Company Overview | Close Up’s mission is to inform, inspire, and empower young people to exercise the rights and accept the responsibilities of citizens in a democracy. As a nonprofit, nonpartisan leader in civic education since 1971, we believe a strong democracy requires active and informed participation by all citizens. Therefore, we seek to reach participants of every race, creed, geographical community, socioeconomic level, and academic standing.
Position Overview | The program services coordinator is responsible for booking, scheduling, and maintaining reservations for Close Up student programs. These reservations include cultural activities, meals, and attraction tickets for academic components in Washington, D.C., and out-of-town locations. The coordinator must be able to build and maintain positive vendor and internal relations. They must be organized and flexible, possess strong written and oral communication skills, and be willing to work nights and weekends as deemed necessary to support the Program Services Department.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
- Secure, update, and maintain bookings for Washington programs, including attractions and cultural activities, ensuring strict adherence to program requirements.
- Schedule and maintain all necessary restaurant reservations and food court vouchers based on program requirements.
- Schedule and maintain reservations for various out-of-town program locations, ensuring arrangements for restaurants, attractions, and theaters are in place.
- Coordinate the booking of venues, including menu selection, for teacher social events scheduled on a weekly basis.
- Build and maintain strong relationships with vendors and program staff to facilitate seamless collaboration.
- Pay and reconcile invoices promptly with all vendors, generating purchase orders for finance reconciliation.
- Maintain payment records and receipts.
- Collaborate with managers to keep within budget for all components.
- Work closely with the Sales, Curriculum, and Development Departments to ensure the effective delivery of program services to both internal and external clients.
- Provide onsite support for program staff as needed to ensure the smooth execution of events.
- Train and assist in the management of registration services, including serving as manager on duty for certain weekends and serving as registrar for certain weekday programs.
- Complete other duties as assigned; additional responsibilities may be assigned based on the growth and development of the Foundation.
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree from a four-year college or university
- Based in or willing to move to the Washington, D.C., area
- Outstanding organizational skills and attention to detail while facing multiple priorities
- Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to build relationships with vendors, clients, and staff members across a variety of levels
- Ability to solve problems in a timely manner using excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Word and Excel as well as the ability to learn web-based programs
- Passion for and commitment to the organization’s mission
Other Qualifications
- Professional experience in hospitality, event planning, or project management a plus
- Experience managing concurrent events and reservations for groups of over 100 people a plus
- Knowledge of the Washington, D.C., area a plus
- Use of a personal car for onsite inspections (with Foundation reimbursement) is helpful but not required
Work Environment |While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally exposed to outside weather conditions. Also, due to the weekend operation of the Foundation, the employee will receive phone calls outside of the normal work hours. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
If you are excited about the prospect of becoming a part of Close Up, a nonprofit that has impacted more than one million students and teachers over 50 years, we welcome you to apply.
No phone calls or recruiters, please.
Close Up Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer.