About the Opportunity
The Program Manager serves as the senior administrative and operational leader for the Northeastern University Seattle Physician Assistant Program and works in close partnership with the Program Director to establish and advance the program's operational priorities. As a founding member of the Seattle PA Program team, this position will develop and implement the systems, policies, procedures, and workflows necessary to support the development, accreditation, launch, and ongoing operations of the program.
Embodying a growth mindset and approaching operations as a form of customer service, the Program Manager will build clear, effective, and sustainable systems that enable faculty and staff to do their best work and contribute to an exceptional student experience. The position will continuously assess program operations, identify opportunities for improvement, and develop solutions that promote efficiency, collaboration, responsiveness, and program quality.
The Program Manager provides leadership for the administrative functions of the program, including supervision and development of program staff; admissions operations; major program events and activities; program records, data, and administrative systems; and operational support for accreditation and program evaluation. The Program Manager also serves as a key administrative partner to the Program Director, supporting the coordination of strategic priorities, complex meetings and initiatives, and other activities requiring collaboration across the program, university, and external partners.
Minimum Qualifications:
- Master’s degree and a minimum of 5–7 years of progressively responsible experience in higher education, academic program administration, healthcare administration, business operations, project management, or a related professional setting.
- Demonstrated experience managing complex programs, projects, or operational processes.
- Demonstrated supervisory or team leadership experience.
- Experience developing and implementing policies, procedures, workflows, or administrative systems.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
- Excellent organizational, written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
- Strong leadership and supervisory skills, including the ability to develop, motivate, and support a high-performing team.
- Demonstrated growth mindset and commitment to continuous improvement.
- Strong strategic planning, project management, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
- Ability to translate strategic priorities into effective operational plans, processes, and systems.
- Ability to anticipate needs, exercise sound independent judgment, and appropriately prioritize and escalate issues.
- Ability to manage multiple concurrent priorities and meet deadlines in a dynamic environment.
- Strong attention to detail and commitment to accuracy.
- Demonstrated service orientation and ability to work collaboratively with faculty, staff, students, university partners, and external stakeholders.
- Ability to handle sensitive and confidential information with discretion.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and ability to learn and effectively utilize university information systems and other technology platforms.
- Experience in health professions education, admissions, accreditation, or academic program administration preferred.
- Familiarity with Physician Assistant education and ARC-PA accreditation requirements preferred.
Key Responsibilities & Accountabilities
Operational Effectiveness – 30%
- Develop, implement, and continuously improve administrative systems, policies, procedures, protocols, and workflows that support effective operation of the Seattle PA Program.
- Oversee daily program operations, including program records and databases, communications, scheduling, purchasing, facilities coordination, and other administrative functions.
- Partner with the Program Director in the development and administration of the program budget, including tracking expenditures, monitoring budget performance, preparing reports and projections, coordinating purchasing and financial transactions, and supporting annual and long-range budget planning.
- Develop and maintain systems to track recurring program processes, deadlines, requirements, and deliverables and ensure appropriate follow-through.
- Use data, feedback, and continuous quality improvement principles to identify operational gaps, anticipate program needs, and develop scalable solutions as the program grows.
- Facilitate communication and collaboration among faculty, staff, students, university offices, and external partners.
- Collaborate with the Program Director to identify opportunities to enhance program operations and implement strategies to improve effectiveness and the student, faculty, and staff experience.
Leadership and Management – 20%
- Build and lead a high-performing administrative team and provide direct supervision, mentorship, and professional development for program staff.
- Establish clear roles, responsibilities, workflows, performance expectations, and priorities for administrative staff.
- Oversee staff projects and daily workflow; delegate responsibilities; monitor progress; and provide clear, ongoing feedback and performance management.
- Foster a positive team culture grounded in collaboration, service, accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement.
- Lead regular administrative staff meetings and coordinate administrative work across the program to ensure alignment with faculty and program leadership priorities.
- Participate in recruitment, hiring, onboarding, training, and evaluation of program administrative staff.
Admissions & Student Program Administration – 20%
- Provide administrative leadership for the Seattle PA Program admissions process in collaboration with the Program Director, faculty leadership, and university admissions offices.
- Develop, implement, and oversee admissions workflows, timelines, applicant communications, application processing, interview activities, records, and data management.
- Provide operational leadership for admissions events and interview days and ensure efficient, consistent, and equitable administrative processing throughout the admissions cycle.
- Coordinate administrative processes associated with matriculation, student onboarding, orientation, and maintenance of student records.
- Serve as a key administrative resource for students and collaborate with faculty and university offices to facilitate resolution of administrative and operational issues.
- Ensure applicant- and student-facing administrative processes and communications are consistent with university policies and applicable accreditation requirements.
Program Events, Accreditation, and Compliance – 15%
- Provide leadership and operational oversight for major program events, including admissions events, student orientation, White Coat Ceremony, graduation activities, faculty retreats, and other program functions.
- Develop event timelines and oversee facilities, vendors, communications, materials, invitations, and other logistics necessary for successful execution.
- Coordinate administrative logistics for accreditation activities, including preparation for accreditation reviews and site visits.
- Support accreditation, program evaluation, and continuous self-study through coordination of documentation, data collection, reporting, and records management.
- Collaborate with program leadership to ensure administrative processes, records, and program communications remain consistent with university requirements and applicable accreditation standards.
Strategic Program and Program Director Support – 15%
- Serve as a key administrative and operational partner to the Program Director in advancing program priorities, strategic initiatives, and special projects.
- Develop and maintain systems for tracking major projects, decisions, deadlines, and action items and proactively identify matters requiring Program Director attention or follow-up.
- Coordinate complex or high-level meetings and initiatives involving program faculty and staff, university leadership, candidates, external partners, and other key stakeholders, including scheduling, logistics, agendas, materials, and follow-up.
- Provide targeted calendar and scheduling support to the Program Director to facilitate effective prioritization and coordination of major meetings, initiatives, and external engagements.
- Translate Program Director prio