Description

Position Overview

The KU School of Professional Studies (SPS) was created in 2019 with a vision to transform students' lives and improve communities through innovative, student-focused, and exemplary academic programs that lead to rewarding careers in an array of fields that serve the workforce needs of Kansas and beyond. The school offers a variety of disciplines, course formats, class schedules, student services, aid, and more to meet the needs of a wide range of students who may work full-time, have considerable commitments outside of the classroom, have prior college-level education, or otherwise need a different approach to earning academic credentials. The School continues to launch new degree programs aimed at supporting the needs of future students and is poised for significant growth over the next five years.

The Center for Workplace Excellence is part of the KU School of Professional Studies and supported by the Johnson County Education Research Triangle (JCERT). With the goal of maximizing individual and organizational potential, the Center helps the local workforce strengthen professional skills, boost employee engagement, and promote enhanced leadership training and coaching.

The Center enhances the operational efficiency of the workforce by offering:

• On-Demand Workshops: Timely, expert-led training that delivers practical insights and tools for today's most pressing and emerging challenges. Informed by feedback, the Center designs learning that directly addresses the issues organizations are facing today and that is based on the most recent research.
• Ongoing Workshop Series: Ongoing, reliable training options that give organizations consistent support, building capability over time, and helping achieve training and development goals. These are the courses that operate on a consistent schedule.
• Customized Professional Development: Tailored, research-backed learning experiences that help individuals and teams build skills they can use today. Through facilitated workshops and team trainings, the Center adapts proven expertise to fit organizational goals.
• Organizational Consulting: Faculty and staff works alongside leaders and teams to tackle complex challenges by clarifying priorities, aligning people and resources, and turning strategy into action. The approach is practical, collaborative, and tailored.
• Executive Coaching: The Center offers an Executive Coaching Connection that envisions a dynamic future where leaders thrive, organizations flourish, and communities benefit.

KU offers great benefits to employees with up to 176 hours of paid vacation per year, 96 hours of sick leave earned per year, nine paid holidays plus one discretionary day, a retirement program, medical & dental insurance, life and disability insurance, other benefit plan options, and State of Kansas discounts offered by various vendors. KU also offers employees educational and professional development opportunities. Tuition assistance offers up to 12 credit hours per year for employees and Employee Dependent Tuition Assistance Scholarship (EDTAS) award opportunities! Details available at: https://humanresources.ku.edu/tuition-assistance.

KU's excellence is a result of the rich tapestry of experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds of our faculty, staff, students, and colleagues from across our nation and the globe. At KU, we invest in continuous learning and growth by creating a climate where people engage in respectful dialogue and debate and support each other's success. We foster a culture of care where each person is seen, heard, and valued. When people feel a true sense of belonging, we believe they are better able to reach their full potential and achieve remarkable things.

Job Description

The Education Program Manager manages all support mechanisms relating to the design, delivery, and performance of professional education and workforce development programs for the Center. This role is responsible for ensuring a portfolio of programs are monitored and tracked from concept through execution, ensuring alignment with market demand, organizational strategy, and revenue goals. The position works cross-functionally with faculty, partners, and clients.

30% - Marketing and Enrollment Strategy

• Execute marketing plans for the Center programs and offerings.
• Draft and format marketing materials, including program descriptions, promotional emails, and social media content.
• Develop and execute integrated marketing strategies to achieve enrollment and revenue targets
• Produce marketing materials including social media images, website graphics, and promotional flyers.
• Maintain a marketing calendar outlining promotional activities, timelines, and outreach schedules.
• Oversee development of marketing assets and messaging aligned to target audiences.
• Maintain enrollment tracking (HubSpot) mechanisms for upcoming programs and workshops.
• Assist with collecting testimonials, participant feedback, and program success stories for marketing use.
• Coordinate communication with registrants including confirmation messages, reminders, and follow-up materials - HubSpot.
• Support post-program communications including participant surveys and follow-up engagement opportunities.

30% - Program Management and Delivery

• Manage the full lifecycle of professional education programs from design through evaluation, including space logistics, technology needs, and participant communications.
• Prepare scopes of work, timelines, and deliverable summaries for professional education and consulting projects.
• Maintain the Center's customer relationship management (CRM) system, including data entry and contact management.
• Maintain and update website content related to Center offerings.

25% - Program and Business Development

• Lead development of proposals for professional education programs, consulting engagements, and workforce initiatives.
  • Compile background research, data, and organizational information required for proposal development.
• Conduct market analysis to identify new program opportunities and revenue streams.
• Develop scopes of work, pricing models, and program structures aligned with CWE strategy.
• Track and manage pipeline of opportunities and revenue projections.
• Maintain HubSpot tracking system for proposal opportunities, deadlines, and submissions.

15% - Data, Evaluation, and Budget

• Use CRM software and program data to monitor performance, enrollment trends, and program effectiveness.
• Develop reporting mechanisms and dashboards to increase leadership decision-making
• Maintains budgets, transactions, cost centers, payment links through HubSpot, and JRC processes.
• Identify opportunities for program improvement and expansion.
• Support long-term strategy through data-informed insights.

Position Requirements

• A limited amount of in-state travel may be required of this position.
• This position may require occasional work outside of its usual schedule, including evening and weekends to attend events.

Required Qualifications

1. Master's degree in related field OR a bachelor's degree in a related field plus 5 years of related experience.
2. Three years of experience in program management, professional education, workforce development, or related field.
3. One year of experience in marketing, enrollment strategy, or stakeholder engagement.
4. Strong written and verbal communication skills as demonstrated through materials and interview process.

This position requires a formal degree in the cited discipline area(s) to ensure that candidates have advanced knowledge, analytical skills and professional competencies necessary to perform the duties of the position. The level of degree is commonly recognized as the standard qualification for similar roles in the public and private sector, ensuring that the university remains competitive with industry aligned practices, enhances collaboration with external partners, and supports the delivery of services and programs that meet professional and market-driven expectations.

Additional Candidate Instruction

In addition to the online application, the following documents are required to be considered for this position:

• Cover letter describing how you meet the required and preferred qualifications.
• Resume
• List of three (3) professional references

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Only complete applications will be considered.

Application review begins July 23, 2026, and will continue until a qualified pool of applicants are identified.

Disclaimer

The University of Kansas prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability, status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, gender identity, gender expression, and genetic information in the university's programs and activities. Retaliation is also prohibited by university policy. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies and procedures and is the Title IX Coordinator for all KU and KUMC campuses: Associate Vice Chancellor for the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX, [email protected], Room 1082, Dole Human Development Center, 1000 Sunnyside Avenue, Lawrence, KS 66045, 785-864-6414, 711 TTY. Reports can be submitted by contacting the Title IX Coordinator as provided herein or using the Title IX online report form and complaints can be submitted with the Title IX Coordinator or using the Title IX online complaint form.