Program Support Specialist

Training Program Support Specialist

Provides programmatic, relational, operational, and technical support for training programs, including pre-training communication, partner outreach, training systems, reporting, subaward documentation, website content, and purchasing.

Salary Grade: 12

Please see Staff Compensation Structure or Skilled Crafts and Service Maintenance Compensation Schedule for salary ranges. For salary grade UC, these positions are "Unclassified" and salary ranges are determined by the hiring department.

Department Profile: Alliance for System Safety of UAS through Research Excellence is comprised of 29 of the world's leading research institutions and more than a hundred leading industry and government partners. ASSURE members are core to four FAA UAS test sites, lead four FAA research centers, and have a multitude of UAS ranging from small drones below 55 pounds to the largest UAS at any US academic institution at 1800 pounds. This alliance features expertise across a broad spectrum of research areas, including: Air traffic control interoperability, UAS airport ground operations, control and communications, detect and avoid, human factors, UAS noise reduction, UAS wake signatures, unmanned aircraft pilot training and certification, low altitude operations safety, spectrum management and UAS traffic management. ASSURE possesses the expertise, experience, and influence that the FAA Center of Excellence for Unmanned Aircraft Systems demands.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The position's primary responsibility is training operations and training-event readiness, with additional program-support duties supporting the overall ASSUREd Safe training mission.

• Serves as the primary pre-training point of contact for participants and external customers to include, State Training Officers (STOs) and Site points of contact; communicates schedules, expectations, access, materials, and requirements, and resolves or routes readiness issues.
• Coordinates with administrative and program staff to ensure rosters, course setup, welcome materials, records, certificates, logistics, and training requirements are completed accurately and on time; manages exceptions as needed.
• Supports training infrastructure and digital workflows, including Canvas or other learning-management systems, shared platforms, forms, registration processes, and related tools; provides technical assistance and coordinates resolution of recurring issues.
• Maintains approved website content, including course information, schedules, resources, and program updates, ensuring public-facing information is current and accurate.
• Supports outreach to and relationships with STOs, subrecipients, subcontractors, partner agencies, and other stakeholders; assists with follow-up for prospective and scheduled training activities.
• Coordinates semiannual and other recurring program reports; gathers inputs, verifies data, drafts narrative and tabular content, tracks deadlines, and maintains report documentation.
• As program needs and activities expand, assists with contract, subaward, and subrecipient administration by collecting required documents, tracking outstanding items, routing documents, coordinating with the unit business office and other university offices, and maintaining organized files.
• Coordinates program equipment and operational purchases, including authorized purchasing-card transactions and supporting documentation; works with administrative staff on receiving, inventory, and equipment needs.
• Provides operational and technical support during trainings as needed connectivity, course access, digital tools, and training-site infrastructure; documents recurring issues and helps implement sustainable solutions.
• Leads logistics for in-person program activities, including planning and executing events, trainings, and stakeholder meetings; coordinates with the administrative assistant for complex or large-scale activities.
• Develops and maintains procedures, checklists, templates, tracking tools, and operational documentation; identifies process gaps and recommends improvements that increase consistency, accountability, and efficiency.
• Participates in university professional development relevant to sponsored programs, subawards, procurement, reporting, and program administration, including ORED training such as DAWG when offered or assigned.
• Performs other program-support duties and special projects as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

Education Bachelor's degree; or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.

Experience 1 year of experience in an administrative, coordination, or program support role, preferably in a higher education, aviation, or public-safety education setting.

Substitution allowed: An equivalent combination of education and relevant experience may be considered, consistent with the minimum qualifications above.

Preferred Qualifications

1. Experience supporting higher education, workforce, public safety, emergency management, UAS, training, or sponsored-program activities.

2. Experience coordinating training events and communicating with instructors, participants, external partners, or subrecipient organizations.

3. Experience with Canvas or another learning-management system, website content management, training-registration systems, or related digital platforms.

4. Experience with sponsored-program reporting, subaward documentation, procurement, purchasing-card processes, or university business operations.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and the ability to build productive working relationships with instructors, participants, university personnel, and external partners.

• Strong organizational and project-coordination skills, including the ability to manage multiple concurrent trainings, deadlines, reports, and follow-up actions.

• Strong attention to detail and the ability to maintain accurate program records, documentation, and data across multiple systems.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office/365 and the ability to learn and effectively use learning-management systems, website content-management systems, registration databases, and other digital workflow tools.

• Ability to troubleshoot routine technical and operational issues, identify recurring process problems, and coordinate practical solutions.

• Ability to exercise sound judgment, work independently within established procedures, and appropriately escalate time-sensitive or non-routine issues.

• Ability to understand and follow university procedures related to purchasing, purchasing cards, subawards, records, and sponsored-program support.

• Ability to maintain confidentiality and appropriately handle participant, partner, financial, and program information.

Working Conditions and Physical Effort

• Work is primarily performed in a typical interior/office work environment, with occasional work at training or partner locations.

• Work may involve externally imposed deadlines, frequent shifts in priority, and occasional after-hours support associated with scheduled training activities.

• No unusual physical requirements; occasional travel and handling of routine training equipment or materials may be required.

Instructions for Applying

Apply online by submitting a cover letter, resume, and a copy of your transcript(s). Any social security numbers included on requested transcripts should be redacted prior to submitting online.

Restricted Clause

Position is contingent upon continued availability of funding.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Mississippi State University is an equal opportunity institution. Discrimination is prohibited in university employment, programs or activities based on race, color, ethnicity, sex, pregnancy, religion, national origin, disability, age, sexual orientation, genetic information, status as a U.S. veteran, or any other status to the extent protected by applicable law. Questions about equal opportunity programs or compliance should be directed to the Office of Civil Rights Compliance, 231 Famous Maroon Band Street, P.O. 6044, Mississippi State, MS 39762, View phone number on click.appcast.io.

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