Program Assistant, Project Grants - The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage

JOB TITLE: Program Assistant, Project Grants

DEPARTMENT:  The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage

REPORTS TO:  Project Grant Program Director

Summary:

The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage (the Center) is a multidisciplinary grant maker and hub for knowledge-sharing, dedicated to fostering a vibrant and inclusive cultural community in Greater Philadelphia. The Center invests in ambitious, imaginative projects that showcase the region’s cultural vitality and enhance public life, and we engage in an ongoing exchange of ideas concerning artistic and interpretive practice with a broad network of cultural practitioners and leaders. The Center is funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts and administered by The University of the Arts, Philadelphia.

The Center is committed to an equitable, diverse, and inclusive workplace. We employ a staff of talented, motivated individuals with experience and interest in the nonprofit and/or arts and culture sectors.

This is an administrative assistant position that supports the work of the Center’s Project Grant Programs. This role is a critical interface between all staff at the Center and requires frequent communication with multiple external parties including consultants, vendors, grantees, and applicants. The job requires the use of technology skills in support of correspondence, scheduling, virtual meetings and events, databases, and grant application software.

 

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

You’ll provide primary support to the Center’s Project Grants Program Director, in close collaboration with other Center programs and administrative staff, in all phases of program operations as follows.

SCHEDULING, MEETINGS, AND EVENTS SUPPORT

  • Manage the Program Director’s schedule to assure their calendar is up-to-date and considerately arranged.
  • Coordinate with the Center’s Executive support staff and other administrative staff to monitor and maintain the Center wide operations calendar, working to keep it up-to-date with important details on all conference room reservations, visitors, and meeting requirements.
  • Promptly keep the Center’s Executive support staff apprised of any changes to meetings, or new events that may impact the Executive Director’s schedule.
  • Schedule a high volume of virtual and in-person meetings between Center constituents, applicants, consultants, grantees, and program staff.
  • Greet and provide hospitality to Center guests and set-up and breakdown conference rooms. Liaise with operations staff to ensure meeting rooms are secured and to ensure optimal logistical arrangements for in-person and hybrid remote/in-person meetings, including set up and breakdown of AV equipment.
  • Arrange/request catering, restaurant reservations, hotel, and travel. Facilitate routine internal program meetings on a weekly or monthly basis.
  • Work closely with the Center’s operations staff to support the planning of events and capacity-building activities, ensuring efficient and realistic schedules for professional development talks, symposia, seminars, consultancies, and trips; and grant adjudication meetings.
  • Manage RSVPs through email and Eventbrite.
     

GRANT APPLICATION CYCLE SUPPORT

  • In collaboration with all grant programs and the Center’s Chief Administrative Officer, closely track and maintain the schedule of application deadlines, notification dates, grant panelist review periods, and grant adjudication panel meetings.
  • Request, collect, and organize financial audits/statements from applicant organizations to ensure financial threshold eligibility criteria are met.
  • Provide basic technical support to applicants and panelists on the use of the Center’s online application system.
  • Work with the Center’s core administrative staff to ensure the Center’s online application system is updated and prepared to open for each stage of the application cycle.
  • Communicate necessary changes to application forms, review criteria, and dates in a timely manner.
  • Screen grant applications in the Center’s online application system for completeness, adherence to guidelines, errors, faulty links, file submission issues, incomplete data, etc.
  • Assist program staff with securing and orienting grant application reviewers and panelists by issuing instructions, reminders, preparing dossiers and documents, and in gathering contact and financial information needed to process payments.
  • Provide primary administrative support for annual grant adjudication panel meetings.
  • Work with Center’s core administrative staff to prepare application review system to run the panel meeting. Schedule run-throughs and rehearsals.
  • Operate A/V equipment and provide logistical support during the meetings.
  • Assist Meetings and Events Planner to provide hospitality and in arranging travel for panelists.
  • Field basic questions from applicants and prospective applicants about application guidelines, eligibility, and processes.
  • Offer general program information, elevating questions to senior staff as needed. 

DAILY/ONGOING TASKS

  • Provide general support to Program Director with technology, calendar, and correspondence.
  • As requested by the Program Director, write, transcribe, and manage email and written correspondence to constituents and consultants, including memos, agendas, invitations, requests, and reminders.
  • Field general programmatic inquiries that come from website visitors.
  • Collect payment information, tax forms, letters of agreement, and invoices from Center external vendors, consultants, and constituents to issue payment.
  • Create check requests and submit proper documentation and approval to the Center’s accounts payable staff to ensure payments are processed on time.
  • Assist Program Director in managing their corporate credit card. Prepare and submit appropriate paperwork and receipts to Center’s financial staff each month for credit card reconciliation.
  • Ensure that the Program’s contact lists are kept up-to-date, and that the appropriate persons and organizations are receiving materials.
  • Receive, sort, open, and distribute all incoming mail for program; ensure that outgoing mail and express packages are handled appropriately.
  • Help update the Center’s Salesforce database that links critical information about applicants, grantees and other constituents to the Center’s operations, capacity-building programs, and communications.
  • Work cooperatively with the Center’s communications staff and grants manager to keep the portions of the database that pertain to the program both accurate and current, performing data entry as requested.
  • Coordinate with Communications staff on monthly tracking of grantee news and media coverage, providing information for Center website and other communications materials.
  • After Program events, create and disseminate accurate attendee contact information and evaluation surveys.
  • Maintain the program’s archives and libraries, managing the accessioning and deaccessioning of materials under the direction of program staff.

SPECIAL ASSIGNMENTS AND PROJECTS

  • Upon request of the Program Director, perform special communications, administrative or logistical functions using one’s specific skills, knowledge, expertise and talent.
  • Such work may include, but is not limited to, various types of qualitative research; quantitative analysis.
  • Carry out other such duties as may be assigned or requested.
  • Contribute to Center activities as required.
  • Actively participate as a member of the Center’s community.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by the incumbent; they do not purport to describe all functions.  Incumbent may be assigned other duties, and the essential functions may change from time to time as necessary.

Education:

  • An associate’s or bachelor’s degree or its equivalent
    • Please note: Applicants who are practicing artists should note that to prevent conflict of interest or the appearance thereof, the Center has a Code of Ethics that may limit artistic and cultural practice within our grantmaking region, and when collaborating outside the region with Center grantees.

Experience:

  • 3 years of full-time experience in administrative work

Competencies, Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

  • High proficiency and comfort with the use of Microsoft Excel or the ability to quickly learn such platforms is a must.
  • High proficiency with Microsoft Word and Outlook is required. Knowledge of PowerPoint basics or comparable presentation programs is preferred.
  • You’ll need to be a systematic thinker with superior organizational skills and proven success in creating and maintaining efficient administrative processes.
  • The job requires effective interpersonal skills to successfully interact with the Center’s constituency, fellow staff, and external consultants.
  • You must be skilled in analyzing information and situations to define the problem or objective, identify relevant factors, formulate logical and objective conclusions, and recognize alternatives and their implications.
  • You will be expected to work independently and as a team member.
  • You’ll need to prioritize multiple projects in a busy environment accurately, efficiently, and with a high level of attention to detail, balancing and satisfying competing deadlines and personalities, maintaining professionalism under pressure and in sensitive and difficult situations.
  • Respect for the needs and issues of non-profit organizations and artists is required, while clearly understanding the appropriate boundaries between Center staff and its constituents. 
  • You’ll need the ability to exercise a high level of discretion and confidentiality in interactions with both internal and external people concerning all work-related information, and with understanding of the Center’s unique relationship to The Pew Charitable Trusts. 
  • You must be able to tolerate paperwork and respect administrative procedures while remaining flexible and resilient.
  • You must have the ability to know when to ask questions and when to take initiative.
  • You must be able to learn quickly and have the willingness to assume tasks as needed.

LOCATION, HOURS, REMOTE WORK
The Center’s offices are located at 1608 Walnut St, Suite 18, Philadelphia PA
The Center operates each Monday - Friday from 9a.m.to 5p.m.
Center staff have the option to work remotely each Monday and Friday only, but may be asked to work at the office on these days for occasional special assignments, deadlines, or activities. 


COVID-19 VACCINATION REQUIREMENT
The University of the Arts requires all employees be fully vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccine and provide proof of vaccination. Documented medical and religious exemptions will be reasonably accommodated.

ABOUT THE PEW CENTER FOR ARTS & HERITAGE
The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage (the Center) is a multidisciplinary grant maker and hub for knowledge-sharing, dedicated to fostering a vibrant and diverse cultural community in Greater Philadelphia. The Center invests in ambitious, imaginative, and catalytic work that showcases the region’s cultural vitality and enhances public life, and we engage in an ongoing exchange of ideas concerning artistic and interpretive practice with a broad network of cultural practitioners and leaders. Center funding has made possible thousands of performing arts events, history and visual arts exhibitions, and other public programs for audiences in Philadelphia and its surrounding counties.
Visit https://www.pewcenterarts.org/about for more information.
 

TO APPLY: Interested, qualified applicants should submit letters of application and resumes to the Human Resources Department via email to jobs@uarts.edu. Please ensure job title is in the Subject line.
 

In compliance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, The University of the Arts publishes its Annual Safety Report at the following link for your reference:

http://www.uarts.edu/about/campus-crime-fire-reports

 

THE UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

Title IX Statement: The University of the Arts prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in its programs and activities, including admission and employment, in accordance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. The Director for Title IX, Equity, & Compliance is responsible for overseeing compliance with Title IX and other civil rights laws and regulations. To contact the Director for Title IX, Equity, & Compliance, e-mail titleix@uarts.edu, visit The University of the Arts, 320 S. Broad St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19102, or call 215-717-6362. To learn more about the University's Title IX policy and response to sex discrimination, including sexual harassment and sexual violence, please visit www.uarts.edu/titleix. Inquiries may also be directed to the Federal agency responsible for enforcing Title IX, the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights.

 

 

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