In our new competitive
environment, lifelong learning professionals have to do more with less and
be more fiscally accountable. Productivity and outcomes are critical. The
following is the new position description for the Program Planner job as
recommended by LERN. It maximizes productivity, responsibility, and
authority, producing results for your organization and greater job
satisfaction for the professional.
Program Planner: A professional
position administering classes or educational events for a lifelong
learning program.
Purpose of position. The purpose of the position of Program Planner is to serve the lifelong
learning needs of one or more populations or audiences by effectively
administering the delivery of educational events or classes. There may be
one or more Program Planners in a given program or organization.
Responsibilities. The Program Planner is responsible for:
- Program Management, including curriculum design, teacher
recruitment, registration, customer service, course/events logistics.
- Quality control, including needs assessments, designing learning
environments, teacher training, and evaluation.
- Marketing, including promotion, market research, surveys, publicity,
and market analysis.
- Finances and budgeting, including budgeting for upcoming
courses/events, financial analysis, and controlling financial figures.
Accountability. The Program
Planner is accountable for:
- Achieving the program’s financial objectives in terms of Operating
Margin as expressed as a dollar figure and/or percentage.
- Delivery of quality programs as measured by satisfaction of
participants.
- Serving a given population or audience as measured by number of
enrollments/registrations.
- Serving a given population or audience as measured by the number of
courses/events offered
Authority Level. The Program
Planner has the authority to:
- Determine curricula and courses/events based on the interests of the
population served.
- Determine course titles, instructors, fees, locations, times, and
other logistics.
- Determine prices, promotion expenses, production expenses, and other
guidelines/requirements.
- Determine promotion methods and means.
Reporting. The Program Planner
position reports to an administrative position with decision making
authority over personnel, budget, and long-term planning in the
organization. |
