The Senior Program Manager will coordinate curricula requirements, ensure policy compliance, implement curricular and programmatic changes, maintain student records and documentation, prepare annual reports and slides on program stats and activities, advise students on degree progress, coordinate student events, manage program budgets and provide annual financial reports. As a part of expansion efforts, the Senior Program Manager will work closely with students and faculty on developing new initiatives to improve the program, as needed (e.g. connecting students across NU campuses and supporting research exchange activities). The Senior Program Manager will also work closely with the team of faculty and staff leading the development of the Institute’s new master’s degree (MS) program in Complex Network Analysis, and support on tasks that facilitate connection/coordination between the PhD and MS programs.

Responsibilities

Program Administration

• Oversee the daily operations of the doctoral program, including scheduling, registration, and academic advising.
• Maintain local student records—track student progress, student evaluations, statement of works, and funding.
• Manage course coverage—work with program director and NetSI leadership to identify need for TA’s and course instructors.
• Coordinate the admissions process, including application review, interviews, and decision notifications.
• Support outreach efforts and serve as the point of contact for prospective students.
• Ensure the program adheres to university policies, regulatory requirements, and accreditation standards.
• Manage the program’s operational funds and student developmental funds; track expenditures; prepare financial reports.
• Maintain and update program documentation, including student handbooks, program policies, and program websites.

Student Support

• Monitor student progress and ensure timely completion of degree requirements.
• Provide guidance and support to doctoral students throughout their academic and research journey; ensure successful matriculation, enrollment, and progress toward degree completion.
• Facilitate student orientation and onboarding processes.
• Address and resolve student concerns and issues and organize regular interactions with students (and the Student Graduate Association), serving as a liaison between students and faculty.
• Coordinate annual student events including orientation, research symposium, graduation celebration, recruitment open-house, and other events, workshops, and seminars to support student development and academic excellence.

Program Development

• Evaluate program effectiveness—create tracking tools and access university systems (e.g. Banner, Salesforce, Argos, etc.) to analyze success and growth of the program.
• In partnership with the leadership team, develop plans to improve the program based on feedback and assessment results, and implement those plans.
• Contribute to efforts to expand academic programs to other Northeastern campuses—ensure compliance, prepare required paperwork and documentation, when needed.
• Develop and promote initiatives to enhance the doctoral program and foster a vibrant academic community.

Faculty & Institute Coordination

• Collaborate with NetSI staff and faculty to support the integration of research, teaching, and administrative functions.
• Schedule and organize faculty meetings, committee reviews, qualifying exams, doctoral defenses, and program evaluations.
• Work with NetSI staff to coordinate activities and materials relevant to students and the program—including website content, brochures and marketing, research visitors and speaker series, workshops and conferences, collaboration across campuses.
• Contribute to the Institute’s operational planning, integrating activities such as course schedules, social and research events, funding to support student initiatives, etc.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree required. Master’s degree in higher education administration, business administration or related field strongly preferred. Candidate should have a minimum of five years in academic program management or related roles, preferably within a doctoral program. Candidate must demonstrate strong organizational and project management skills. Must demonstrate excellent communication and interpersonal skills. Ability to work collaboratively with diverse groups and be able to manage multiple tasks simultaneously. Successful candidate will be: detail-oriented with strong ability to organize data; proactive with a problem-solving mindset; committed to student success and academic excellence; and, able to handle private or confidential matters with sensitivity and discretion.

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