CPAESS Program Specialist II

Program Specialist II

UCAR is excited to announce the job opening for the Program Specialist II role with the Cooperative Programs for the Advancement of Earth System Science (CPAESS). This position serves as Event and Travel Team Lead for UCAR's Cooperative Programs for the Advancement of Earth System Science (CPAESS). With broad direction, draws upon excellent project management, organizational and time-management skills to successfully manage events and travel at the programmatic level.

Two of CPAESS's core themes are Community Building and Scientific Programs. Community Building assembles the scientific community for conferences, workshops, and events. CPAESS provides a comprehensive suite of services to sponsor organizations including in-person, virtual and hybrid meetings, planning and management, financial management, broadcasting capabilities, website development, registration services, digital communications, and a multitude of other logistic capacities. Within the CPAESS core theme of Scientific Programs, CPAESS also holds educational events such as summer schools, institutes, and special events such as symposia. These two thematic areas enable sharing and deepening of specific scientific topics as well as training and networking opportunities.

CPAESS serves the Earth System Science community in three distinct areas of service. We partner with federal agencies and businesses to hire critical scientific staff enabling a more robust workforce. Through our scientific programs we seek to edify new research with our postdoctoral programs, our visiting scientist and internship programs, along with our interagency support programs. We also help build the Earth system science community by convening and managing summer schools and institutes, conferences, and advisory committees.

Application Deadline: This position will be posted until 11:59pm MT on Friday, July 24. Applications will not be accepted past this date.

Required application materials (preferably in PDF Format, when possible):

• Resume
• Questionnaire - to be completed when submitting your application In lieu of a traditional cover letter, answer the following prompts that address the critical skills needed for this position. Your answers will be read and weighed equally to your Resume/CV and should provide specific, detailed, and informative responses based on your direct and previous work experiences. Please keep responses to 1-3 paragraphs per prompt.
  • Program & Event Management Describe a time you managed a complex, high-stakes event or program with a tight timeline and multiple stakeholders (e.g., budget constraints, vendor negotiations, competing sponsor priorities). What was your approach to keeping the project on track, and what specific decisions or trade-offs did you make when things didn't go as planned? What was the outcome?
  • Team Leadership & Development Tell us about your experience supervising or leading a team - including someone whose performance needed active management. How did you approach goal-setting, feedback, and professional development, and how did you balance your team's day-to-day workload with your own project responsibilities?
  • Stakeholder/Partnership Management Describe a situation where you had to assess a stakeholder, partner, or client's needs and translate them into a proposal, budget, or plan - particularly one where expectations, scope, or resources shifted along the way. How did you manage the relationship and communicate changes, and what did you do to maintain trust and a positive outcome?

Background checks are conducted for candidates selected for hire. Learn more.

Work Location Expectations: This position is open to candidates seeking in-person or hybrid (combination of 3 days in-person and 2 days of remote). UCAR requires ALL positions to be performed within the U.S., excluding U.S. Territories.

Here is a summary of what one would expect to be generally responsible for in this role.

Key Responsibilities

• Program & Event Management
• Provide high-level project management of CPAESS events and subawards, including budgets, vendor negotiations, deliverables, and reporting.
• Manage a portfolio of meeting and subaward projects on a day-to-day basis, including complex, time-sensitive deliverables.
• Drive standardization of project management best practices; identify opportunities to improve program effectiveness and recommend courses of action.
• Act as Meeting Planner or Travel Coordinator as needed; serves as staff specialist for event and travel support.
• Team Leadership & Supervision
• Manage a team of event coordinators and travel arrangers, including annual performance evaluations and development/monitoring of SMART goals.
• Forecast staffing requirements and oversees training, development, and professional growth of team members.
• Partner with the CPAESS Assistant Director on staffing actions, and recommend salaries for promotions and merit increases.
• Maintain processes that build a diverse and inclusive workforce and workplace environment.
• Sponsor & Stakeholder Engagement
• Serve as the primary point of contact to assess sponsor needs, budgets, and new event opportunities.
• Develop proposals and budgets in collaboration with the CPAESS Assistant Director and leadership team.
• Represent CPAESS to sponsors and external stakeholders.

Successful candidates will ensure their application materials speak to the following criteria:

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in science, education, public administration or a related field;
• 2 years of relevant experience in event and program planning;
• Or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.

Desired, but not required :

• CMP or PMP Certification.
• Experience with content management software, such as Drupal.
• Knowledge of travel planning and program management processes, including UCAR's travel policies and procedures.
• Experience with Cvent Event Management Software.
• Knowledge of relevant UCAR policies.
• 2 years of supervisory experience.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Project Management

• Demonstrated project management skills, including prioritization, risk assessment and mitigation, budgeting, and project accounting; ability to develop a project risk management strategy and report on status to the CPAESS director and stakeholders.
• Advanced skill in organizing, coordinating, and prioritizing a wide variety of tasks, working independently across multiple concurrent deadlines while maintaining high quality and quantitative standards.
• Core competencies include initiative, communication, critical thinking, creativity, analytical reasoning, and process management.
• Understanding of government contracts management processes; ability to work with UCAR Contracts personnel to meet contractual project needs.

Supervision

• Demonstrated ability to supervise the work of others, interpret and apply policies and procedures, and handle confidential information with discretion.
• Skill in identifying program opportunities and problems and recommending courses of action.

Event Planning & Technical

• Demonstrated knowledge of event planning and logistics, including AV equipment, onsite support for in-person events, and online meeting/registration platforms; experience with tools such as Zoom, WebEx, and Slido.
• Proficiency with relevant business software: Google's suite of apps, Concur travel and expense management, and standard word processing, database, presentation, and spreadsheet tools.
• Experience developing events, proposals, and budgets in partnership with steering committees.

Other

• Professional and collegial attitude when managing stressful timelines and complex programmatic situations.
• Demonstrated ability to adapt to a changing work environment.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to perform well as an effective team member within diverse groups.
• Proven ability to develop and foster positive relationships with a variety of stakeholders.
• Advanced oral communication skills; proficient written English communication, including drafting, editing, and proofreading complex materials for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and clarity.
• Ability to travel when required ( 4-6 domestic trips per year, with trips lasting up to a week at a time ).

UCAR affirms its commitment to employees through competitive benefits. In addition to medical, dental, vision, retirement, and life insurance, UCAR offers a variety of programs focused on work-life balance and professional, and personal development. These include:

• Tuition Assistance, time off allowance to attend classes, and other professional development opportunities.
• UCAR contributes 10% of your eligible pay into your retirement account; 100% fully vested on day one.
• Starting minimum accrual of 20