Director of RIPPAC and will be required to engage directly and personally with students, faculty, and federal and state leaders in government, politics, issue advocacy, business and philanthropy, as well as Rowan administration/staff. This position will also be active in aligning RIPPAC with the Steve Sweeney Center for Public Policy.

More Detail About the Position:

The ideal candidate will be able to handle an external-facing, fast-paced, and results-oriented work environment at an entrepreneurial public policy institute focused on educating, engaging, and training students, faculty and the public in all aspects of applied politics and advanced citizenship.

The position’s primary areas of work will involve assisting in managing RIPPAC’s varied programming, including handling occasional events on evenings and weekends, along with administrative tasks. Sharing the University and Director’s vision for RIPPAC, and an absolute commitment to achieving it, is critical.

The person in this position will work as part of a team and will be the initial point-of-contact for anyone engaging with RIPPAC, ranging from prospective students to elected officials.

In addition to the benefits provided by the university, including health insurance, state pension, and tuition waiver for yourself and children, perks of this position include the opportunity to meet and engage with federal and state leaders in government, politics, issue advocacy, business and philanthropy while creating a nationally-recognized institute with a growing network of engaged alumni, funders, and other stakeholders. Further, there will be ample opportunity to share in the success of students involved with RIPPAC, who then go on to careers in public service and other notable pursuits.

Essential duties and responsibilities:

• Networking in face-to-face settings with key political figures and other targeted stakeholders to promote the RIPPAC brand and enhance the potential for future support.
• Serving as a RIPPAC representative at university open houses and alumni events (including homecoming), and engaging with targeted audiences to deliver key messages on behalf of RIPPAC.
• Managing upcoming formation of an external Development Board, including coordination of regular communications. This will also include attendance at in-person Board meetings and handling all logistical requirements for such meetings.
• Working one-on-one with individual students regarding career services, including coordinating job and internship applications, letters of recommendation, and scholarship applications, as well as advising on interview and networking strategies.
• Organizing and helping lead in-person meetings each month with cohorts of students based on class year (e.g., freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors).
• Organizing and helping lead monthly in-person meetings with student leadership board.
• Developing direct relationships with students so as to be able to assist in recruiting them for ongoing participation in RIPPAC programming, through emails, phone calls, texting and one-on-one conversations.
• External-facing logistical support for all programming occurring throughout the year, including on-site presence for events, as well as pre-event room setup and post-event breakdown.
• Designing, developing and implementing a social media presence for RIPPAC, including identifying and uploading pictures for posts, planning short- and long-range strategy for online messaging, and constantly updating the RIPPAC website and other social media feeds.

Managing additional administrative duties for RIPPAC, including:

• Programming support, including room reservations, room design, event advertising, invitations and programs, IT/AV coordination, coordinating details with visiting speakers, preparing contracts, travel forms, MDCs/DCA and catering management.
• Budgetary support including account maintenance, and assisting with fundraising appeals and donor engagement, and
• General administrative support, including photocopying, ordering and organizing supplies, data entry and data research.
• Handling administrative duties for the Director, including calendar maintenance and appointment scheduling, filing, and reimbursement.

Required education and experience:

• Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor's degree; related field preferred
• Proficiency in MS Office.
• Ability to work within diverse and multi-disciplinary teams.
• Exceptional customer service skills.
• Excellent time-management and organizational skills.
• Outstanding verbal and written communication skills.
• Detail-oriented and efficient.

Preferred experience:

• Social media strategizing, message development, design, and placement,
• New Jersey politics, and
• Summer camp programming and organization.

Preferred characteristics:

• Entrepreneurial, energetic and eager to learn
• Organized, detail-oriented, with strong drive to accomplish tasks
• Creative, both visually and organizationally
• Team player who is also able to work independently
• Ability to thrive in fast-paced environment with many stakeholders
• Adaptability to working with different personalities and situations
• Responsive, responsible, relatable, and reliable

Please note: Occasional evening and weekend work is required. Must be able to communicate in multiple media, including text and various social media platforms.

Salary:

• Range P16

Notes:

• Only completed online applications submitted on or before the deadline will be considered.
  Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the US, and the university will not sponsor an applicant for a work visa for this position.
• Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the US, and the university will not sponsor an applicant for a work visa for this position.