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Location: Raleigh, North Carolina
Essential Job Duties:
Help expand access to cutting-edge research while building meaningful connections across academia, industry, government, and education. Self-driving Platforms for Expedited Experimental co-Design (SPEED) is an NSF-funded national user facility at NC State University that provides remote access to self-driving laboratories, combining robotics and artificial intelligence to accelerate discovery in chemistry and materials science. As the Outreach and User Engagement Coordinator, you will play a vital role in growing SPEED's user community by recruiting new users, coordinating engagement activities, and developing programs that connect researchers, students, and external partners with advanced scientific resources. Your work will help strengthen research collaborations, support workforce development, and contribute to the facility's long-term success and sponsor objectives.
Key Responsibilities
User Engagement & Community Building
- Recruit and engage prospective users through targeted outreach, conferences, meetings, partnerships, and networking activities to expand participation across academic, industry, government, and educational communities.
- Coordinate user onboarding, orientation, facility access, and project start-up activities to ensure a seamless experience for new and returning users.
- Build and maintain productive relationships with researchers, external partners, and stakeholders while serving as a key point of contact for user engagement initiatives.
- Plan and coordinate workshops, bootcamps, webinars, demonstrations, facility tours, advisory board meetings, sponsor visits, and workforce development programs.
- Develop and distribute outreach materials, newsletters, announcements, and other user-facing communications that promote facility capabilities, opportunities, and accomplishments.
- Manage event logistics, registration, speaker coordination, and post-event communications to deliver high-quality engagement experiences.
- Maintain user and stakeholder databases, outreach calendars, and participation records to support ongoing engagement efforts.
- Collect user feedback, testimonials, and success stories while tracking participation, demographics, outcomes, and other program metrics to support reporting requirements and continuous improvement.
- Collaborate with SPEED leadership and communications staff to develop and implement outreach strategies that enhance user engagement and strengthen the facility's impact.
Other Work/Responsibilities:
- Support sponsor visits, advisory-board meetings, and facility tours.
- Maintain user/contact databases and outreach calendars.
- Coordinate event logistics, registration, speakers, and follow-up.
- Collect user testimonials, success stories, and program feedback.
- Collaborate with SPEED leadership and communications staff on engagement strategy.
Minimum Experience/Education:
- Bachelor's degree in science, engineering, education, communications, or related field.
- Three or more years of relevant outreach, program, or stakeholder-engagement experience.
Required Qualifications:
- Experience coordinating events, workshops, training programs, or community engagement activities.
- Effective communication skills with both technical and nontechnical audiences through written, verbal, and presentation-based communications.
- Strong organizational and project coordination skills, including scheduling activities, coordinating logistics, and following projects through to completion.
- Demonstrated success building and maintaining professional relationships with scientists, students, industry representatives, and other external stakeholders.
- Experience managing multiple programs, projects, or competing deadlines simultaneously.
- Proficiency with standard office software and customer relationship management (CRM), contact management, webinar, or other collaboration tools.
- Experience collecting, organizing, and reporting participation and outcome metrics.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Background in STEM outreach or higher education programs.
- Experience supporting research user facilities or shared instrumentation programs.
- Demonstrated involvement in workforce development, scientific training, or educational programs.
- Demonstrated experience engaging industry, government, or national research communities through outreach, partnerships, or collaborative activities.
- Experience developing outreach metrics and sponsor reports.
- Familiarity with autonomous science, artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, chemistry, or materials research.
Required License or Certification:
N/A
AA/EEO Statement:
NC State University is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive equal opportunities for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, and veteran status. The University encourages all qualified applicants, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities, to apply. Individuals with disabilities requiring disability-related accommodations in the application and interview process are welcome to contact 919-513-0574 to speak with a representative of the Office of Equal Opportunity.
If you have general questions about the application process, you may contact Human Resources at (919) 515-2135 or workatncstate@ncsu.edu.
Final candidates are subject to criminal & sex offender background checks. Some vacancies also require credit or motor vehicle checks. Degree(s) must be obtained prior to start date in order to meet qualifications and receive credit.
NC State University participates in E-Verify. Federal law requires all employers to verify the identity and employment eligibility of all persons hired to work in the United States.