Intern Program Coordinator, Research Administration

Intern Program Coordinator, Research Administration

University of Idaho, Office of Sponsored Programs 

Location: University of Idaho, Moscow, ID  

Work Arrangement:  In-Person

Dates of Internship: ‘Date of Hire’ to End of Spring Semester, Summer Session Term possible dependent on budget availability 

Working days/hours: TBD (15-19.5 maximum hours a week) flexible days between Monday-Friday, aligned with OSP schedule and University operating hours 8am-5pm

Pay Rate: $12.50 to $15.00/hour 

Work Study Eligible: No  

Eligibility: Current full time University of Idaho undergraduate student or incoming and current graduate student, with a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA.  

Research and administering sponsored programs is a team effort that goes beyond the field, classrooms and laboratories. At the University of Idaho, the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) is an integral part of that team. OSP works to secure external support for faculty, staff and student research efforts, as well as instruction.  Our work includes outreach, proposal and award processing, oversight of regulatory and fiscal compliance, audit and financial management, institutional endorsement (signature authority) and ensuring that the university has adequate standards for managing award funding. 

Internship Description and Duties: 

The Intern Program Coordinator position is a peer leadership and guidance role overseeing fellow interns in the Research Administration Internship Program.  Our ideal candidate is passionate about talent development, and enjoys working with students, staff and faculty to provide opportunities for relevant skillset development.  As the designated leader for the OSP Intern Team, duties for the Intern Program Coordinator may include: 

• Coordinating all Research Administration Internship Program activities
• Identifying and assigning tasks aligned with team lead and OSP needs
• Learning along side the interns to provide guidance and support to help them achieve their assigned tasks
• Ensuring robust communication among all stakeholders
• Budget management including tracking program expenses
• Managing and reporting of deliverables and metrics
• Point of contact for the Intern Program
• Assignment of individual task workload depending on unit needs
• Other duties as assigned

Desired Qualifications:  

• Strong faculty recommendations and good academic standing
• Graduate student is preferred
• Prior Experience:  Relevant to position duties, including supervisory experience in a work setting, project management, performance reporting and budgeting
• Proactive Engagement: Interns are expected to take initiative in their tasks and seek clarification when needed
• Attention to Detail: Accuracy in documentation and reporting is crucial, as errors can have significant implications
• Adaptability: Interns should be flexible and willing to adjust to changing priorities and workloads
• Interpersonal and communication skills: Ability to demonstrate examples of relationship building and excellent communication (both written and verbal)
• Professionalism: Maintain a professional appearance and demeanor in all communications and interactions within the office and with external stakeholders

Learning Objectives:  

Backlog Management: Gain insights into the processes and strategies for managing and reducing backlogs in various units, including pre-, post-, and financial unit tasks 

Talent Development: Work with interns to identify skillset and career goals.  Align task and project assignments to build experience in Research Administration while enhancing expertise in transferable skills related to intern career goals 

Data Metrics and Report Management:  Develop and present reports to showcase intern effort impact on department goals and performance indicators  

Event Coordination:  Identify opportunities for team building, additional education for interns and advocacy for intern program across campus 

Continuous improvement:  ongoing assessment of standard operating procedures and report on areas for improvement 

Intern Program Evaluation and Updates:  implement feedback and improvement models to update and improve the intern experience 

Collaboration and Communication: Develop collaboration skills by working with unit leads and interns to identify and address backlog tasks, improve data integrity, and enhance efficiency 

Project Management: Learn techniques to lead multiple projects assigned to all interns, coordinating communication to stakeholders, updating OSP and ORED leadership on program goals and metrics 

Mentorship and Leadership Development:  Support team collaboration and empower others to embrace professional development, communication and essential job functions 

Long-term engagement:   

This role offers a progressive employment pathway. The program intent is to incentivize interns to continue their tenure in OSP throughout their academic journey with an overall goal of advancing a workforce pipeline into research administration. Interns may receive rehiring offers at the beginning of each academic year, with the opportunity for pay raises, added responsibilities, and new titles to provide further motivation. 

Interested applicants must submit:  

Resume 

Statement of Interest (Cover Letter) 

Referral letter from University of Idaho faculty or staff member, or former employer 

Intended in-office schedule for the position (up to 19.5 hours per week) and intended or available start date 

Selection Process: 

Applications will be reviewed by an ORED employee committee who will evaluate submitted materials and check references 

Finalists will be notified, and scheduled for an interview 

If offered a position, a background check and required employment paperwork through Human Resources will be required prior to employment start date 

For inquiries, please email Cindy Chipman at cchipman@uidaho.edu