UPOP Open Positions

UPOP Student Program Administrator

Position Overview

Under the overall guidance of the UPOP Senior Program Manager, the Student Program Administrator implements direct service programs to students, including student advising and academic services, leads curriculum development efforts, manages and contributes to administrative activities, including event planning, and outreach activities in support of the Undergraduate Practice Opportunities Program (UPOP). 

Please read the full job posting and apply for this position on MIT's Careers site.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

A) Administrator-specific duties and responsibilities - 60%

1. Provides ongoing assessment of student programs and UPOP curriculum, and in collaboration with program leadership and input from colleagues, develops, implements and evaluates efforts to continuously improve student programs to support UPOP students’ career readiness. 

2. Stays on top of national career readiness trends and developments and assures the UPOP program is current with best practices.

3. Manages all essential functions of the PopStars student worker program and the UPOP student advisory council. Updates the job description for the Popstar role and recruits a team of 3+ students per semester and oversees their training.  In collaboration with colleagues, coordinates the peer mentoring functions and Popstars’ scheduled office hours to engage with current UPOP sophomores on their resumes, cover letters, and internship searches. Engages PopStars and student advisory council members to innovate and drive sophomore program retention efforts and alumni engagement, and leverages their input to assess program improvements. Assigns various peer mentoring/advising tasks to Popstars as appropriate.

4. Represents UPOP to Registrar’s Office, International Students’ Office, and Career and Professional Development Office. Interprets, implements and ensures compliance with MIT policies and/or external regulations/guidelines. Communicates with the registrar and other academic offices regarding student registration and grading.

5. Functions as liaison with academic, administrative offices and faculty across the Institute. Co-creates with the senior program manager a strategic plan for interactions with programs that offer opportunities for cross-departmental collaboration at MIT such as MISTI, CAPD, and Externships.

6. Collaborates with colleagues on recruitment activities throughout the year; attends MIT events to engage community at-large with UPOP.

7. Provides student-program-specific knowledge to implement recruitment strategies. Presents at various opportunities, seeks out ways to improve UPOP’s messaging and outreach to prospective students both in breadth and depth, and organizes the integration of program alumni into recruiting activities.

8. Collaborates with colleagues on continual improvement of UPOP student application and related processes; application review and interviews; and academic administration processes such as grading, providing special student support as needed, and creating and maintaining UPOP’s Canvas course sites.

9. Proactively seeks opportunities for internal process improvements.

B) Shared duties and responsibilities, as part of the student program team – 40%

1. Advises students about the program and course requirements, answering inquiries using own judgment and following standard procedures and organizational knowledge. Manages and monitors students’ progress through the year-long program. Follows up with the students and provides intervention when appropriate.

2. Provides a comprehensive range of career development services for current students, both in 1:1 and small and large group format, ranging from simple consultation to in-depth career coaching and advanced services. Provides coaching to students for their internship search and acquisition.

3. Advises current UPOP students to develop the competencies to become informed about career options and opportunities related to their personal and professional objectives. Independently identify, define, and meet student career planning and internship placement needs and objectives.

4. Provides advising and coaching to alumni of the program. Engages alumni in aspects of the current curriculum to determine where enhancements should be implemented and to encourage UPOP alumni-to-current-UPOP-student mentoring (peer-to-peer).

5. Coordinates and facilitates UPOP’s Team Training Workshop (TTW) curriculum, in collaboration with other UPOP staff. Collaborates with colleagues on coordinating daily logistics, supervising TTW student workers, and troubleshoots throughout the week-long course to ensure smooth flow.

6. Works with a variety of partners and stakeholders to plan, coordinate, and implement modules for TTW. Initiates planning of the week’s instruction, developing objectives and outcomes.

7. May coordinate selected events during the year, such as UPOP’s Resume Palooza. 

8. Coordinates with UPOP employer relations staff to advise student internship search. Promotes student  participation in employer activities. Conducts annual local site visits during the summer to foster relationships with current employers of UPOP students to ensure mutual fit for students and employers for internships.

9. Contributes to Marketing and Outreach efforts and campaigns with defined aspects of student recruitment. Drawing on current UPOP events and organizational knowledge, contributes to content for marketing materials and mass emails to students. Plans and presents on informational sessions. Advises on the development of integrated marketing campaigns for UPOP community via print publications, email blasts, and social media, from a student population perspective. Collaborates on UPOP website content management.

10. Works with other staff members and direct supervisor to ensure the success of the program.

11. Performs other duties as required or deemed appropriate.

Supervision Received:

Reports directly to the Senior Program Manager, UPOP. Position requires ability to perform with minimal supervision.

Supervision Exercised:

Oversees student workers. 

Qualifications & Skills

Required: 

Education: Bachelor’s degree; 

Experience:  Two years of academic administrative experience required.  

Skills:

• Strong interpersonal skills for relating effectively with students, program staff, the campus community, and employers to build rapport and accomplish program goals. Ability to listen carefully and communicate tactfully.

• Demonstrated initiative.

• Demonstrated knowledge of concepts and standards relating to undergraduate student career readiness; understanding and experience in student career counseling.

• Ability to handle confidential information and/or issues using discretion and judgment.

• Strong organizational skills; ability to adapt quickly to change and prioritize multiple projects simultaneously.

• Knowledge and understanding of higher education.

• Must be highly motivated, with excellent public speaking and written communication skills.

• Demonstrated ability to work both independently and as a contributing team member.

• Prior experience planning and managing projects from start to finish.

• Knowledge of professional options and career strategies, particularly, but not exclusively in engineering or other related fields.

• Prior experience presenting educational content to large groups, preferably career-related workshops.

• Ability to work regular evening and occasional weekend hours with advance notice.

• Ability to travel during the summer to local company site visits

• Ability to climb ladders and lift 25 lbs boxes to a height of 3-4 feet onto carts for transport.

• Proficiency with office software, including Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

Preferred:

• Master’s degree in higher education, student affairs, counseling or other relevant field.

• Prior experience working with a diverse student population.

• Knowledge of college student development theory/counseling theory.

• Experience with employer relations, recruiting, or other hiring processes.

• Experience with marketing programs and events.

• Experience reviewing resumes and cover letters.

• Experience with data platforms like Salesforce and/or Airtable.