POSITION:      Program and Operations Assistant, Just Urban Economies

REPORTS TO: Director, Just Urban Economies

SALARY: 1.0 FTE; $50-$60K annual salary plus benefits

Overview

The MIT Community Innovators Lab (CoLab) is a center for planning and development within the MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning. CoLab supports the development and use of knowledge from excluded communities to deepen civic engagement, improve community practice, inform policy, mobilize community assets, and generate shared wealth. CoLab believes that community knowledge can drive powerful innovation and can help make markets an arena for supporting social justice. CoLab’s domestic work is anchored through its Just Urban Economies (JUE) Program. JUE engages local stakeholders from a multitude of sectors to position communities to govern their own regional economies, and build shared wealth in BIPOC communities at scale. Using a movement building framework, the JUE team works to leverage resources at MIT to advance institutional leadership development, community-led participatory planning and policy-making, and convene cross-sector tables in key geographies across the United States.

Learn more at: https://www.colab.mit.edu/

Position Description

CoLab seeks a creative and results-driven Program & Operations Assistant to help its JUE program be more efficient and impactful in its effort to shift economic development paradigms in the United States. JUE’s Program & Operations Assistant will be responsible for complex and diverse administrative duties in support of the JUE director and overall program that ensure effective program delivery. The position will anchor the JUE team (Director and two other staff members) and serve as a primary liaison between JUE and CoLab/MIT administrative team.

This position will be based in New York City. Periodic travel is required.

Responsibilities:

Program Support (30%) 

Support JUE Director in developing and maintaining systems for program planning and accountability with all JUE staff.

• Manage and keep current all of JUE’s project management platforms
• Assist with program meeting preparation and ensure strong coordination and systems of accountability among different JUE projects.
• Support program in tracking goals and milestones, run reports on project management platform and identify issues proactively

Operations Support (50%)

Keeps JUE office, systems, and outward-facing communications running smoothly.

• Ensure seamless onboarding and orientation of students, research assistants, and others with JUE Director and CoLab operations team.
• Schedule complex appointments, meetings, and travel arrangements. Prepare complex logistics and itineraries for multiple constituents.
• Manage and maintain JUE’s digital folder structure
• Set up and manage independent contractor and temporary employee processes

Direct Support to Director (20%) 

Scheduling, coordination and communication for the program director.

• Schedule and manage JUE Director’s, and at times, other team members calendars coordinating with staff, MIT and external key stakeholders.
• Support Director with incoming inquiries and determining effective course of action and drafting a variety of correspondence.
• May help create and draft presentations.
• Attend a range of meetings including high-level stakeholder meetings; record, interpret, draft, and distribute (pending approval) minutes from those meetings.

Additional tasks may arise from the JUE Director and/or the leadership team.

Ideal candidate qualifications

• Has strong attention to detail and timely execution of tasks
• Is comfortable with project management and customer relationship management systems
• Experience and/or interest in in urban planning, labor studies, or related fields
• Is familiar with principles and practices of economic democracy or community wealth building
• Has excellent team-building, coordination and oral and written communication skills
• Has demonstrated commitment to social justice/anti-oppression work
• High organizational and time-management skills
• A good sense of humor and enjoys working as a team and building relationships

Required: High school diploma or equivalent experience.

Minimum of three years administrative, office or related experience. This is a full-time position. The candidate must be based in the New York City area or must be willing to relocate.

Application Process 

In order to be considered for this position, a cover letter and resume/CV must be submitted.
Application materials should be submitted to the MIT Portal  MIT job site

Requisition ID: 20329

People of color, people with disabilities, women, and LGBTQ candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. We are committed to a diverse workplace, and to supporting our staff with ongoing career development opportunities.