Program Associate, Education and Workforce Programs - B

PURPOSE OF THE JOB

The Education and Workforce Program Associate for the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) is responsible for supporting implementation of Education and Workforce Development programs, including the various internship funding programs. The Program Associate will report to the Manager of Education and Workforce Programs and work closely with all team members to promote access to high quality internships across Massachusetts.

FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The Program Associate will work collaboratively with the Education and Workforce team to administer multiple grant/funding programs. The Program Associate must possess strong organizational, communication, time management, customer/client service, and attention to detail skills. The Program Associate develops and maintains clear communication of expectations with program participants, cultivating relationships and ensuring compliance with Agreements. Specifically, the Program Associate will:

• Manage shared program inboxes, by checking emails daily, categorizing/assigning follow-up tasks, and respond to inquiries within 24 hours;

• Screen applications from prospective interns and host organizations via MLSC’s online application portal to determine eligibility, and researching companies/conferring with colleagues as necessary;

• Review and approve/decline offer requests based on review of student eligibility and employer’s hiring history within the program;

• Export program data from the application portal and organize it across multiple spreadsheets to accurately track program participants and deliverables;

• Review and prepare internship host organization agreements (and amendments as needed) for execution, including all attachments, and updating tracking sheets accordingly and remitting fully-executed copies via email;

• Maintain detailed spreadsheets that track financial data in real time, in collaboration with the Finance team, and monitor payment statuses for communication purposes;

• Schedule, prepare for, and attend virtual and in-person career fairs and info sessions to share information about the internship programs, both for students and host organizations;

• Increase awareness about MLSC and internship programs by attending community-based events to share information and engage in meaningful discussion and networking with relevant stakeholders;

• Engage with academic institutions to strengthen partnerships and increase participation in the internship programs, with a strategic focus on targeting underrepresented students;

• Analyze data across key metrics and regularly reporting out to the team and organization as needed;

• Track program outcomes and reporting compliance as scheduled (including outreach as needed to inquire about outstanding reports);

• Update academic institution contact lists on an ongoing basis, in preparation for program launches;

• Evaluate program effectiveness through the use of online surveys, data analysis and other evaluation tools;

• Report metrics on the impact of outreach efforts to be determined by the manager; and

• Other duties as assigned or requested.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE

Associate's degree, or higher, with minimum of two (2) years of professional work experience

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

• Must be able to work in a fast-paced environment with demonstrated ability to simultaneously manage multiple tasks and demands.

• Must have excellent verbal (phone and in-person) and written communications skills.

• Must have high level of interpersonal skills and an ability to handle sensitive and confidential situations.

• Must have experience working with diverse and underrepresented populations.

• Must have strong writing, research, and quantitative competencies and skills.

• Must be very comfortable creating spreadsheets and using basic functions.

• Must be detail-oriented and demonstrate strong organizational skills.

• Must have strong time management skills.

• Ability to work well both in teams and independently.

• Ability to exercise initiative in following through on assignments within stated deadlines.

• Must have strong computer (PC) skills in word processing, spreadsheets, and presentation software (Microsoft Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, and Adobe).

• Project management experience strongly preferred.

EXTENT OF PUBLIC CONTACT

• Extensive contact with internal and external stakeholders (currently in a hybrid in-person/remote work model).

• Work with counterparts at regional economic development agencies, cities, and towns.

• Meet virtually and in-person with various diverse organizations.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

This position does not have supervisory responsibilities.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

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 essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit, stand, walk, talk, or hear; must be able to operate office equipment; occasionally reaching above shoulder heights or below the waist; lift and/or move up to 15 pounds as required to file documents or store materials during the workday. The employee is occasionally required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel; and reach with hands and arms. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision and color vision. Must be able to effectively communicate orally and in writing; must be able to establish and maintain professional interpersonal relationships. Must be able to carry materials necessary for tabling during career fairs and events.

WORKING CONDITIONS AND ENVIRONMENT

The work is performed primarily in an office setting. The noise level in the work environment is moderate. Currently, work is being conducted in-person at the office in Waltham two days per week (Wednesdays and Thursdays), and remotely for three days per week. Must be able to be work in the office, outside of this schedule, as necessary.

• Must be able to work a regular work schedule of 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. and attend evening or weekend events, as needed; adjustments to schedule may be necessary, per business requirements.

• This position requires attendance at events throughout the Commonwealth (some of which are not easily accessible to public transportation). Reliable transportation is needed to meet the required participation at these events.