Scholarly Program and Business Development Assistant

Student Or Part-Time –

Scholarly Program Assistant (Managing Initiatives and Academic Collaborations)

and/or* 

Business Development (Client Prospecting)

📍 Location:
Kienel Leadership Institute, California Baptist University – Riverside, CA (significant hybrid/remote options available)

🕒 Position Type/Pay:
Part-Time | 20 to 29 hours per week / $16.50 
Preferred: Graduate student (CBU or other local institutions) or an early- to mid-career professional with equivalent experience, self-motivation, conscientiousness, growth mindset, and a demonstrated pattern of initiative and critical thinking.

*Note: The position could either serve shared role between the two roles or else eventually be moved into primarily fulfilling one or the other role.

About the Kienel Leadership Institute & Ph.D. in Leadership Studies 

The Dr. Paul and Annie Kienel Leadership Institute is an interdisciplinary think tank and service provider that equips emerging and established leaders to excel in their personal and professional pursuits for the betterment of society. The Institute provides a range of initiatives and programs to develop competent, virtuous, and engaging members of society who make the right things happen the right way.

One such program is the Ph.D. in Leadership Studies, a 58-unit, Ph.D. program in leadership studies that develops the next generation of leadership scholar-practitioners.

Learn about us by viewing our LinkedTree of related websites: https://linktr.ee/KienelLeadershipInstituteatCBU

Position(s) Summary**

We are seeking a motivated and detail-oriented graduate student—or an early- to mid-career professional with equivalent experience—to support two mission areas: program initiatives within the Ph.D. in Leadership Studies and/or KLI business development.

For the Ph.D. program’s scholarly initiatives, this role may focus on initiating and managing efforts aimed at strategically innovating and enhancing program capacity. Projects may include serving as a project coordinator for the development of a student-process database in collaboration with IT and other CBU staff, helping launch CBU- and program-wide research initiatives that promote scholarly collaboration, assisting in the review of academic-program processes and assessments, and supporting scholarly-stakeholder engagement and recruitment communications.

In support of KLI’s business development efforts, this role may focus on identifying and cultivating a high-quality list of prospective companies and organizations that may benefit from KLI’s leadership training seminars and services, collaborating with the KLI director and relevant CBU staff to secure service contracts, and assisting KLI staff and fellows with planning, curriculum development, compensation coordination, and/or social media support related to those contracts.

**This position could serve partially in both mission areas or, mostly in one of the two. 

Key Responsibilities**

Scholarly Program Assistant:

• Administrate several faculty and staff working groups focused on advancing scholarly program quality 
• Work with the Ph.D. program team to initiate CBU- and program-wide research initiatives that promote scholarly collaboration.
• Coordinate with CBU IT professionals to transition the Ph.D. program’s student data and processes into a centralized management system (i.e., enterprise resource planning or ERP system)
• Assist team in reviewing academic program processes and assessments.
• Support scholarly-stakeholder engagement and recruitment initiatives as well as ready manuscripts for publishing.

Business Development:

• Learn and/or network to understand industry sectors with high potential for engagement.
• Strategize, search, and identify potential corporate, nonprofit, and educational partners interested in leadership development/KLI service contracts.
• Coordinates outreach, messaging, and follow up for potential/existing clients.
• Collaborate with the Kienel Leadership Institute team to coordinate contracts (i.e., scheduling, communications, social media, curriculum decisions, compensation communication, assessment, social media, etc.).

Preferred Qualifications

• Currently enrolled in a graduate program (preferred fields: Industrial Organizational Psychology, Business, Public Administration, Organizational Leadership, Communications, or related). Alternatively, may have successfully reached an early-to-mid career equivalency of skills and experience.
• Strong investigative, critical-thinking, and analytical skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with strong interpersonal abilities and professionalism.
• Proficiency in modern office software, social media, or LMS/CRM tools.
• Self-starter with the ability to work independently as well as manage time and projects effectively.
• Passion for Christian values, leadership, and/or scholarly development.

What You’ll Gain

• Hands-on experience in managing university working groups, scholarly collaboration, business development, strategic outreach, academic program innovation, and/or manuscript publishing.
• Exposure to leadership training, process and organizational development, as well as stakeholder-advancement practices.
• Mentorship from experienced professionals in leadership and doctoral education.
• Opportunity to contribute to a mission-driven institute making a real impact.

To Apply:
Please send your resume, transcript, and a statement of interest highlighting verifiable, prior evidence of qualifications. 

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