Founded in 2020, School of Government Services (SOG Services) is an associated entity of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. As a nonprofit organization, SOG Services supports the faculty and staff of the School of Government in advancing the School's mission to improve the lives of North Carolinians by engaging in practical scholarship that helps public officials and citizens understand and improve state and local government.
Through this work, SOG Services also supports the broader public service, educational, and research missions of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the UNC System.
The Programs Division coordinates and manages the School of Government's continuing education programs for state and local government officials. The division works closely with faculty to plan programs and takes the lead in coordinating and implementing program logistics, including budgeting, off-site contracts, program websites, materials, catering, meeting
space, audio/visual needs, and on-site support. The division also provides registration and hospitality services and is responsible for allocating space and resources, including eight classrooms, nine seminar rooms, common spaces, and parking.
School of Government, Knapp-Sanders Building, Chapel Hill, NC and occasional off-site locations across North Carolina.
Reporting to the Assistant Dean for Programs, the primary focus of this position is to direct and manage teams that support the School's faculty for their more than 300 courses, programs, and events each year, which reach over 14,000 local government officials at multiple levels. The Director of Programs oversees an operational team of event management professionals from one of three areas: Courts, Public Leadership, and Local and State Government Law and Finance. The Director of Programs manages strategic collaborative efforts across the School Divisions, and understands fundamental project management, personnel management, and operational issues. They will develop and maintain the program calendar planning process for all programs within the school, making recommendations and changes in consultation with the Assistant Dean for Programs. This process includes preplanning (meeting with faculty to determine upcoming courses or programs that require support), and close out (debriefing with faculty and program teams). Their role includes planning projects a fiscal year in advance, or longer, if the program includes multiple sessions. The Director of Programs also supports the Assistant Dean for Programs in strategic projects to increase operational efficiency and in decisions related to hiring and organizational structure.
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Supervise a team of program managers and program associates assigning programs annually, directing team to develop and maintain processes, efficiencies and customer focus on all services.
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Responsible for effective personnel management and practices, ensuring performance, employee satisfaction facilitating resolutions of divisional issues.
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Oversee and enhance program system including databases, marketing tools, communication networks, business office functions, division and vendor relationships.
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Establish and maintain relationships with faculty partners, clients, sponsors and division directors.
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Contribute to establishing internal operational procedures through collaborative relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
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Responsible for communicating changes to and maintaining standard operational procedures.
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Provide program-level budget oversight for the division's $2.3 million operating budget in coordination with program team directors and the assistant dean, including developing and managing the annual programs budget, reviewing budget performance for individual programs and services, monitoring revenue and expenses and forecasting to align resources with demand, and assessing the feasibility of new initiatives and overall program effectiveness using evaluation data and stakeholder feedback.
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Contribute to annual program calendar planning in collaboration with faculty and as a member of the Program Management Leadership Team.
Program and Project Management:
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Manage and oversee the planning, delivery, and continuous improvement of continuing education programs, courses, and conferences, applying project management and event management expertise to facilitate program decisions from concept through execution, prioritizing and guiding division strategies and program decisions in alignment with the mission of the School.
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Partner with faculty to shape program strategy and course design, clarifying program objectives, scope, and the appropriate level of support provided by program teams, leading post-program reviews with faculty and program teams to capture lessons learned, evaluate outcomes, and incorporate improvements into future offerings, and advising faculty on delivery models that best serve state and local official training by balancing quality, efficiency, and innovation through appropriate instructional technology resources, learning environments, marketing approaches, and target audiences.
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Project management related to annual course calendar planning, and the implementation of operational tools.
Communications:
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Collaborate with faculty to match content delivery options with their respective client groups, both efficiently and innovatively. This includes suggesting different technologies, spaces, marketing and target audience.
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Maintain open communication with faculty and operational divisions on measures of program success providing regular feedback and solutions.
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Responsible for communicating policies, process, and other instructions to the programs team and to other operational divisions.
Budget Management:
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Responsible for approving all program budgets, monitoring program revenue and expenses, and maintaining the School’s strategic priorities in terms of registration fees, funding and sponsorship support, etc.
- Manage team budgets for professional development, team building activities, and as it pertains to hiring and salary increases for the division.
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Bachelor’s degree and two years of experience related to the area of assignment; or equivalent combination of related experience. Will accept 6+ years of relevant experience in substitution. All degrees must be received from appropriately accredited institutions.
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Five years of increasingly responsible experience in event, program, project or operations management, or a related function, including demonstrated experience in a management or people-leadership role.
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Experience leading programs and/or projects in a customer- or service-centered environment, with demonstrated ability to lead teams and achieve results through others.
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Experience with contract administration, vendor management, and negotiation, along with strong writing, presentation, facilitation, and negotiation skills.
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Ability to communicate clearly and effectively with stakeholders at all levels of the organization, work independently, exercise sound judgment, prioritize competing demands, and meet deadlines.
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1-3 years of experience managing a team or related supervision.
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Knowledge or experience related to hiring, training and onboarding employees.
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1-3 years of experience related to strategic planning and/or change management.
Work Schedule:
Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Evenings/Weekends:
Occasional evening and/or weekend work is required.
Mandatory Attendance/On-Call:
In-person presence is required for all assigned programs, and some divisional and team meetings. Some hybrid opportunities are available with a minimum requirement of 3 days per week in-person, excluding assigned programs or in-person meetings.
Work Arrangement:
In-Person
Note: Remote and hybrid work arrangements may be reviewed annually and are subject to change based on business need.
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions.
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The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.
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The employee must occasionally travel within North Carolina to perform functions. A valid NC driver’s license is required.
This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee(s) incumbent in this position. Employees will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job-related duties requested by any person authorized to give instructions or assignments. All duties and responsibilities are essential functions and requirements and are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities. To perform this job successfully, the incumbent will possess the skills, aptitudes, and abilities to perform each duty proficiently. Some requirements may exclude individuals who pose a direct threat or significant risk to the health or safety of themselves or others. The requirements listed in this document are the minimum levels of knowledge, skills, or abilities. This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise, other than an "at will" relationship.
