Be You.

The Community Engagement Fellow is a one-year post-graduate opportunity centering hands-on learning in community engagement programming and administration within the Duke Center for Community-Engaged Scholarship (DCCES), a center that bridges Duke Community Affairs (DCA) and the Office of Interdisciplinary Programs in the Provost’s office. The Duke Center for Community-Engaged Scholarship is an interdisciplinary hub facilitating collaborative scholarship between community partners and Duke faculty, staff, and students, to address pressing societal challenges. The Center connects community organizations with students and researchers to explore difficult questions, analyze data, and enhance their impactful work.

Be Bold.

This position focuses on high-level programmatic and operational support to expand campus capacity for community-engaged scholarship. For 2026-2027, primary responsibilities for the Fellow will involve providing leadership support for aspects of Duke and Durham’s We the People initiative, providing programmatic and policy research support for the North Carolina Leadership Forum, and other programmatic assistance for the Center for Community-Engaged Scholarship and DCA’s Education, Early Childhood, and School Readiness priorities. This position reports to the Center for Community-Engaged Scholarship’s Senior Director and sits in the Duke Office of Community Affairs.

Qualifications

Education: Bachelor’s degree required.

Experience: 1-2 years of work experience in administrative coordination, program management, or higher education operations. Knowledge and/or experience with community engagement, civic engagement, and/or K-12 education partnerships is strongly preferred.

Skills: Exceptional organizational and project management skills; proficiency in professional writing and digital communication; and a demonstrated ability to work effectively with diverse stakeholders across academic and community settings.

What You’ll Do:

Programming (60%)

We the People Initiative: Lead key projects for Duke and Durham’s We the People initiative, particularly working with community partners and Duke students. This includes coordinating plans for specific events in partnership with Durham Public Schools (i.e. day of dialogue on Duke campus, arts event for DPS students, other events as needed), coordinating a series of civic dialogues with Duke students and community members, and managing community participation in events around the display of an historic copy of the Declaration of Independence at the Durham County Main Library and Nasher Museum of Art.

NCLF: Support major Fall event celebrating 10th anniversary of NC Leadership Forum and Fall alumni programs. Support NCLF steering committee and staff in strategic planning process July-December. Gather, synthesize, and organize briefing materials to facilitate cross-partisan collaboration among policy leaders at Spring Forum (January-June) and assist in writing Forum report, supporting the NCLF Program Director and the North Carolina Leadership Forum team.

Center for Community-Engaged Scholarship: Conduct research and analysis to support evaluation of Center programs, support development of symposium to feature housing research conducted by Center grantees, and support the Center’s engagement with community partners and research teams.

Education Partnership Execution: Support the Education, Early Childhood, and School Readiness team in executing the School Days program for 300 Durham Public Schools students, specifically integrating the "We the People" civics curriculum into the event, and support other Education team projects and events as needed.

Special Projects: Contribute to special projects as assigned.

Operations and Administration (40%)

Event Facilitation: Provide on-site logistical support for NC Leadership Forum sessions, faculty workshops, community partner appreciation events, and other Center events.
Grant & RFP Management: Coordinate the administrative process for the Center’s Requests for Proposals, including organizing reviewer pools, managing rubrics, and ensuring timely communication with faculty and community applicants.
Communications & Marketing: Develop and manage content for the wethepeople.duke.edu microsite and DCCES social media. Draft the Center's newsletter to highlight outcomes from the North Carolina Leadership Forum and the Center’s advisory councils and programming.
Operational Liaison: Serve as the Center’s primary administrative point of contact for the Partnership Platform, routing inquiries from community and university partners to the appropriate Center staff.
Data & Reporting: Maintain organized records of Center programs and track program metrics including impact for the Strategic Community Impact Plan.

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Minimum Qualifications

Education

Work requires communications, analytical and organizational skills generally acquired through completion of a bachelor's degree program.

Experience

None required beyond education. OR AN EQUIVALENT COMBINATION OF RELEVANT EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE

Anticipated Pay Range: Duke University provides an annual base salary range for this position as USD $18.00 to USD $22.84. Duke University considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position; candidate's work experience, education/training, and key skills; internal peer equity; as well as market and organizational considerations when extending an offer.

Your total compensation goes beyond the dollars on your paycheck. Duke provides comprehensive and competitive medical and dental care programs, generous retirement benefits, and a wide array of family-friendly and cultural programs to eligible team members. Learn more at: https://hr.duke.edu/benefits/

Equal Opportunity Employer: Duke is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy and pregnancy- related conditions), sexual orientation, or military status.

Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas—an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.

Essential Physical Job Functions:

Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essential job functions that require specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and reasonable accommodation(s) can be requested with Duke Access and Accommodations Services (email: [email protected]; phone: 919-668-1267).

AJ Fletcher Community Engagement Fellow

Job Description