The Phd/Doctoral Program Coordinator provides administrative support to the Director of Doctoral Programs and the unit HR and Business Office staff, ensuring smooth operation of the Economics PhD program. The role coordinates critical functions for the lifecycle of doctoral students, ensuring they receive administrative guidance from admissions through graduation.

Duties & Responsibilities

Doctoral Program Administration

Primary point of contact for current and potential doctoral students regarding department and campus policies and procedures. Manage departmental doctoral program policies.
Coordinates and attends graduate program events. Includes student orientations, student appreciation weeks and various special gatherings throughout the year to promote engagement and foster connections.
Develop and implement communication and onboarding activities for admitted doctoral students to facilitate the matriculation process (including new student orientation).
Perform degree audits and student progress assessments each semester to ensure students are on track for graduation.
Communicate all announcements and deadlines relevant to doctoral students.
Implement and contribute to process improvements to increase efficiencies.
Provide Awards Committee with timeline and data for doctoral awards decision-making process for twice annual Conference Travel Grants and annual departmental and named awards.
Facilitate summer research fellowship process.
Process fellowships and awards for the doctoral program students.
Facilitate petitions and other graduate college forms for doctoral students.
Coordinate qualifying exams twice yearly. This includes preparing provided exams, assigning anonymous identifiers for blind grading, arranging the date, time, room, and proctors, and reporting results to students after faculty grade.
Create and maintain exam proctoring sign-up and monitor student proctoring responsibility fulfillment each semester.
Maintain current doctoral student records and databases.
Process course registration information and review override requests, granting them when appropriate.
Generate miscellaneous letters for doctoral students.
Create, implement, and improve enrichment activities that promote doctoral student success, professional growth, and program cohesion. Examples may include new student onboarding program, inviting expert speakers in career launching/development, networking/how-to network events, elevator speech coaching, headshot day, and/or the development of a doctoral student ambassador program.
Ensure students complete the Oral English Assessment Interview, Graduate Academy for College Teaching, Grading Symposium, and departmental TA Orientation when required. (Responsible for registering students for the Grad Academy for College Teaching.)
Survey doctoral students each semester for student employment availability/interest to fulfill RA, TA, and TA-Grader roles. Provide unit HR with student employment assignments for appointment processing and work with business office on RA funding balances. After assigning TA's to discussion sections and Graders to courses, provide assignment summaries to TAs and notify instructors of their TA's/Graders.
Manage the Course Inventory Management (CIM) and CIM-Programs (CIM-P) for the doctoral program.
Collect and summarize data requested by the Head, Director, or other staff or programs to complete surveys and other documents.
Other duties as assigned to further the mission of the unit.

Doctoral Program Admissions

Serve as Doctoral Admissions Administrator, responsible for overall admissions process for Econ doctoral program.
Serve as staff liaison to Doctoral Admissions Committee including maintaining access permissions to the appropriate systems (currently Slate and Grad Apps).
Advise Doctoral Admissions Committee Chair of admissions policies, deadlines, and financial guidelines.
Communicate with applicants and admitted students regarding admission decisions and accurate and timely responses to inquiries. Responsible for sending offers of admission via admissions system.
Maintain applicant records in the admissions programs.
Coordinate Admitted Student Visit Day with the unit's events coordinator.

Doctoral Program Graduation & Job Market

Maintain and enhance the procedure for handling confidential letters of recommendation written by faculty for outgoing PhD students on the Econ Job Market each fall.
In collaboration with departmental website maintenance staff, organize and host at least one late-spring and one early-fall Letter of Recommendation Process/Job Market Website Information Session for outgoing PhD students on the Econ Job Market; communicate the process and anticipated deadlines with letter writers.
Ensure students approaching graduation are aware of deadlines, are meeting the criteria to graduate, and added themselves to the graduation list.
Coordinate Preliminary and Final Defense procedures for each doctoral student.
Responsible for doctoral dissertation/thesis format review and verification of graduate certification.
Coordinate graduation for the doctoral students in collaboration with the undergrad and master's staff and attend graduation. Communicate hooding procedures for smooth on-stage events.
Participate in college events for graduate contacts.

Required Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree.
A total of one (1) year (12 months) in education, training and/or work experience in graduate programming, student advising, program administration, or related areas.
Note: Master’s Degree in an area consistent with the duties of the position may be substituted for one (1) year of work experience.)

Preferred Qualifications

Experience in higher education. Experience in student services.
Knowledge of or ability to obtain UIUC policies and procedures as they relate to graduate programs.
General familiarity of graduate education programs, requirements and expectations.
Ability to interpret and administer policies.
Proven track record of customer service with preferred emphasis on interactions with faculty and graduate students.
Ability to prepare reports and proposals with minimal oversight.
Results-oriented with strong organizational and time management skills.
Strong interpersonal and communication skills, particularly those that enable the candidate to effectively communicate clearly with a wide range of constituencies including students, parents, faculty, and staff.
Commitment to creating an inclusive environment
Demonstrated ability to work independently, as well as collaboratively, with a wide range of constituencies.
Ability to provide a welcoming headquarters for students in the Econ PhD Program.
Ability to learn new computer systems.

Appointment Information

This is a 100% full-time Civil Service 5002 - Program Coordinator position, appointed on a 12-month basis. The expected start date is as soon as possible after the deadline date. The budgeted salary range for the position is $58,000 to $68,000. The pay offered to the selected candidate will be determined based on factors including (but not limited to) the experience and qualifications of the selected candidate including equivalent years in rank, training, and field or discipline; internal equity; and external market pay for comparable jobs.

Hybrid work options may be available for this position, with the ability to be on-site at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus as needed per the University’s Workplace Flexibility policy.

Sponsorship for work authorization is not available for this position.

For more information on Civil Service classifications, please visit the SUCSS web site at https://www.sucss.illinois.gov/pages/classspec/default.aspx.

Application Procedures & Deadline Information

Applications must be received by 6:00 pm (Central Time) on April 8, 2026. To apply for this position, please create a candidate profile at https://jobs.illinois.edu, use the Apply Now button on the posting and upload your cover letter, resume (months and years of employment must be included), and names/contact information for three professional references. Please remember to include specific information on how you meet the qualifications of the position in your application materials, including all relevant experiences.

In order to be considered as a transfer candidate, you must apply for this position. Applications not submitted through https://jobs.illinois.edu will not be considered. If required by the position, transcripts or other documentation of credentials are to be provided no later than the first day of employment.

For further information about this specific position, please contact lascollegehiring@illinois.edu For questions regarding the application process, please contact 217-333-2137.

The University of Illinois must also comply with applicable federal export control laws and regulations and, as such, reserves the right to employ restricted party screening procedures for applicants.

At the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign — the state’s flagship public university and one of the world’s leading research institutions — every staff member helps shape what’s next. Founded in 1867, Illinois is home to a vibrant community of 59,000 students from all 50 states and 129 countries, supported by 15 colleges and instructional units, more than 20 research institutes, and one of the most comprehensive student service ecosystems in the nation. Whether you’re empowering first-generation students, fueling breakthrough innovation, or strengthening communities across Illinois and beyond, your work here has a far-reaching and deeply meaningful impact. The university offers a highly competitive benefits package designed to support your well-being, growth, and financial security. Join a top 10 public university that has launched over 330 startups and continues to redefine excellence — where the Illinois Value Proposition ensures that your contributions are recognized, your potential is nurtured, and your career can thrive.

Champaign-Urbana

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools may be used in some portions of the candidate review process for this position; however, all employment decisions will be made by a person.

This position is intended to be eligible for benefits. This includes Health, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, a Retirement Plan, Paid time Off, and Tuition waivers for employees and dependents.

The University of Illinois System is an equal opportunity employer, including but not limited to disability and/or veteran status, and complies with all applicable state and federal employment mandates. Please visit Required Employment Notices and Posters to view our non-discrimination statement and find additional information about required background checks, sexual harassment/misconduct disclosures, and employment eligibility review through E-Verify.

Applicants with disabilities are encouraged to apply and may request a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (2008) to complete the application and/or interview process. Accommodations may also be requested on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth, and related conditions, or religion. Requests may be submitted through the reasonable accommodation portal, or by contacting the Office for Access & Equity at 217-333-0885, option #1, or accessibility@illinois.edu.

Requisition ID: 1035510
Job Category: Professional and Administrative
Apply at: https://jobs.illinois.edu

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