Program Manager

Position Summary
School of Government Services, Inc. assists faculty and staff at the UNC School of Government in carrying out its important mission: to improve the lives of North Carolinians by engaging in practical scholarship that helps public officials and citizens understand and improve state and local government. It is a nonprofit corporation and an official associated entity of the School of Government at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Position Type & Salary
Full-time, Benefits Earning Position. Salary range: $50,000 - $55,000.

Program Manager Role
The primary role of the Program Manager is to provide coordination and management of the School’s annual programs, courses, and conferences which occur online, onsite at UNC or off-site across North Carolina, with minimal supervision. Programs vary and can change from year to year. Program Managers oversee programs of moderate to advanced complexity that range in size from single day programs to multiple day courses spanning nine months. Occasional overnight travel may be required. Program Managers typically handle an average of two programs per month. They work closely with a lead faculty member for each program to determine format, location, schedule, activities, and additional services, and then take the lead coordinating and implementing the logistics based on those decisions. They are expected to apply decisions to new contexts and identify and raise issues that need further discussion.

The Program Manager is the primary point of contact with program participants before, during, and after each program. Attendance at the program location is essential. The Program Manager collaborates with all operational support divisions, including but not limited to the Registrar, Human Resources, Business Office, and the Strategic Communications Division to build interest in the program and ensure that all marketing is aligned and implemented correctly. Familiarity with Zoom, website management, Canvas, and Learning Stream is a plus. The role is an in-person position with limited remote or hybrid work. The majority of the work is local to Chapel Hill, but travel within North Carolina may be necessary for individual programs.

Event Management

Coordinate and manage event management services for continuing education programs, courses, and conferences of moderate to advanced complexity, including conferences attended by more than 100 attendees, courses with multiple concurrent tracks, and courses spanning multiple months.

Facilitate program decisions applying expertise in event management, virtual class management and coordination with operational divisions.

Develop estimated budgets for programs, monitor and manage expenses during implementation, and provide final financial and registration information to close the program.

Work with the Strategic Communications Division to develop marketing plans for each program and ensure that the plans are implemented.

Monitor registrations and adjust communications and marketing approaches as appropriate to maintain financial viability based on registration numbers.

Coordinate all logistics for virtual, on‑site, and off‑site programs, including venues and lodging, program instructors and activities, course materials, catering, and other needed logistics.

Be present onsite for each program, preparing each day appropriately, greeting clients and speakers, monitoring catering needs, communicating any changes to operational divisions, and closing classrooms and other spaces as needed.

Manage communications with prospective and registered participants before, during, and after the program.

Administer and track participant assessment tools, continuing education, attendance, and assignments.

Respond to participant questions and issues in a timely fashion.

Facilitate program post‑mortems to identify lessons learned and changes to be implemented for future offerings.

Negotiate contracts with hotels, conference centers, meeting sites and other vendors.

Adhere to School and University policies around payments, contracts and agreements related to speakers and other vendors while managing those payments against the program budget.

Project Management

Coordinate other projects for faculty and project leads that are of moderate to advanced complexity and require working across multiple groups or a high‑level understanding of the School’s mission, audiences, and/or processes.

Projects may include team‑wide initiatives such as time tracking to monitor workloads across the team and identify best practices.

Complete all tasks as identified in the project scope.

Provide regular updates on project progress.

Resolve issues that may arise, escalating to the Supervisor or faculty only when unable to reach a satisfactory resolution within the limits of the position.

Best Practices and Process Improvement

Actively collaborate and participate in identifying best practices, evaluating event management processes, and improving standard operating procedures.

Communicate post‑mortem results to the Supervisor.

Proactively identify and communicate processes or approaches that appear problematic or successful.

Collaborate with team members and managers to determine ways to improve processes and communicate change across the division.

Utilize effective time management and task‑prioritization across programs and other projects.

Contribute to the growth and ongoing evaluation of guidelines, processes, and best practices developed by and for the team.

Minimum Qualifications (Skills, Knowledge, & Abilities)

Bachelor’s degree in a related discipline or an equivalent combination of training and experience.

3‑5 years of in‑person event planning experience.

Ability to communicate effectively with various groups of constituents.

Highly organized with the ability to adapt quickly if necessary.

Working knowledge of the Microsoft Office suite.

Ability to travel to off‑site locations, including regular driving and some overnight travel; must possess and maintain a valid driver’s license.

Familiarity with virtual programming, Zoom, website management, Canvas, and Learning Stream is a plus.

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