Job description

Postdoctoral Affairs Specialist

Van Andel Institute (VAI) is home to nearly 500 scientists, educators and staff — each one of us deeply connected to the work we do and driven by an urgent desire to improve health and enhance lives. VAI deeply values our postdoctoral fellows, and we are reimagining the traditional postdoc experience to ensure our postdocs receive the very best training and support. VAI is seeking a Postdoctoral Affairs Specialist to expand its existing Office of Postdoctoral Affairs.

Your primary responsibility will be to administer the Office’s career and professional development programming and support our Postdoctoral Association. You also will help with our postdoc recruiting efforts. Your key areas of responsibility will include:

• Support our departmental goal to increase the number of postdocs leaving for permanent positions in their chosen fields.
• Assist with the development, planning, and implementation of career and professional development training events and programs for our postdocs. Examples may include leading our job search learning group, coordinating and/or leading workshops, and managing our mentored teaching program.
• Improve and manage our postdoc onboarding and offboarding processes.
• Assist in the Institute’s postdoc recruiting efforts, including by attending on- and off-site events.
• Work with our postdoc leaders to plan and run social events for postdocs.
• Support our Postdoc Association. Examples may include hosting the PDA’s monthly research-in-progress meetings and administering VAI’s postdoc mentoring award.

This job might be right for you if:

• You are motivated and driven. You take ownership of your projects but also enjoy collaborating and working as a team.
• You are passionate about building relationships.
• You care about postdocs and their career goals. You enjoy working with people from different countries and backgrounds.
• You are skilled at managing projects with multiple stakeholders.
• You are a strong writer.

To join our team, you need:

• A bachelor’s degree and three years of post-graduate experience relevant to the job responsibilities. An advanced degree in a biomedical field or experience in a research environment is preferred.
• The ability to successfully manage projects.
• The ability to work both independently and collaboratively with a diverse group.
• Strong writing and professional communication skills.
• Experience in the graduate career and professional development field is preferred.
• The willingness to occasionally travel and attend after-hours events.

Why choose the Van Andel Institute?

Van Andel Institute (VAI) is a hub for ideas and advancements fueled by a community of nearly 500 scientists, educators, and support staff, each one of us deeply connected to the work we do and driven by an urgent desire to make a difference.

We understand that attracting the highest caliber of talent means offering an exciting job, a competitive salary and high-quality benefits that meet one’s personal needs. Our target salary range for this position is $60,000–$70,000. VAI’s benefits are designed to allow you peace of mind for your wellbeing and support our diverse and changing lives outside of work.

VAI also operates under a flexible/hybrid work model, offering as much flexibility as possible to support individual workstyles and provide stability, social cohesion, identity, and belonging. We believe by providing this flexibility, our employees will continue to innovate and connect to the work we do and ensure we are driven by an urgent desire to make a difference.

The Institute is located in fun, dynamic, and family-friendly Grand Rapids, Mich. Located on the banks of the Grand River, Grand Rapids offers all the big-city excitement you'd expect from a million-resident metropolis, featuring hundreds of restaurants and nightspots, theaters, museums, sports, and concerts. The safe and clean downtown is surrounded by an eclectic mix of walkable neighborhoods.

With a medical and life sciences industry boom, strong entrepreneurial activity, dedication to green building and living, and innovative employers, Grand Rapids' diverse economy continues to grow, offering exceptional career opportunities, green building and living, and innovative employers.

Does this sound like you? Apply now!

If you would like to join this community of bright minds who share a relentless curiosity and a deep commitment to making the world a better place, submit a cover letter and résumé as a single, combined PDF file by visiting here!

**
If you have questions about the application process or working at VAI you are welcome to email Eric Miller, Director of Talent and Employee Engagement at eric.miller@vai.org.

At Van Andel Institute, the health and safety of our people is our number one priority. As a condition of employment at Van Andel Institute, all employees are required to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19. “Full vaccination” is defined as two weeks after both doses of a two-dose vaccine or two weeks since a single-dose vaccine has been administered.

VAI is committed to achieving excellence through increasing diversity. We actively encourage applications from women, persons of color, persons with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups.

Van Andel Institute is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA) Employer.

As Van Andel Institute is a drug and alcohol-free employer, all prospective new employees undergo a urinalysis/drug test as part of our pre-employment process. This is a seven-panel drug screen and it includes testing for Marijuana, Cocaine, Amphetamines, Opiates, PCP, Barbiturates, and Benzodiazepines.

Required Skills

Required Experience

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $60,000.00 - $70,000.00 per year

colinoncars.com is the go-to platform for job seekers looking for the best job postings from around the web. With a focus on quality, the platform guarantees that all job postings are from reliable sources and are up-to-date. It also offers a variety of tools to help users find the perfect job for them, such as searching by location and filtering by industry. Furthermore, colinoncars.com provides helpful resources like resume tips and career advice to give job seekers an edge in their search. With its commitment to quality and user-friendliness, colinoncars.com is the ideal place to find your next job.