Assistant Director, Bass Connections

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.

Bass Connections — Duke University’s signature program supporting collaborative, interdisciplinary research — is looking for an Assistant Director. In this role, you will help power one of Duke’s most distinctive programs, bringing together hundreds of students, faculty, and staff to tackle complex societal challenges through year-long research teams, summer programs, courses, and interdisciplinary grants. Launched in 2013, the program now includes more than 70 year-long research projects per year and engages approximately 700 undergraduates, 200 graduate students, and 350 faculty and staff.

The Assistant Director of Bass Connections will support program administration, faculty and student orientation and engagement, event management, and communications. The position works across program operations and outreach to ensure the effective delivery, coordination, and continued growth of the program. This position reports to the Director of Bass Connections and is part of the Office of Interdisciplinary Programs.

If you enjoy work that blends program administration, academic coordination, and communication strategy, this role gives you the chance to drive meaningful impact at Duke.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree is generally required.
• At least two years of experience in higher education program administration or communications.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting academic programs, interdisciplinary initiatives, or research-focused environments.
• Strong writing and editing skills with experience producing public-facing content.
• Experience managing events, coordinating multi-step processes, or engaging diverse stakeholders.
• Attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Ability to analyze program needs, solve problems proactively, and adapt processes over time.

Other Requirements

• This position is hybrid eligible. You must reside in a https://remotework.duke.edu/guidelines/outside-nc/.
• Regular on-campus presence is required for meetings, events, and program activities.
• Occasional evening events may occur during peak program cycles.

Be Bold.

As the Assistant Director, you will play a central role across program administration, student engagement, faculty support, and communications. Key responsibilities include:

Program Administration (50%)

• Consult with faculty team leaders to provide guidance on best practices, troubleshoot challenges, and support consistent student/faculty experiences across all Bass Connections teams.
• Identify and track affiliated courses, working with faculty to promote interdisciplinary learning opportunities and connect students to relevant academic pathways.
• Serve as theme administrator for the Bass Connections Open channel (≈10 projects), including monitoring team progress, tracking budgets and no-cost extensions, managing communications with faculty, and offering support as needed.
• Serve as back-up support for other theme administrators and provide guidance during staffing transitions.
• Support the travel management process for project teams, partnering with the program coordinator to assess travel risk, update policies, and ensure teams follow Duke’s guidelines.
• Coordinate proposal submissions for grants and awards, manage reviews, prepare decision letters, and track funded projects and outcomes.
• Support student application cycles for year-long and summer project teams and support the process of establishing project teams for academic credit.
• Maintain participant and project databases, ensuring accurate data input and integrity for reporting and assessment.
• Support the Bass Connections Student Advisory Council or a similar student ambassador group, collaborating with the academic coordinator on recruitment, planning, and student engagement activities.
• Help recruit, train, and manage student assistants, as needed, who support administrative and communications functions.
• Develop and manage processes and content development for affiliated grants, fellowships, and courses such as:

• Collaborative Project Courses Faculty Fellows Program
• Collaborative Project Expeditions
• Interdisciplinary Project Management Graduate Academy

• Create and update content for the Bass Connections Team Resource Center, ensuring teams have high-quality guidance, templates, and tools.

Communications & Outreach (50%)

• Collaborate closely with the Bass Connections communicator to shape and execute communication strategies that advance program goals across digital, print, and event platforms.
• Serve as a key liaison between program leadership and the communicator—identifying story ideas, clarifying priorities, setting timelines, and ensuring execution of strategic communications plans.
• Manage major program events such as the Bass Connections Showcase and Fair, and partner with the program coordinator to staff and support student recruitment events including Blue Devil Days, orientations, and information sessions.
• Support the development of the annual report, assisting with content planning, story development, editing, and distribution.
• Draft and edit website content, write news stories, shape story concepts, and ensure all communications reflect program priorities and demonstrate impact.
• Manage the annual project description workflow, translating accepted proposals into standardized, public-facing descriptions and overseeing project team webpage creation and updates.
• Collect impact and outcomes data from project teams and collaborate with staff to ensure results are reflected across project pages and communications.
• Oversee archiving of project team pages, including updating profiles, tracking outputs, and ensuring long-term accessibility of program history.
• Develop alumni profiles and contribute to donor-facing materials in partnership with communications and development staff.
• Copyedit content to ensure clarity, accuracy, and alignment with the program’s voice and standards.

Choose Duke.

Bass Connections is part of Duke’s Office of Interdisciplinary Programs, a unit dedicated to fostering cross-disciplinary learning and research that address real-world societal challenges. Joining this team means becoming part of a collaborative, inclusive, high-impact environment where your work directly supports hundreds of students and faculty every year.

You’ll work on a campus known for its innovation and commitment to interdisciplinary thinking — one that values creativity, equity, and the pursuit of knowledge that moves the world forward. Our hybrid work model supports flexibility while ensuring meaningful engagement with students, colleagues, and project teams.