Spark Fellow

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.

Occupational Summary

The Spark Fellow is an early-career professional role designed to support strategic programming within the Office of Undergraduate Education (OUE). Working at the intersection of Intellectual Community’s three units—Student Faculty Engagement, DukeLIFE and Office of Undergraduate Scholars and Fellows—the Fellow will design, coordinate, and evaluate programs that foster student belonging, intellectual curiosity, resilience, and purpose.

Serving as a key collaborator in the Spark initiative (a signature sophomore-year program within QuadEx) and other cross-campus efforts, the Fellow will work closely with students, faculty, and administrators to deepen engagement and deliver high-impact co-curricular experiences. The role offers significant professional development opportunities and is structured to provide both broad exposure and room for individualized focus aligned with the Fellow’s strengths and interests.

Key Responsibilities

Program Design and Coordination (30%)

• Lead the day-to-day coordination of Spark and other OUE signature initiatives.
• Partner with faculty and staff across Student Affairs, Academic Affairs, and OUE to design and implement developmentally grounded, inclusive programs.
• Plan and facilitate events, workshops, and immersive experiences for second-year students and broader undergraduate populations.

Student and Stakeholder Engagement (25%)

• Serve as liaison to student organizations, peer facilitators, and student advisory boards to identify emerging needs and incorporate student voice into programs.
• Facilitate partnerships across departments to support collaborative projects and joint programming.
• Contribute to community-building efforts that promote a culture of reflection, wellness, and purpose.

Communications and Outreach (20%)

• Develop marketing strategies and creative content for initiatives, including digital campaigns and promotional materials.
• Maintain program websites and social media presence with content that resonates with undergraduate audiences.
• Represent OUE initiatives at campus-wide meetings and events.

Assessment and Research (10%)

• Conduct qualitative and quantitative research, including surveys and focus groups, to inform program improvement.
• Compile findings into presentations and reports for internal and external stakeholders.

Administrative and Strategic Support (10%)

• Provide logistical and administrative support for meetings, budgets, guest speaker engagements, and tracking of program deliverables.
• Assist with documentation and project management to ensure continuity and sustainability of OUE initiatives.

Teaching, Training, and Special Projects (5%)

• Train and support student peer facilitators as needed.
• Contribute to special projects aligned with the strategic priorities of the Office of Undergraduate Education.

Qualifications

Education

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university (Class of 2023, 2024, or 2025). All majors welcome.

Experience

Evidence of collaborating well with others. Demonstrated ability to connect with diverse groups of faculty, administrators, staff, and undergraduate students. Evidence of taking initiative and reliably following through on responsibilities. Demonstrated familiarity with and interest in the critical contemporary challenges associated with OUE’s mission: to deliver a transformative, residentially based undergraduate education to a diverse student population. Sustained and increasing leadership in student organizations during the candidate’s undergraduate career is preferred.

Skills

Project coordination skills including attention to detail, problem solving, and the ability to excel as an independent and flexible worker who easily adapts to new tasks and evolving University needs. Excellent oral and written communication, and the ability to maintain confidentiality. Strong interpersonal skills, along with a friendly manner appropriate to working with undergraduate students, faculty, administrators, parents, alumni, and trustees. Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite and social media. Experience with Adobe Design suite, Sakai, HTML, and Wordpress is preferred. 

Job Code: 00002001 UNCLASSIFIED
Job Level: 00

Duke is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy and pregnancy related conditions), sexual orientation or military status.

Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas—an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.

Essential Physical Job Functions: Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essential job functions that require specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and provision for requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by each hiring department.