Project Officer

Position Summary

Columbia World Projects (CWP) is a university-wide initiative that aims to forge closer and more useful connections between Columbia University's research capabilities and the needs of the world by mobilizing researchers and scholars in collaboration with governments, organizations, businesses and communities to tackle critical global challenges. CWP’s current areas of social impact include climate, COVID-19, democratic renewal, energy access, inclusive urbanism, maternal health and unequal opportunity in rural America. CWP also leads the Obama Foundation Scholars Program, and engages with faculty, students, and community members to connect knowledge and action.

Committed to attracting and retaining a diverse staff, CWP is dedicated to increasing diversity in its workforce and in all its initiatives in order to achieve continued excellence and align with Columbia’s commitment to create a vibrant, diverse, equitable, and inclusive university community.

Reporting to the Director, Learning and Innovation (DLI), the Project Officer will serve as a key member of the Learning and Innovation team focused on launching and supporting a range of fourth purpose activities. The Project Officer will also have opportunities to work on cross-unit initiatives and activities.

Responsibilities

• Manage activities to support the development and implementation of programs designed to develop and strengthen the capacity of students and faculty to engage in and lead social impact initiatives.
• Manage the application process for identifying student and faculty program participants, and all communication with prospective and selected applicants; coordinate and participate in applicant interviews, prepare materials for the program selection committee, and ensure appropriate and timely communication between all parties.
• Liaise with program participants to facilitate their participation in program activities.
• Analyze application trends and produce reports to support the application review and decision-making process. Develop regular reports capturing analysis and data for the DLI to present to CWP leadership.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for coordinating Fellowship and Academy-related activities (e.g., workshops, convenings), including working with workshop facilitators to schedule sessions for program participants; managing catering, logistics, guest travel, accommodations, space rentals and agreements.
• Collaborate with the CWP finance team to support financial operations of programs. Prepare and submit expense reports, and draft scopes of work for external program partners. Work with the CWP finance team in the establishment and management of required contracts. Support project related procurements as needed.
• Coordinate information sharing between the Learning and Innovation program team and Fellowship and Academy program participants, University and external partners, and the leadership of CWP.
• Support the design and planning for an annual Fourth Purpose conference to raise the visibility of Columbia University student- and faculty-led social impact initiatives; manage conference logistics.
• Support the development and implementation of a social impact lab to examine challenging aspects of project development, implementation and evaluation.
• Support the Learning and Innovation team to develop workplans and track progress.
• Write program descriptions, reports and proposals.
• Assist in the recruitment and hiring of related project staff and consultants as needed.
• Additional duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree required and/or equivalent. Three to five (3 to 5) years of related experience required.

**Applicants must submit a cover letter and curriculum vitae/resume. **

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working with global projects and/or in a university setting preferred.
• Project management experience preferred.
• Highly collaborative communication and strong interpersonal skills.
• A commitment and openness to working with diverse communities and organizations.
• Outstanding organizational and time management skills, with an orientation to detail and ability to thrive in a high-volume, entrepreneurial environment.
• Ability to track projects over time at varying degrees of detail and adhere to project deadlines.
• Experience working at an academic institution, foundation and/or non-profit agencies preferred.
• Demonstrated experience in coordinating events in diverse, complex environments. Proficiency in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook are required.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

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