Senior Program Coordinator

Duke University:

Duke University was created in 1924 through an indenture of trust by James Buchanan Duke. Today, Duke is regarded as one of America’s leading research universities. Located in Durham, North Carolina, Duke is positioned in the heart of the Research Triangle, which is ranked annually as one of the best places in the country to work and live. Duke has more than 15,000 students who study and conduct research in its 10 undergraduate, graduate and professional schools. With about 40,000 employees, Duke is the third largest private employer in North Carolina, and it now has international programs in more than 150 countries.

Be You.

At Duke University, we value the individuality, expertise, and perspective that each member of our community brings. As the Program Coordinator, Senior, you will play a critical role in supporting the Department of Physics by fostering strong relationships, advancing inclusive practices, and ensuring seamless human resources, payroll, and visa services across a diverse academic environment.

In this role, you’ll support a complex population of 250+ faculty, staff, postdoctoral scholars, and students across the Department of Physics and its affiliated units, including the SPACE Initiative and the Triangle University Nuclear Laboratory (TUNL). Your ability to navigate complexity, build trust, and proactively solve problems will help ensure our people can focus on discovery, learning, and impact.

Be Bold.

This is a highly trusted role requiring initiative, discretion, and broad institutional knowledge. Reporting to the Senior Business Manager, you will lead complex administrative and supervisory functions with minimal direction while serving as a key advisor on HR policy, workforce planning, payroll, and compliance.

What You’ll Do

Leadership, Management & Staff Development

• Serve as a trusted advisor to department personnel on professional development and HR-related matters.


• Partner with the Senior Business Manager, Campus Grant Management Team (CGMT), Grant Managers, and Research Group Managers to assess staffing needs and recommend hiring and promotion strategies to support workforce stability.


• Assist with maintaining and updating the department organizational chart and implementing a comprehensive staffing plan that reflects faculty structures, student support, and differentiated staffing needs.


• Supervise designated staff and student employees, including work assignment, performance oversight, and visa-related processing.


• Manage undergraduate and graduate student employees supporting departmental events and lecture series.


• Ensure timely submission and compliance for monthly and biweekly timesheets.


• Provide ongoing education to faculty, staff, and students regarding HR policies, payroll, and benefits.


• Oversee HR compliance and staff development initiatives for a combined population of 250+ personnel.

Human Resources Administration

• Maintain advanced knowledge of Duke Human Resources policies, procedures, and benefits programs.


• Advise faculty and principal investigators on onboarding and managing research personnel.


• Manage staff recruiting through JobX, SuccessFactors, and Academic Jobs Online, including job description review, posting, candidate disposition, and close-out.


• Administer regular rank faculty forms (iForms and dFac) and monitor research appointments and reappointments.


• Track and manage annual performance evaluations for research staff.


• Maintain the Trinity Directory Tool, Scholars@Duke profiles, Sympa mailing lists, and departmental listservs.


• Organize biannual Postdoctoral Orientation sessions.


• Streamline onboarding processes to ensure a positive transition experience for new faculty, staff, and students.


• Proactively run HR reports to identify and mitigate personnel or payroll issues.

Payroll Services

• Provide in-house payroll guidance for exempt, non-exempt, faculty, staff, and student employees.


• Initiate and manage iForms from background checks through terminations, ensuring timely approvals.


• Coordinate with the Graduate Studies Assistant to ensure accurate graduate student compensation processing.


• Administer foreign national payments, including fellowships and postdoctoral awards, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements.


• Monitor payroll, timesheets, and cost distributions to minimize errors and financial risk.


• Promote direct deposit and disseminate Corporate Payroll communications.

Visa Services

• Prepare, review, and finalize appointment letters in collaboration with faculty sponsors and department leadership.


• Track visa status and Foreign National Clearance expirations for all international personnel.


• Manage visa applications and liaise with Duke Visa Services to ensure compliance with university policy and federal regulations.


• Provide guidance to international scholars and visitors throughout the visa process, including pre-arrival support.

Departmental Point of Contact

• Serve as the primary liaison with Trinity HR, Corporate Payroll, Duke Visa Services, HR Central Recruitment, Duke Temporary Services, and external partners.


• Direct inquiries to appropriate resources, respond to departmental communications, and ensure timely resolution of issues.

Other duties as assigned.

Education & Experience

• Work requires analytical, communications and organizational skills generally acquired through completion of a bachelor's degree program


• Minimum of three years of experience in program administration or roles supporting academic, instructional, research, or counseling activities.


• Equivalent combination of relevant education and experience will be considered.

Knowledge & Skills

• Demonstrated ability to provide guidance and direction to staff, including setting expectations, assigning work, and monitoring performance.


• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to apply logic and reasoning to evaluate alternative solutions.


• Proven ability to evaluate program or operational performance, summarize findings, and develop actionable plans.


• Working knowledge of business and management principles, including:
  
  
  
  • Strategic planning
  
  
  • Resource allocation
  
  
  • Human resources modeling
  
  
  • Leadership techniques
  
  
  • Coordination of people and processes
  
  
  
  


• Ability to interpret and apply complex policies while exercising sound judgment and discretion.


• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to work effectively across diverse stakeholder groups.

Choose Duke.

At Duke, you’ll join a world-class institution committed to excellence, collaboration, and service. We offer a dynamic work environment, robust benefits, and opportunities for professional growth—along with the chance to support cutting-edge research and an inclusive academic community.

Ready to Make a Difference?

Apply now and help support the people and programs that power discovery at Duke University.