Hospital for Special Surgery

Program Associate Office of Culture and Inclusion

Hospital for Special Surgery$72K — $109K *
Education, Government & Non-Profit
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience with 3+ years managing complex programs or projects.
  • Proven track record of end-to-end ownership of projects through planning, execution, and evaluation.
  • Exceptional project management and organizational abilities, capable of juggling overlapping deadlines with accuracy.
  • Strong relationship-building skills with the ability to influence and escalate issues effectively.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills, demonstrating professionalism across diverse audiences.
  • Proficient in Microsoft 365 or similar tools for project management and data tracking.
  • Availability to work on-site during summer and attend occasional early or late events.

Responsibilities

  • Own the annual program plan and provide regular status updates to the Director.
  • Ensure key milestones like recruitment and onboarding are met on schedule.
  • Maintain contingency plans and resolve daily operational issues promptly.
  • Execute outreach and manage the recruitment process effectively.
  • Coordinate all pre-arrival requirements for new participants.
  • Design a comprehensive eight-week program experience for interns.
  • Serve as the primary contact for interns, monitoring their progress and well-being.

Benefits

  • Comprehensive benefits packages including health and wellness programs.
  • Opportunities for professional development and training.
  • Supportive and inclusive work environment.
  • Access to a wide network of educational and professional partners.
Full Job Description

Emp Status

Regular Full time

Work Shift

Day (United States of America)

Compensation Range

The base pay scale for this position is $72,000.00 - $109,500.00. In addition, this position will be eligible for additional benefits consistent with the role. The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be determined based on various factors, including but not limited to: scope of role, level of experience, education, accomplishments, internal equity, budget, and subject to Fair Market Value evaluation. The hiring range listed is a good faith determination of potential compensation at the time of this job advertisement and may be modified in the future.

What you will be doing

Key Responsibilities

Program Planning and Accountability

  • Own the annual program plan, master calendar, milestones, budget coordination, decision and risk tracking, and closeout process; provide the Director with concise, routine status updates and early notice of material risks.

  • Ensure all major milestones are completed on time, including recruitment,selection, housing coordination, onboarding, institutional accounts and access, orientation, schedules, stipends or payments, evaluation, reporting, and preparation for the next cycle.

  • Maintain practical contingency plans, resolve day-to-day issues independently, and promptly escalate significant scheduling, access, student, faculty, financial, or reputational concerns.

Recruitment,Selection, and Onboarding

  • Develop and execute annual outreach with college, university, and educational partners; deliver information sessions andmaintainaccuraterecruitment materials and applicant communications.

  • Manage the full application and selection process, including eligibility criteria, timelines, review materials, committee coordination, applicant records, interviews, decisions, andtimelynotifications.

  • Coordinate pre-arrival requirements, housing information, forms, institutional email and badge access,requiredclearances and training, orientation, and all instructions students need to begin successfully.

Program Design, Clinical Scheduling, and Delivery

  • Design a cohesive eight-week experience integrating clinical shadowing, research exposure, mentorship, educational sessions, professional development, reflection, and exposure to orthopedics, medicine, and related healthcare careers.

  • Secure and confirm placements with physicians, operating rooms, clinics, researchers, administrators, educators, and external partners. Tentative interest or an incomplete calendar entry must not be treated as a confirmed assignment.

  • Maintain oneaccuratesource of truth for the program schedule. Each assignment must include the confirmed host, date, time, location, contact information, preparation requirements, attire, and a contingency plan.

  • Distribute clear weekly and daily schedules with sufficient lead time, verify upcoming assignments, and communicate changes promptly and directly to every affected student and host.

  • Prepare andmaintainthe intern handbook,orientationmaterials, faculty and mentor guidance, contact lists, templates, and other program resources.

Student, Mentor, and Stakeholder Support

  • Serve as the primary, accessible point of contact for interns; conduct regular individual and cohort check-ins and monitor attendance, mentor engagement, learning, professionalism, and well-being.

  • Set clear expectationsregardingpunctuality, communication, confidentiality, clinical etiquette, schedule changes, and escalation procedures; address concerns promptly, document significant issues, and involveappropriate HSSresources when needed.

  • Prepare mentors and hosts with clear expectations and key dates,monitorthe student-mentor experience, and intervene early when commitments or communication are not working as intended.

  • Build and sustain productive relationships with faculty, staff, university partners, external organizations, donors, and colleagues supporting program operations and stewardship; coordinatetimelyrecognition and thank-you communications.

Evaluation, Reporting, and Administration

  • Administer baseline, midpoint, final, mentor, faculty, and alumni feedback; track participation, experiences, mentor engagement, outcomes, and longer-term educational or career progress.

  • Prepareaccurate, polished executive summaries, presentations, donor or board updates, and recommendations that clearly communicate program results, operational lessons, risks, and future priorities.

  • Maintain complete, secure, and easy-to-navigate program files, including schedules, contact lists, application records, approvals, decisions, correspondence, surveys, templates, and historical records that preserve institutional knowledge.

Office of Culture and Inclusion Operations

Document and knowledge management

  • Maintain the Offices shared files, folder structure, templates, archives, and naming conventions

  • Maintain current rosters, contact lists, distribution lists, program records, and resource libraries

  • Organize materials so information can be retrieved without relying on individual memory

Communications operations

  • Maintain the Offices communications and event calendar

  • Manage routine invitations, reminders, confirmations, thank-you messages, and program updates

  • Monitor the shared C&I inbox and route requests appropriately

Office-wide operating systems

  • Provide limited support for office-wide events or projects that you specifically prioritize

  • Maintain office and event-supply inventory

  • Order supplies and prepare program materials

  • Process purchase requests, invoices, reimbursements, and vendor documentation

  • Maintain a basic expense log and flag budget questions

Required Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree oran equivalentcombination of education and directly relevant experience, plus at least three years of progressively responsible experience managing complex, deadline-drivenprogramsor projects with multiple stakeholders.

  • Demonstratedexperienceowning work from planning through execution, evaluation, and closeoutnot solely providing event, scheduling, or administrative support.

  • Exceptional project-management, organizational, and administrative skills, including the ability to manage detailed calendars,logistics, documentation, communications, data, dependencies, and overlapping deadlines with consistent accuracy and follow-through.

  • Strong relationship-building and influencing skills; able to gain cooperation, follow up persistently, hold commitments, and escalate appropriately without damaging trust.

  • Excellent written, verbal, facilitation, and presentation skills, with sound judgment, discretion, empathy, composure, and professionalism when working with students, physicians, administrators, partners, donors, and senior leaders.

  • Proficiencywith Microsoft 365 or comparableproject-management, scheduling, survey, presentation, data-tracking, documentation, and shared-file tools.

  • Ability to work consistently on site during the summer, attendoccasionalearly morning, evening, or weekend activities, and travel locally as needed.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience with undergraduate or premedical students; healthcare, academic medicine, higher education, nonprofit, or another matrixed environment; clinical shadowing or physician scheduling; donor-funded programming and reporting; and recruitment, application review, program evaluation, surveys, or longitudinal participant tracking.

What Success Looks Like

  • Major milestones, access requirements, placements, andlogisticsare completed early enough to prevent avoidable last-minute gaps.

  • The summer calendar isaccurate, balanced, fully confirmed, clearly communicated, and supported by workable contingency plans.

  • Interns arrive prepared, understand expectations, feel supported and challenged, and consistently know where to be, whom to contact, and what to do when plans change.

  • Leadership and partners experience SPI as organized, responsive, professionally led, and worthy of continued support; records and reports areaccurate, decision-ready, and increasingly useful each year.

About Hospital for Special Surgery

Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) is a hospital in New York City that specializes in orthopedic surgery and the treatment of rheumatologic conditions. Founded in 1863 by James Knight, HSS is the oldest orthopedic hospital in the United States. The hospital has been ranked the top orthopedic hospital in the United States by U.S. News & World Report for 11 consecutive years. HSS has a staff of over 4000 employees, including more than 200 physicians and surgeons, and treats over 32,000 inpatients and 300,000 outpatients annually.
Learn more about Hospital for Special Surgery
Size
4,000 employees
Industry
Founded
1863

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