Project Administrator--VCU LEDstudio

All full-time university staff are eligible for VCU’s robust benefits package that includes: comprehensive health benefits, paid annual and holiday leave granted up front, generous tuition benefit, retirement planning and savings options, tax-deferred annuity and cash match programs, employee discounts, well-being resources, abundant opportunities for career development and advancement, and more. Learn more about VCU’s benefits here.

Summary:

About VCU Continuing and Professional Education and LEDstudio–

VCU Continuing and Professional Education (VCU CPE), in partnership with the colleges and schools at Virginia Commonwealth University, provides and supports quality continuing and professional education and skills training for individual, local, regional and national impact. VCU Continuing and Professional Education harnesses the power of VCU — including more than 3,300 instructional faculty and adjunct instructors, an academic medical center and long-standing community relationships — to create the best learning opportunities available to nontraditional adult learners.

VCU LEDstudio is a leader in providing quality higher education using a number of delivery methods, including fully online and hybrid. The unit broadly supports faculty and academic units in their efforts to leverage technology to optimize student learning, and provides strategic leadership in developing, expanding and enhancing VCU’s online learning programs and energizing the assessment and continuous quality improvement of current and new technology mediated courses and programs.

The position is a Project Administrator (Project Administrator GA 1-3). The project administrator supports the Assistant Vice Provost of Learning Experience Design and the Assistant Director of Curriculum Development. The administrator coordinates activities between multiple LEDstudio teams by tracking development of online academic programs and noncredit courses through design, build and media production. Extensive Smartsheet skills are necessary in managing the project development system, maintaining its integrity, developing new and better processes, and supporting the addition and organization of special projects.

This position is predominantly telework, but requires on campus and off campus presence for programs and events related to the unit or our partners, community events, and meetings, as needed, and when indicated by leadership. The telework nature of this position is subject to change based on university need and strategic direction.

AI should not be used for any part of the application submission or process.

Typical Duties

• Liaise with academic departments in the development of new programs. Initiate and maintain ongoing conversations regarding the launch of programs, and consolidate, track, and maintain information coming from these meetings.
• Communicate regularly and professionally with unit staff regarding workflow needs.
• Assist staff with questions and needs.
• Enter and update information in Smartsheet including the following: Create/edit/update program sheets; Manage and update sheet templates; Create course tracking sheets for all courses in a given development cycle; and Update existing reports each time a new program is added.
• Create tracking options for projects and resources, as needed, including Special Projects and OTEN offerings.
• Collaborate support for LEDstudio and with CPE on joint projects.
• Devise protocols and tools for tracking project sustainability and success.
• Work with IRDS to analyze data related to course design and student success.
• Review and submit program MOUs for signatures.
• Monitor flagged courses and direct issues to the appropriate person.
• Prepare and present data in a timely manner related to course and program development (completed, currently ongoing, and future expectations).
• Track progress of all programs and regularly consult with leadership and staff to identify bottlenecks to expedite project completion.
• Serve as the Smartsheet specialist for the unit.
• Manage, design, edit, and update dashboards.

Minimum Hiring Standards

• Undergraduate degree or equivalent experience.
• Experience in building and maintaining Smartsheet project management workflows.
• Experience in a fast-paced higher education administrative environment.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication (verbal and written) and customer service skills required.
• Must have a pleasant, positive, professional attitude and adhere to confidentiality of records and information and must abide by the VCU Code of Conduct.
• Considerable administrative and/or office experience including data management preferably in a higher education environment.
• Familiarity with project management applications/processes.
• Demonstrated ability to organize, prioritize, and handle multiple tasks in a diverse, fast-paced environment within deadlines.
• Must be able to work independently and make sound recommendations and decisions to resolve problems and make improvements.
• Excellent computer skills and experience in Microsoft Office and Google Workspace and the ability to work within university-required programs and database management tools.
• Experience working in and maintaining spreadsheets (Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets).
• Proven ability to work as a contributing and collegial member of a team, and to communicate proactively within the team environment.
• Demonstrated experience working in and fostering an environment of respect, professionalism and civility with a population of faculty, staff, and students from various backgrounds and experiences, or a commitment to do so as a member of the VCU community.

Preferred Hiring Standards

• Familiarity with a learning management system, ideally Canvas.

Job Specific Physical and Cognitive Requirements

Essential physical functions: Walking, Sitting, Repetitive motion, Average to fast-paced, Ability to respond to multiple stimuli

Essential cognitive functions: Memory, Reasoning, Analyzing, Hearing, Logic, Reading, Written communication, Verbal communication