Forest Program Administrator

Position Focus:

The Yale School of the Environment (YSE) addresses the world’s most critical environmental challenges through research, practice-based scholarship, and public engagement.

The Forest School (TFS) at YSE is dedicated to education, research, and leadership in forests and forestry. TFS has dedicated faculty and guides two master’s degree programs, the Master of Forestry (MF) and Master of Forest Science (MFS). TFS also runs global programs in forest research, teaching, and outreach. The Forest School is home to 6 Centers & Programs, which engage in a range of professional and research-based initiatives focused on forests and people. TFS is also home to the special events hub, the Yale Forest Forum (YFF). The primary focus of this position will be on coordinating activities within the School, YFF, and collaborating with affiliated centers and programs and external stakeholders.

A portion of this position’s work will support The Forests Dialogue (TFD). TFD was created to provide international leaders in the forest sector with an ongoing, multi-stakeholder dialogue (MSD) platform and process focused on developing mutual trust, a shared understanding, and collaborative solutions to challenges in achieving sustainable forest management and forest conservation around the world.

The Forest Program Administrator position is split between The Forest School (75%) and The Forests Dialogue (25%). The position will be supervised by the Executive Director of The Forest School, the Executive Director of The Forests Dialogue with support from the respective Associate/Assistant Directors.

The Forest Program Administrator will:

• Manage a University program of small to medium scope.
• Have overall responsibility for coordination and development including:
  • budget creation and tracking.
  • maintaining TFS facilities and information systems.
  • communications, and administrative advocacy.
  • manage event and special projects schedules.
• Coordinate with the business office on:
  • compiling documentation/relevant information needed to complete PO setup, finalize contracts, ensure timely payment of vendor invoices.
  • Be the primary contact for vendors of status on payments, PO setup, paperwork requirements, and other communications needed to ensure smooth workflow between The Forest School and The Forests Dialogue with Yale offices and external partners.
  • Coordinate with external suppliers on purchase of equipment/materials and manage office supply needs and purchases.
• Oversee Event Management:
  • coordination, scheduling, and location set up of events (virtual, hybrid, and in person), including:
    • the Yale Forest Forum’s semester speaker series,
    • Yale Forest Forum’s major events,
    • The Forest School’s events, and
    • The Forest Dialogue’s dialogues and meetings.
  • communications including TFS, YFF, and TFD email inquiries and traffic general inquiries to the correct sub-department/person with the organization.

For both The Forests Dialogue and The Forest School this position will draft budgets; create and run Zoom webinar series and events; coordinate with the IT office for in-person, virtual, and hybrid events; make room reservations, budget/order/shop food, room set-up/clean-up for events; submit paperwork for honoraria; schedule meetings, take notes, produce summaries; create education credit certificates; create student positions, monitor and reply to student applicants via student employment website, and submit hire forms; calculate salary effort (per grant/other source); work with HR to transfer work study overage; approve student payroll; monitor all TFS/YFF accounts in Workday; submit grant proposals/budgets; submit grant financial interim reports to the business office; request grant no-cost extensions (NCE) if needed; make account payments; order office supplies; coordinate website maintenance; coordinate TFS/YFF annual report input; manage Supplier invoice requests (SIR); and reimburse invoices.

Essential Duties

1. In support of the overall mission, plans, directs and oversees programmatic activities. 2. Develops, implements, and maintains operational policies and procedures. 3. Manages program communications; identifies outreach potential, and promotes philanthropic and collaborative support of the program. 4. Works closely with leadership, internal and external colleagues, and community residents to further develop and implement strategic plans. 5. Identifies, solicits, and cultivates community partnerships and collaborations to assist in the development and growth of the program. 6. Tracks all program activities and regularly informs leadership of progress on each initiative. Recommends structural or programmatic adjustments, changes or additions based on full knowledge of missions, goals, and objectives. Develops metrics to identify and measure the success of the program. 7. Assists in identifying and evaluating potential future funding sources, and contributes to the submission of grants and contracts supporting the program, including the annual submission and writing of all content areas and budgetary sections of grant applications. 8. Develops and manages the program’s operating budget. 9. Manages the administrative infrastructure of the program. Manages human resources including staffing and hiring, supervision, performance development, counseling and discipline, if warranted. Oversees and manages information systems, facilities, and space needs. 10. May perform other duties as assigned.

Required Education and Experience

Bachelor’s Degree in a related field and two years of related experience or an equivalent combination of education and demonstrated experience.

Required Skill/Ability 1:

Outstanding organizational skills and attention to detail with excellent follow through.

Required Skill/Ability 2:

Demonstrated experience with budget creation, tracking, and management.

Required Skill/Ability 3:

Proficiency in using office software, including Microsoft Office Suite and Zoom.

Required Skill/Ability 4:

Strong customer service skills and problem-solving skills; ability to prioritize tasks considering importance, urgency, and resources, among other factors.

Required Skill/Ability 5:

Demonstrated experience with meeting and event coordination.

Preferred Education, Experience and Skills:

3 to 5 years of administrative support and project management experience preferred. Demonstrated experience with Drupal. Skills with software Excel and PPT. Skills with Adobe InDesign, Canva, and Mailchimp.