The University of Notre Dame Graduate School has a crucial role in supporting graduate programs and helping ensure that Notre Dame graduate students become a force for good in the world.  With many nationally and internationally recognized graduate programs, the Graduate School attracts top scholars from a wide variety of disciplines.  The University has the nation’s second-highest number of Fulbright winners, it boasts over $6 million in external graduate student awards from foundations such as Ford, Mellon and NSF, and 97% of graduates report successful achievement of their career goals.  We are looking for someone who is driven, motivated, creative and willing to be a partner to the mission and vision of Our Lady’s University in advancing graduate studies. 

The Director of Operations and Communications will play a critical role in the Graduate School. This person will report to the Dean of the Graduate School and be a member of the Graduate School executive leadership team. The Director will lead all operational and communications aspects of the Graduate School, and assist with strategic planning, development, and stewardship activities.

The Director works closely with campus partners in support of the University’s goal to develop, maintain, and advance top graduate programs and academic administration, and is the main liaison between Human Resources and the Graduate School. The Director leads all of the Graduate School’s communications efforts and supervises the Graphic Designer and Webmaster. The Director also supervises the Events Coordinator who has responsibility for all large-scale events such as the Graduate School Commencement.

Operations – The Director is the liaison to Human Resources, working closely with the Human Resources Consultant, and will lead the Grad School ND Voice committee.
- The Director works with Development / Stewardship on recognition efforts and the Advisory Council.
- Develop materials and data necessary to support Development in funding proposals
- Works with stewardship to recognize impact of donor gifts, annual thank you note process, annual impact reports
- The Director provides oversight for the Graduate School space in Bond Hall, working with Facilities Design and Operations as necessary.

Communications – The Director leads the communications efforts of the Graduate School, writing pieces to highlight the work of the Graduate School and Graduate Students and working with other offices on campus to do the same.
- The Director supervises the Graphic Designer and Webmaster, ensuring that visual design, social media, and overall look, feel, and content of the Website are informative and highlight the work of the Graduate School.

Events - The Director supervises the Events Coordinator, who is responsible for the conceptualizing, planning, logistics, and execution of Graduate School events including large scale / signature events as well as internal events that will range in both scope and scale. (Commencement, 3 Minute Thesis, Solarium Gallery, etc.)
- The Director assists with planning regular Graduate School retreats and will support the Advisory Council as needed.

Strategic Planning – Leads the on-going assessment of the Graduate School Strategic Plan, partnering with the Office of Strategic Planning and Institutional Research to execute benchmarking, focus groups, and goal setting
- Leads the annual review of and updates to the plan
- Assists the Dean in coordinating with the Colleges and School in support of the University level Strategic plan as well as College and School level plans that involve Graduate Education.

The Director will take on special projects as necessary in support of the Graduate School. These may include: – documentation of processes – process improvement – benchmarking – other duties as assigned

M-F 8-5
Some nights and weekends as necessary