Program, Operations and Collaboration Manager

Howard Center for Investigative Journalism | Univ. of Maryland; College Park (MD); On-site; USD 77,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism is seeking a Program, Operations and Collaboration Manager to oversee the Center’s operations, grants, and external partnerships. This is a full-time position reporting to the Center’s director and coordinating with university offices and news partners.

Responsibilities include managing program calendars, fellowships, internships, grant reporting, travel for participants, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
• Three (3) years of professional program management or higher education experience.
• Additional work experience as defined above may be substituted on a year for year basis for up to four (4) years of the required education.

Responsibilities

• Translate strategic objectives and grant commitments into operational plans and timelines.
• Manage operations of a portfolio including collaborations with newsrooms and university partners, fellowships, internships, data-sharing initiatives, and award submissions.
• Develop annual program calendars, application workflows, onboarding materials, placement processes, communications, reporting, and evaluation procedures.
• Oversee travel planning and reimbursements for graduate students and fellows in alignment with university offices.
• Maintain operational documentation for grant-supported activities and partner deliverables; ensure timely reporting.

Skills

Oral and written communication

Microsoft Office

Independent judgment

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

The Howard Center for Investigative Journalism, a grant-funded journalism training program based at the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism, seeks a Program, Operations and Collaboration Manager to manage the Center’s program operations, administrative infrastructure and external collaborations. This is a full-time position.

Funded by the Scripps Howard Foundation, the Howard Center prepares students for investigative reporting careers by producing deeply reported investigative journalism in partnership with major national newsrooms. In collaboration with the Associated Press global investigations team, a FRONTLINE (PBS) documentary unit and the Howard Center at Arizona State University, the Center was named a finalist for the 2025 Pulitzer Prize in Investigative Reporting for an in-depth, data-driven investigation into deaths in police custody.

Key Responsibilities

Reporting to the Center’s director, the manager will translate the Center’s strategic objectives and grant commitments into operational plans, timelines, partner deliverables and efficient administrative processes. The position will manage the operations of a portfolio that includes investigative reporting collaborations with professional newsrooms and university partners, graduate and postgraduate fellowships, summer internships, a data-sharing initiative, grant-funded activities, alumni and impact assessment, and journalism award submissions.

Within established university policies, Center priorities and delegated parameters, the manager will independently establish operating methods and timelines, coordinate participating organizations, identify and resolve operational problems, improve program systems, and determine when matters require escalation to the director.

Program and Collaboration Operations

• Manage the operational planning and implementation of the Center’s investigative reporting collaborations, based on strategic and editorial objectives established by the director and participating news organizations.

Fellowship, Internship and Program Operations

• Manage the operational lifecycle of the Center’s graduate fellowship, postgraduate newsroom fellowship, summer internship program, data-sharing initiative and related programs.
• Develop and maintain annual program calendars, application and selection workflows, onboarding materials, placement processes, participant communications, reporting requirements and evaluation procedures.
• Oversee conference and reporting travel for graduate students, including establishing planning timelines, coordinating required approvals and resolving travel or reimbursement issues with the appropriate university offices.

Grant and Resource Administration

• Manage the grant-reporting operational and administrative process for multiple awards by reviewing reporting requirements, developing work plans and calendars, coordinating contributions from faculty, staff and collaboration partners, and monitoring progress through submission.
• Determine the information and supporting documentation needed for grant reports; review submitted material for completeness, consistency and alignment with funder requirements; and prepare or assemble assigned portions of reports for the director’s review.
• Coordinate equipment, supply and service purchases with the Merrill College business office and other university departments, ensuring that requests are complete, timely and consistent with applicable requirements.
• Maintain operational documentation concerning grant-supported activities, purchases, partner deliverables and other records necessary for reporting and program continuity.

Program Systems, Assessment and Continuous Improvement

• Design, administer and continuously improve systems for tracking the professional accomplishments of Center alumni, including employment changes, promotions, significant published work and awards.
• Design and manage systems for documenting the reach, republication, partner use and broader impact of Center journalism.
• Design and manage the Center’s institutional knowledge systems, including program documentation, operating procedures, project trackers, FAQs, contact information, shared communication channels and organizational calendars.
• Evaluate administrative workflows and implement process improvements, documentation standards or appropriate automation to improve reliability and operational efficiency.

Awards and Communications Operations

• Manage the Center’s portfolio of journalism award submissions, including identifying appropriate contests, establishing submission schedules, coordinating required materials and ensuring that complete applications are submitted by applicable deadlines.
• Manage the Center’s communications planning calendar and coordinate the collection, organization and internal delivery of material needed for newsletters, social media, presentations and stakeholder communications.

Minimum Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
• Experience: Three (3) years of professional program management or higher education experience.
• Other: Additional work experience as defined above may be substituted on a year for year basis for up to four (4) years of the required education.
• Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
• Knowledge of business acumen to understand key business drivers, organizational communications, and data.
• Skill in oral and written communication.
• Skill in the use of Microsoft Office products.
• Ability to exercise independent judgment and discretion.
• Ability to develop and administer new policies and procedures.
• Ability to interpret and apply policies, procedures, regulations, and laws.

Preferred Qualifications

We welcome candidates with a range of professional backgrounds. Competitive candidates may demonstrate experience in one or more of the following areas; no candidate is expected to have experience in all of them.

• Experience administering grant-funded programs, including coordinating reporting requirements and contributions from multiple stakeholders.
• Experience administering fellowships, internships, application and selection processes, or other deadline-driven programs.
• Experience collecting, analyzing and presenting information used to evaluate program outcomes, organizational reach or public impact.
• Experience administering purchasing, contracts, travel or reimbursement processes within a university or another complex organization.
• Experience working in a university-based center, grant-funded research program or professional news organization.
• Familiarity with journalism or investigative reporting.

Required Application Materials

• A resume.
• A cover letter that succinctly explains your interest in the position and explains, with specific examples, how your experience aligns with the listed responsibilities and qualifications.
• Contact information for three professional references.

For more information

Application Dates

• Best Consideration Date: October 30, 2026
• Posting Close Date: November 1, 2026
• Expected Start Date: January 10, 2027

About the Philip Merrill College of Journalism

The Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland, consistently ranked among the world’s leading journalism schools, develops journalists and media scholars with rigorous reporting, research and analytical skills; a commitment to ethics; and an appreciation for the First Amendment’s essential role in a free society.

Located a few miles from Washington, D.C., the College prepares students for a dynamic profession with a faculty that includes acclaimed researchers and repeat winners of journalism’s leading honors, including Pulitzer, Peabody and Emmy awards.

Merrill College students enjoy small classes while having access to the resources and opportunities of a leading public research university. Students leave the university with strong writing and visual skills, a command of technology and a nuanced understanding of data analysis, artificial intelligence and audience engagement.

The College has approximately 450 undergraduate and graduate students and approximately 60 faculty and staff members. It is housed in Knight Hall on the University of Maryland’s College Park campus. The College also operates news bureaus in Annapolis and Washington and is home to the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism, the Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism and the Local News Network. It also hosts the national office of the National Association of Black Journalists.

Worker Sub-Type

Staff Regular

Salary Range

$77,360 - $90,000

Benefits Summary

For more information on Regular Exempt benefits, select this link.

Offers of employment are contingent on completion of a background check. Information reported by the background check will not automatically disqualify anyone from employment. Before any adverse decision, the finalist will have an opportunity to provide information to the University regarding disclosable background check information. The University reserves the right to rescind the offer of employment or otherwise decline or terminate employment if the information reported by the background check is deemed incompatible with the position, regardless of when the background check is completed. The successful candidate must complete employment eligibility verification (on Form I-9) by presenting documents that establish identity and work authorization within the timeframe required by federal immigration law, and where applicable, to demonstrate renewed employment authorization.Failure to complete employment eligibility verification or reverification within the timeframe set forth by law may result in suspension or termination of employment. The University of Maryland, College Park is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment. Please read the University’s Equal Employment Opportunity Statement of Policy.