Real Talk Program Administrator

Job opening

Opportunity

MIT Center for Constructive Communication is looking for a Program Administrator to focus on the design, build, and implementation of the Real Talk@MIT program across campus and stakeholder categories (e.g., students/staff/ faculty, labs/centers/institutes, affiliate organizations, etc.) in collaboration with the Real Talk program lead.

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Overview

The mission of the MIT Center for Constructive Communication (CCC) is to design tools, methods, and systems that connect rather than divide us to create a healthier society.  CCC is undertaking an ambitious, campus-wide effort – Real Talk@MIT – that combines the ancient wisdom of human conversation with digital technologies. CCC’s long-term goal for the program is to help MIT transform into a “listening organization”– one that promotes a culture of respectful dialogue where students, staff, faculty, and campus leadership can share their lived experiences across boundaries.  The core of the Real Talk system is participation in facilitated, recorded small-group conversations – initially focused on students,  and extending to staff,  faculty,  and leadership – that help to provide a safe and supportive environment for consent-based sharing of personal stories and experiences rather than opinions.  The hope is that these conversations will help to build a culture of listening and dialogue that promotes a sense of shared understanding, empathy, and trust.

The Real Talk Program Administrator will serve on the Real Talk leadership team and focus on the design, build, and implementation of the Real Talk@MIT program across campus and stakeholder categories (e.g., students/staff/ faculty, labs/centers/institutes, affiliate organizations, etc.) in collaboration with the Real Talk Program Lead.

About MIT CCC

Fostering collaborations across the MIT campus and beyond, the MIT Center for Constructive Communication (CCC), based at the MIT Media Lab, leverages data-driven analytics to better understand current social and mass media ecosystems and designs new tools and communication networks to foster constructive dialogue, listening, and bridging across divides. To achieve this, CCC brings together researchers in AI, computational social science, digital interactive design, and learning technologies with software engineers, journalists, political scientists, designers, and community organizers. An important aspect of the center is its commitment to design new models for more trusted and less toxic social networks.

Responsibilities

Project Management (70%):

  • Collaborate with the Real Talk Program Lead on the design of customized programs for MIT stakeholders wishing to implement Real Talk@MIT in their department, labs and centers  (DLCs) including the first-year program and other efforts as they develop. 
  • Maintain a comprehensive project management plan, use it to manage timelines/action steps, and work with others to meet objectives and deadlines.
  • Collaborate with internal and/or external stakeholders to ensure the achievement of deliverables.
  • Develop recommendations for project process improvements.
  • Coordinate the facilitation training and certification program designed for DLCs.
  • Manage activities for DLC’s to ensure program operations are effective and efficient.
  • Work with the Real Talk Program Lead to determine objectives and success metrics; manage the implementation of changes.
  • Provide ongoing guidance to stakeholders on how to develop conversation design tools (such as conversation and facilitation guides), how to recruit and train conversation leaders/sense makers (alongside the training/certification team), how to manage participants and their data, and how to share out highlights and insights from the project
  • Identify and prioritize tech support and service needs that surface through Real Talk@MIT usage, collaborating with the platform and engineering teams to specify solutions for implementation.
  • Collaborate with the Real Talk Program Lead to prepare comprehensive reports (while respecting participant privacy) on program outcomes, identifying trends and proposed adjustments to enhance impact.
  • Support study-related documents including IRB protocols and amendments, guidelines, training and reference materials.

Internal/External Communications (20%)

  • Support meeting/event scheduling, coordination, and preparation within the Real Talk team and between the Real Talk team and MIT stakeholders.
  • Coordinate with the Real Talk communications team to document and publicize Real Talk@MIT events internally and with the broader MIT community.
  • Lead the preparation of agendas for meetings, record meetings as needed, and monitor action items for standing meetings.
  • Gather project information from DLCs, organizing and formatting the information into reports.
  • Collaborate with the Real Talk Program Lead and communications team on the development and execution of a communications plan – which might include traditional “marketing” (flyers, posters), internal comms channels, events, etc. – that creates awareness and interest among potential conversation participants and leaders across student, staff, faculty, and administration audiences
  • Collaborate with the Real Talk Program Lead and communications team on the design of a community engagement plan – i.e., the relationships and strategies necessary for building awareness and understanding of Real Talk@MIT among various levels of MIT stakeholders.

Event Management (10%)

  • Oversee the planning and coordinating of Real Talk workshops, and events, including facilitator recruitment, preparation of agenda; working with MIT DLCs when necessary.
  • Manage the design process of materials needed for workshops, and events.
  • May be asked to attend MIT events (including after-hours and weekends).

Qualifications & skills

Required qualifications: 

  • Bachelor’s degree;
  • 3 years of relevant professional experience in program or project management;
  • Experience working effectively in a university setting and with college students, faculty and staff;
  • Demonstrated ability to design and implement effective business and organizational processes;
  • Demonstrated organizational skills and high degree of initiative, resourcefulness, judgment, problem-solving, and discretion in dealing with complex projects;
  • Strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion principles;
  • Works well independently as well as a contributor to team efforts in a fast-paced environment;
  • Strong communication skills, both verbal and written, and demonstrated ability to interact with multiple internal and external stakeholders;
  • Self-motivated, attention to detail, ability to manage multiple objectives/tasks and meet competing deadlines.

Preferred qualifications:

  • Master’s degree;
  • Facilitation / mediation or related experience;
  • Experience with coordinating large-scale projects in collaboration with engineers, designers, and end users;
  • Experience in project/program evaluation and impact analysis;
  • Experience creating dynamic and comprehensive reports; collecting and synthesizing feedback for stakeholders.

Apply

Apply here or head to MIT’s careers at https://hr-mit-edu.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/careers  and search for job ID number #24130.