Senior Program Coordinator

About the Role At Duke University we value the individuality, expertise, and perspective that each member brings. As Program Coordinator, Senior you will play a critical role in supporting the Department of Physics by fostering strong relationships, advancing inclusive practices, and ensuring seamless human resources, payroll and visa services across a diverse academic environment. In this role you’ll support a complex population of 250+ faculty, staff, postdoctoral scholars and students across the Department of Physics and its affiliated units, including the SPACE Initiative and the Triangle University Nuclear Laboratory (TUNL). Your ability to navigate complexity, build trust and proactively solve problems will help ensure our people can focus on discovery, learning and impact. This is a highly trusted role requiring initiative, discretion and broad institutional knowledge. Reporting to the Senior Business Manager you will lead complex administrative and supervisory functions with minimal direction while serving as a key advisor on HR policy, workforce planning, payroll and compliance. What You’ll Do Leadership, Management & Staff Development Serve as a trusted advisor to department personnel on professional development and HR‑related matters. Partner with the Senior Business Manager, Campus Grant Management Team (CGMT), Grant Managers and Research Group Managers to assess staffing needs and recommend hiring and promotion strategies to support workforce stability. Assist with maintaining and updating the department organisational chart and implementing a comprehensive staffing plan that reflects faculty structures, student support and differentiated staffing needs. Supervise designated staff and student employees, including work assignment, performance oversight and visa‑related processing. Manage undergraduate and graduate student employees supporting departmental events and lecture series. Ensure timely submission and compliance for monthly and bi‑weekly timesheets. Provide ongoing education to faculty, staff and students regarding HR policies, payroll and benefits. Oversee HR compliance and staff development initiatives for a combined population of 250+ personnel. Human Resources Administration Maintain advanced knowledge of Duke Human Resources policies, procedures and benefits programmes. Advise faculty and principal investigators on onboarding and managing research personnel. Manage staff recruiting through JobX, SuccessFactors and Academic Jobs Online, including job description review, posting, candidate disposition and close‑out. Administer regular rank faculty forms (iForms and dFac) and monitor research appointments and reappointments. Track and manage annual performance evaluations for research staff. Maintain the Trinity Directory Tool, View email address on click.appcast.io profiles, Sympa mailing lists and departmental listservs. Organise bi‑annual Postdoctoral Orientation sessions. Streamline onboarding processes to ensure a positive transition experience for new faculty, staff and students. Proactively run HR reports to identify and mitigate personnel or payroll issues. Payroll Services Provide in‑house payroll guidance for exempt, non‑exempt, faculty, staff and student employees. Initiate and manage iForms from background checks through terminations, ensuring timely approvals. Coordinate with the Graduate Studies Assistant to ensure accurate graduate student compensation processing. Administer foreign national payments, including fellowships and postdoctoral awards, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements. Monitor payroll, timesheets and cost distributions to minimise errors and financial risk. Promote direct deposit and disseminate Corporate Payroll communications. Prepare, review and finalise appointment letters in collaboration with faculty sponsors and department leadership. Track visa status and Foreign National Clearance expirations for all international personnel. Manage visa applications and liaise with Duke Visa Services to ensure compliance with university policy and federal regulations. Provide guidance to international scholars and visitors throughout the visa process, including pre‑arrival support. Departmental Point of Contact Serve as the primary liaison with Trinity HR, Corporate Payroll, Duke Visa Services, HR Central Recruitment, Duke Temporary Services and external partners. Direct inquiries to appropriate resources, respond to departmental communications and ensure timely resolution of issues. Other duties as assigned. Education & Experience Work requires analytical, communications and organisational skills generally acquired through completion of a bachelor’s degree programme. Minimum of three years’ experience in program administration or roles supporting academic, instructional, research or counselling activities. Equivalent combination of relevant education and experience will be considered. Knowledge & Skills Demonstrated ability to provide guidance and direction to staff, including setting expectations, assigning work and monitoring performance. Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills, with the ability to apply logic and reasoning to evaluate alternative solutions. Proven ability to evaluate programme or operational performance, summarise findings and develop actionable plans. Working knowledge of business and management principles, including: Strategic planning Resource allocation Human resources modelling Leadership techniques Co‑ordination of people and processes Ability to interpret and apply complex policies while exercising sound judgement and discretion. Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to work effectively across diverse stakeholder groups. At Duke, you’ll join a world‑class institution committed to excellence, collaboration and service. We offer a dynamic work environment, robust benefits and opportunities for professional growth – together with the chance to support cutting‑edge research and an inclusive academic community. Ready to make a difference? Apply now and help support the people and programmes that power discovery at Duke University. Anticipated Pay Range: Duke University provides an annual base salary range for this position as USD $48,960.00 to USD $77,928.00. Duke University considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position; candidate’s work experience, education/training and key skills; internal peer equity and as well as market and organisational considerations when extending an offer. Your total compensation goes beyond the dollars on your paycheck. Duke provides comprehensive and competitive medical and dental care programmes, generous retirement benefits and a wide array of family‑friendly and cultural programmes to eligible team members. Learn more at Equal Opportunity Employer: Duke is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual’s age, colour, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion (including pregnancy and pregnancy‑related conditions), sexual orientation or military status. Essential Physical Job Functions: Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essential job functions that require specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and reasonable accommodation(s) can be requested with Duke Access and Accommodations Services (email: View email address on click.appcast.io; phone: View phone number on click.appcast.io). Nearest Major Market: Durham Nearest Secondary Market: Raleigh #J-18808-Ljbffr Duke PF