Diversity Project Coordinator - Hybrid

The DREI project coordinator reports to the director of communication and outreach and is a member of the Office of Diversity, Racial Equity and Inclusion (DREI) team at NORC. This role works in coordination with the Office of DREI to support, implement, review, and contribute to ongoing improvement of NORC’s DREI programs, projects, and initiatives.

As a condition of employment, all NORC employees and contractors – including those working remotely – must be fully vaccinated (as defined by current CDC guidance) against COVID-19.

Diversity, Racial Equity, and Inclusion (DREI) is one of NORC’s top strategic priorities, as a moral and ethical imperative central to the organization’s mission and essential for NORC’s long-term success. The creation of the Office of DREI reflects the organization’s deep commitment to DREI across three pillars – people, culture, and research. The office is at the forefront of developing and implementing bold and transformational DREI initiatives, policies, and practices in service of NORC’s DREI Strategic Framework & Action Plan.

• Work cross-organizationally to coordinate the schedule, budget, and details of DREI projects or initiatives. Serve as an early warning system when timeline, budget, or execution are in jeopardy.
• Share updates and challenges with stakeholders including but not limited to the CDO, DREI Steering Committee, DREI Advisory Committee, staff, as well as NORC’s external audiences.
• Serve as a point of contact for DREI projects and initiatives. Address and resolve requests, concerns, and inquiries identifying relevant collaborators to answer questions when needed.
• Serve as a project manager for small to medium projects or oversee portions of larger, more complex projects.
• Solicit feedback and input from collaborators and staff at various points within the project lifecycle.
• Maintain existing and build new channels to engage and share information with NORC on DREI topics.
• Partner with the Communications team to regularly communicate internal and external DREI initiatives, events, and progress.

Reporting for Office of DREI:

• Provide periodic progress updates on items identified in the DREI Strategic Framework and Action Plan. Develop reporting structure, cadence, and mechanisms in collaboration with the Director of Communications and Outreach and the Office of DREI.
• Report feedback garnered through meetings, surveys, formal and informal conversations, and assessments.

Strategic Planning:

• Ensure projects adhere to deadlines and communicate progress. Communicate with the CDO, stakeholders, and vendors to help ensure projects remain aligned with stated and evolving goals.
• Communicate schedule and target adjustments to stakeholders on projects as needs, resources, or financing for projects change.
• Identify feedback mechanisms and opportunities for staff to provide input on DREI projects and initiatives. Build in early warning systems and quality control measures.
• Serve as the project manager and main point of contact for DREI projects when multiple departments, stakeholders, and/or vendors are involved.

Strategic Operations and Project Management:

• Aid in project management and implementation of DREI projects and in collaboration with the Office of DREI, key stakeholders, organizational partners, and vendors.
• Support the development of Office of DREI projects and initiatives, liaise with the Office of Financial Management and Analysis, and help manage time and resources to effectively meet stated goals.

• Project Management: Experience creating and managing work plans to organize projects into tasks, sequencing activities for maximum efficiency, estimating and managing time and budget required to complete tasks; identifying issues, and adapting plans as needed while remaining committed to project deadlines and timelines. Experience working with multiple stakeholders, business leaders, external partners, and vendors desired.
• Reputation Management: Strong understanding of reputation management. Confidence in recommending, developing, and incorporating strategies to protect and build the Office of DREI’s reputation with multiple stakeholders.
• Strong Communications Skills: Strong written and verbal communication skills. Experience effectively communicating timeline, tasks, budget, deliverables, challenges, and solutions to various audiences and stakeholders.
• Critical Thinking and Change Agility: Analytical thinking, problem-solving capabilities, including the ability to help identify the root causes and key obstacles behind issues or needs, consider stakeholder reactions, pivot, and recommend solutions.
• Bachelor's Degree and at least one year of similar coordination experience required.
• Ability to provide operational and strategic support.
• Experience with work management platforms is a plus.

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NORC at the University of Chicago is an objective, non-partisan research institution that delivers reliable data and rigorous analysis to guide critical programmatic, business, and policy decisions. Since 1941, our teams have conducted groundbreaking studies, created and applied innovative methods and tools, and advanced principles of scientific integrity and collaboration. Today, government, corporate, and nonprofit clients around the world partner with us to transform increasingly complex information into useful knowledge.

For over 75 years, NORC has evolved in many ways, moving the needle with research methods, technical applications and groundbreaking research findings. But our tradition of excellence, passion for innovation, and commitment to collegiality have remained constant components of who we are as a brand, and who each of us is as a member of the NORC team. With world-class benefits, a business casual environment, and an emphasis on continuous learning, NORC is a place where people join for the stellar research and analysis work for which we’re known, and stay for the relationships they form with their colleagues who take pride in the impact their work is making on a global scale.

NORC is an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer that values and actively seeks diversity in the workforce. NORC evaluates qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and other legally- protected characteristics.