Program Coordinator for Career and Professional Development

Cornell University; United States; Hybrid; USD 52,000 - 78,000; Full time

Job summary

Cornell University is seeking a Program Coordinator for the Graduate School Office of Career and Professional Development to support graduate student programs and events. You will manage logistics, collaborate across Cornell, and help build resources for students to develop skills and confidence.

The role requires coordinating multiple priorities, supervising student staff, and ensuring on-site event support while adhering to policies.

Qualifications

• An Associate's degree with at least 4 years of relevant experience or equivalent combination of education and/or experience with office and event management
• Experience incorporating the perspectives of multiple communities
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively, verbally and in writing with other team members and supervisor
• Proven ability to effectively prioritize responsibilities to meet deadlines while working with attention to detail
• Experience planning and implementing complex events and programs (e.g., including processing invoices, reimbursements and travel arrangements)
• Attention to university policies and federal regulations (e.g., FERPA, Human Subjects protection)
• Demonstrated fluency with Microsoft Office (especially Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams) and videoconferencing tools (such as Zoom)
• Experience with collecting data (such as through registration surveys) and managing the resulting spreadsheets

Responsibilities

• Coordinate programs and events: Manage the logistics and implementation of professional development programs and events, including symposia, research communication workshops, and the Three-Minute Thesis Competition
• Collaborate across Cornell: Partner with Graduate School colleagues and the broader Cornell Career Network on university-wide initiatives, events, and processes
• Support student engagement and outreach: Respond to custom workshop requests, assess student and field needs, manage applications and deadlines, and promote programs through newsletters, web, social media, and other outreach channels
• Develop resources: Help create and maintain professional development materials and self-directed resources for graduate students, including Individual Development Planning resources and field-based onboarding materials
• Use data to inform programming: Maintain and analyze program participation data, identify trends, and share insights to support program assessment and planning
• Supervise student staff: Provide direction and support to student coordinators, establish clear expectations, resolve issues, and ensure effective on-site event support and compliance with policies

Skills

Communication

Prioritization

Customer service

Problem solving

Data handling

Education

Associate's degree + 4+ years experience

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Microsoft Office

Zoom

Handshake

Salesforce

PeopleSoft

CampusGroups

Job description

The Opportunity

The Graduate School Office of Career and Professional Development is seeking a Program Coordinator to support programs and services that help graduate students develop their interests, skills, and confidence to succeed at Cornell and beyond.

The successful candidate will be comfortable managing multiple priorities, coordinating events and programs, collaborating across the university, and building strong relationships with students, faculty, staff, alumni, and employer partners.

Key Responsibilities

• Coordinate programs and events: Manage the logistics and implementation of professional development programs and events, including symposia, research communication workshops, and the Three-Minute Thesis Competition.


• Collaborate across Cornell: Partner with Graduate School colleagues and the broader Cornell Career Network on university-wide initiatives, events, and processes.


• Support student engagement and outreach: Respond to custom workshop requests, assess student and field needs, manage applications and deadlines, and promote programs through newsletters, web, social media, and other outreach channels.


• Develop resources: Help create and maintain professional development materials and self-directed resources for graduate students, including Individual Development Planning resources and field-based onboarding materials.


• Use data to inform programming: Maintain and analyze program participation data, identify trends, and share insights to support program assessment and planning.


• Supervise student staff: Provide direction and support to student coordinators, establish clear expectations, resolve issues, and ensure effective on-site event support and compliance with policies.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone who enjoys bringing people and programs together, solving problems, managing details, and making a meaningful difference in the graduate student experience.

This is a full-time (39 hours/week) endowed position based in Ithaca, NY. This position follows a 4:1 campus-to-home hybrid work arrangement. This hybrid work arrangement is subject to change at any time. Work hours are 8:00am-4:30pm Monday through Friday.

About the Graduate School

The Graduate School enhances the university's mission by enabling graduate and professional students to thrive intellectually as they undertake scholarly study and advanced research and prepare for meaningful careers, and supporting field faculty and staff administratively. Formed in 2022, the Graduate School Office of Career and Professional Development empowers students, strengthens skill development and professional preparation, demystifies the job search process, and connects students to opportunities and resources useful to their career interests through individual advising, workshops, and experiential learning opportunities, both on and off campus.

What We Need

We are seeking a proactive and organized team member who is a creative problem-solver, committed to providing excellent customer service, and passionate about supporting students. Additionally, you will have:

• An Associate's degree with at least 4 years of relevant experience or equivalent combination of education and/or experience with office and event management


• Experience incorporating the perspectives of multiple communities


• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively, verbally and in writing with other team members and supervisor


• Proven ability to effectively prioritize responsibilities to meet deadlines while working with attention to detail


• Experience planning and implementing complex events and programs (e.g., including processing invoices, reimbursements and travel arrangements)


• Attention to university policies and federal regulations (e.g., FERPA, Human Subjects protection)


• Demonstrated fluency with Microsoft Office (especially Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams) and videoconferencing tools (such as Zoom)


• Experience with collecting data (such as through registration surveys) and managing the resulting spreadsheets

• Bachelor's degree


• Strong interest in or work experience with higher education student services or administrative support


• Ability to cultivate and develop inclusive working relationships with students, faculty, staff, and community members


• Value providing excellent customer service to address the needs of staff, faculty, students, employers, and alumni


• Familiarity with Cornell administrative systems such as Workday, Concur, 25Live, eShop, and WebFin2


• Familiarity with various student engagement and tracking platforms such as Handshake, Salesforce, PeopleSoft and/or CampusGroups


• Experience developing and tracking budgets for programs and events


• Experience contributing to and/or managing website content, course management systems or professional social media a