Associate, Food, Agriculture, & Natural Resources
POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT
Title:
Associate, Food, Agriculture, & Natural Resources
Department:
Office of Food, Agriculture, & Natural Resources
Supervisor:
Executive Director, Academic Program Section, Food, Agriculture, & Natural Resources
Status:
Full-Time; Exempt
Location:
Washington, DC
Salary Range:
45,000 – 55,0000, annually
Summary
The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), a research, policy and advocacy organization dedicated to strengthening and advancing the work of public universities in the US, Canada and Mexico, is seeking an associate to provide administrative support to the Academic Programs Section and the Board on Agriculture Assembly. The incumbent will perform a broad array of administrative tasks to ensure effective office operations including planning conferences, webinars, and meetings; managing on- and off-site meeting logistics; scheduling meetings and coordinating calendars; and overseeing the payment of invoices. The successful candidate will have a demonstrated capacity to handle these daily operations, sometimes under pressure, while being proactive, resourceful, efficient, and professional. This full-time position will be based in Washington, DC. For more information please consult www.aplu.org.
Background
APLU is a research, policy, and advocacy organization dedicated to strengthening and advancing the work of public universities. With a membership of 241 public research universities, land-grant institutions, state university systems, and affiliated organizations, APLU's agenda is built on the three pillars of increasing degree completion and academic success, advancing scientific research, and expanding engagement. Annually, member campuses enroll 4.9 million undergraduates and 1.3 million graduate students, award 1.3 million degrees, employ 1.3 million faculty and staff, and conduct $44.9 billion in university-based research.
The Board on Agriculture Assembly (BAA) is a unit of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) Commission on Food, Environment, and Renewable Resources (CFERR). The purpose of the BAA is the promotion of agriculture in all its phases (food, environment, agriculture, natural resources, and international) in the state universities and land-grant colleges of the states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of the Pacific, and the U. S. Virgin Islands. The mission of the Academic Programs Section (APS) within the BAA is to assure that the development of human capital in agriculture, food, natural resources and related areas is a preeminent concern of the Land-Grant and State University System and its federal partners.
Responsibilities
The position’s primary duties and responsibilities of the incumbent include, but are not limited to, the following:
Office Operations
· Coordinate communication and updates to project participants and advisory committees. Maintain positive relations with member university representatives through in-person, virtual, and email interactions.
· Develop content and maintain APLU webpages and databases associated with both APS and BAA.
· Provide general administrative support to APS and BAA activities, including scheduling meetings, processing expense reports, monitoring contracts, etc.
· Coordinate all APS and BAA awards, including calls for nomination, review, and presentation.
· Draft and edit reports and other communications.
· Lead outreach efforts through social media, creating promotional materials, and conference participation, and other means to engage potential customers.
· Work with the Finance department and Executive Director to track and manage the project budget, develop and distribute project invoices, the collect of dues, maintain of contact information, and providing regular updates on the status of customers.
· Serve as project coordinator for special projects which may include planning and coordinating presentations, disseminating information, coordinating direct mailings, and creating newsletters.
Event and Meeting Planning
· Coordinate regular meetings for APS and BAA, including drafting agendas, developing background materials, taking meeting minutes, and coordinating follow-up activities.
· Coordinate the logistics, planning, and management of conferences and meetings including obtaining, reviewing, and evaluating hotel contracts. Support APS and BAA sessions at the APLU annual meeting and other APS/BAA off-site meetings, activities, committees and governance activities.
· Draft and administer conference evaluations, conduct surveys, including tabulating, analyzing and presenting results.
Preferred Qualifications
· A bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience. Degrees in agriculture or natural resources welcomed.
· A minimum of three years of increasingly complex administrative support experience.
· Excellent interpersonal, written and verbal communications skills.
· Experience coordinating tasks associated with complex, multi-faceted projects including billing, communication with customers and stakeholders, and maintenance of project documentation and records.
· Experience planning and coordinating events, including workshops, webinars, and conferences.
· Demonstrated ability to work both as part of a team and independently, taking direction from and communicating with multiple team members to keep track of activities and priorities on multiple projects. Ability to make sound decisions.
· Ability to balance multiple tasks and priorities, to resolve problems, to meet important deadlines, and to recognize potential issues and bring them to the attention of the appropriate team members.
· The ability to maintain poise, professionalism, focus, consistency, and accuracy under pressure.
· Demonstrated organizational skills, attention to detail, problem-solving skills, and communication skills.
· Work experience at a college/university, a higher education organization, a non-profit organization, or a non-profit involved with agriculture, natural resources, or human sciences.
· Experience using a customer relations management (CRM) system. Experienced and skilled in the use of Microsoft office products, social media, and web-based research and information tools.
· Experience tracking and reporting expenses for projects or grants.
· Commitment to the work of the Office of Food, Agriculture & Natural Resources.
· Ability to travel domestically as needed.
To Apply
Interested candidates should send a cover and resume to APLU’s Human Resources Department at resume@aplu.org with the subject line: Associate, FANR. Applications will be reviewed as received and continue until the position is filled. APLU provides a generous benefits package.
APLU is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer.