Program Coordinator, Vanderbilt Divinity School

This Program Coordinator position is a multi-faceted role that supports both programmatic development and marketing and digital strategy of Vanderbilt Divinity School. This position assists in supporting key programs within the Divinity School including the Kelly Miller Smith Institute on Black Church Studies (KMSI); Carpenter Program in Religion, Gender and Sexuality; the Cal Turner Program for Moral Leadership in the Professions; Public Theology and Racial Justice Collaborative; Lifelong Learning; and general Divinity School programming. The Program Coordinator is also responsible for providing support of social media, marketing, and capturing and documenting events, students, faculty and alumni through video, bringing the school to life for the promotion of our programs and research while also supporting student recruitment efforts. This position also actively participates in identifying, researching, creating, and editing story ideas as part of the Marketing & Communications team (Director of Communications, student employees, fellows, etc.). The Program Coordinator is a key individual contributor responsible for coordination of administrative and operational tasks related to many facets of program execution and communications for multiple programs and events.

The Divinity School administrators and staff comprise a team committed to excellence in theological education. From different composite areas: admissions, community life, academics, special programming, communications, theological and religious library resources, and development and alumni relations, each person contributes to an innovative and collegial environment. The unit as a whole is committed to the mission of both the University and the Divinity School. We make equity, diversity, and inclusion a priority from a theological foundation of social justice, and we seek to lead the nation in the care, preparation, and professional qualification of our students to the religious and theological professions.

In a global and multi-religious world, the Divinity school seeks to fulfill the following objectives:

• to engage in theological inquiry;
• to help persons prepare for the practice of Christian ministry and public leadership;
• to encourage personal and spiritual formation;
• to prepare agents of social justice; and
• to educate future scholars and teachers, locally and globally.

Duties and Responsibilities

Program Coordination

• Serve as a point of contact between students, faculty, staff, other departments, and/or external constituencies on day-to-day programmatic, operational, and administrative issues for programs and Divinity School events.
• Assist the Program Manager with all logistical, financial, and administrative elements with regards to all aspects of the strategic operations support of multiple programs and events.
• Coordinate support for all workshops, conferences, and meetings, including registration, signage, audio/visual needs, and other resources to ensure that the pre-event tasks are completed to deliver a quality event.
• Plan and coordinate catering for all events through contacting and maintaining relationships with caterers.
• Coordinate details for guest speakers including coordinating all aspects of travel arrangements, preparing reimbursement, and expense requisitions are followed according to institutional protocols.
• Support events on the day of, including problem-solving, welcoming guests, directing event set-up, communicating with staff, and organizing vendors, and managing takedown to ensure a successful event.

Finance and Administration

• Manage budget expenses, in coordination with the Program Manager, related to all programs and Divinity School programming, in a timely and accurate manner, including processing disbursement of funds and expenditures through Oracle Cloud to ensure prompt and accurate remittance and reconciliation.
• Reconcile monthly expenditures, in a timely and accurate manner, for the assigned university procurement card (One Card) and student checkout cards.
• Negotiate vendor contracts for procurement of services according to university purchasing policies and guidelines to ensure lowest cost and highest quality of service.
• Coordinate travel for research trips and conferences.
• Serve as an expense delegate to various faculty and program directors and process travel expenses, in a timely and accurate manner, to ensure prompt reimbursement.

Marketing and Media

• Manage website, content, and designs for Divinity events, KMSI, Carpenter Program, and the Cal Turner Program to provide information to the public and foster community engagement.
• Collaborate with Director of Communications and other relevant departments to produce web and social media content that is engaging, accurate, and on brand.
• Gather and report social media analytics.
• Coordinate the posting of VDS content for digital way finders.

Multimedia Communications

• Envision, create, produce, and edit video and motion graphics projects.
  • Coordinate all elements of a video shoot and manage accordingly, including locations, scheduling participants, sound, lighting, production and editing.
  • Coordinate production of artwork to include titles and animations.
  • Deliver multimedia projects on time to meet deadlines.
• Utilize visual storytelling skills to support the Purposes and Commitments of the Divinity School.
  • Contribute ideas and skills towards bringing the student experience to life.
  • Actively participate in team creative brainstorming.
  • Keep abreast of new trends and creative ways to tell stories using a variety of media.
• Generate opportunities that support the Divinity School’s desire for marketing materials to be more visual, relevant, and engaging.
• Manage the digital content archive.
  • Maintain inventory of video supplies and equipment; evaluate potential new equipment.

Supervisory Relationships: This position does not have supervisory responsibility. This position reports administratively to the Program Manager and functionally to the Program Manager and Director of Communications of the Divinity School.

Qualifications

• A Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited institution of higher education is necessary.
• At least two years of relatable work experience is preferred.
• Experience managing and executing across several communication media platforms is necessary.
• Proven exceptional writing, editing, and oral communication skills with the ability to convey highly complex information in clear, compelling ways is preferred.
• Experience with Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe Creative Suite, WordPress and popular content management systems (CMS) is preferred.
• Experience with event planning and management is preferred.
• Ability to consistently work some evenings and weekends for programming outside of regular business hours is preferred.

Commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

At Vanderbilt University, we are intentional about and assume accountability for fostering advancement and respect for equity, diversity, and inclusion for all students, faculty, and staff. Our commitment to diversity makes us who we are. We have created a community that celebrates differences and lets individuality thrive. As part of this commitment, we actively value diversity in our workplace and learning environments as we seek to take advantage of the rich backgrounds and abilities of everyone. The diverse voices of Vanderbilt represent an invaluable resource for the University in its efforts to fulfill its mission and strive to be an example of excellence in higher education.

Vanderbilt University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. Women, minorities, people with disabilities, and protected veterans are encouraged to apply.

Please note, all candidates selected for an offer of employment are subject to pre-employment background checks, which may include but are not limited to, based on the role for which they have been selected: criminal history, education verification, social media review, motor vehicle records, credit history, and professional license verification.

At Vanderbilt University , our work - regardless of title or role - is in service to an important and noble mission in which every member of our community serves in advancing knowledge and transforming lives on a daily basis. Located in Nashville , Tennessee, on a 330 acre campus and arboretum dating back to 1873, Vanderbilt is proud to have been named as one of “America’s Best Large Employers” as well as a top employer in Tennessee and the Nashville metropolitan area by Forbes for several years running. We welcome those who are interested in learning and growing professionally with an employer that strives to create, foster and sustain opportunities as an employer of choice through:

• Working and growing together as a community of communities... we are One Vanderbilt .
• Providing a work environment where every staff and faculty member can be their authentic and best self , while providing the resources and opportunities to learn and grow.
• Encouraging development, collaboration, and partnership both internally and externally while fostering the value that every member of the Vanderbilt community can lead and grow regardless of title or position.

We understand you have a choice when choosing where to work and pursue a career. We understand you are unique and have a story. We want to hear it. We encourage you to apply today so that you might become a part of our story.

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