Description
Unit Engagement Coordinator
Who we are:
The American Physical Society is a nonprofit membership organization working to advance physics by fostering a vibrant, inclusive, and global community dedicated to science and society. APS represents more than 50,000 members, including physicists in academia, national laboratories, and industry in the United States and around the world.
Position Summary:
The unit engagement coordinator serves as a key liaison between APS and its Divisions, Topical Groups, Forums, and Sections, providing essential support to unit leaders and enhancing member engagement across the organization. This role is responsible for facilitating effective communication, supporting volunteer leadership, and coordinating initiatives that strengthen connections between APS units and their members. Through strategic outreach, recruitment efforts, and engagement activities, the unit engagement coordinator helps advance APS priorities while ensuring a positive and productive experience for unit leaders and members.
As an integral member of the Unit Relations team, this position supports the planning and execution of major APS events, including the Annual Leadership Meeting and the Global Physics Summit, while also managing unit communications, onboarding, and virtual engagement activities. Key responsibilities include assisting units with membership recruitment campaigns, supporting online communities and webinars, maintaining critical calendars and deadlines, and collaborating with internal teams to enhance member participation and data management.
APS has a “remote first” concept that promotes equal treatment and equal access within the United States, independent of physical work location, with a majority of staff working primarily from remote work locations. APS values diversity and welcomes candidates from a variety of backgrounds. APS offers a dynamic work environment with an outstanding total compensation package, including salary, outstanding benefits, and excellent paid time off.
Responsibilities:
- Serve as primary liaison facilitating unit communications on behalf of APS Divisions, Topical Groups, Forums, and Sections regarding general inquiries and department inbox.
- Work with Unit Relations Manager to plan and execute the Units’ involvement with the Annual Leadership Meeting and the Global Physics Summit.
- Assist units with unit member engagement and recruitment efforts (i.e. unit email tickets, promotional letters and email, brochures, giveaways, on-site lead retrieval, and tabling at their meetings).
- Ensure all units have an effective communication plan in place to engage with their members.
- Work with member services and IT staff to create and update unit memberships from unit membership recruitment efforts.
- Support units in use of online community platform by moderating discussion boards. Liaise between units and APS staff to collaborate internally and externally for effective use of engagement resources and outcomes.
- Support unit virtual meetings and webinar logistics and subsequent marketing campaigns.
- Provide unit leaders with onboarding training to assist with volunteer roles.
- Maintain and implement unit master calendar of activities and deadlines to assist officers.
- Attend and coordinate department logistics for APS meetings as needed.
- Provide nimble support to units and APS through other duties as assigned.
Education:
- Minimum High School diploma or equivalent required. Bachelor’s degree preferred.
Experience, Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
- Minimum of two years of experience with association chapters/components preferred.
- Familiarity with relational databases preferred (Salesforce and Nimble a plus).
- Proficiency with all Microsoft Office Suite products, in particular Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
- Proficiency with Google Docs and other online shared document products.
- Familiarity with backend management of online social platforms. (Engage and Higher Logic a plus)
- Familiarity with Zoom / scheduling virtual meetings and events with external audiences.
- Strong customer service skills including empathy, problem-solving, and understanding APS unit and membership products.
- Must be able to work on multiple deadlines at one time and follow through in a timely manner.
- Strong organization, documentation, and prioritization skills.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Excellent attention to detail.
- Ability to adapt to quickly changing schedules.
- Ability to work well with interdepartmental teams as well as independently.
Travel: The position requires up to 20% of travel for in-person meetings with staff as well as periodic travel to attend meetings and events as part of its core responsibilities, as well as additional travel as assigned.
Salary:
The salary range for this position takes into account various factors influencing compensation decisions, such as skill sets, experience, training, and other business and organizational requirements. The salary listed within the specified ranges considers relevant experience. Our compensation philosophy at APS aims to maintain salaries at the midpoint of the market. As a result, we typically hire within the target starting range. Exceptional, rare cases may merit reviews above target starting range for specialized or niche skills aligned with strategic operational goals.
Hiring Range: $50,458/year - $68,748/year (USD)
Target Starting Range: $50,458/year - $56,134/year (USD)
Work Environment:
As noted above, APS offers a “Remote First” workplace. Although our offices are located on Long Island, NY; Washington DC; and College Park, MD, you can work from other places in the United States. We are flexible about work hours, but expect responsiveness during the core of the workday, Eastern Time.
This is Us:
Help us achieve our mission of advancing and diffusing the knowledge of physics for the benefit of humanity, promote physics, and serve the broader physics community.
At APS, we:
- Provide a welcoming and supportive professional home for an active, engaged, and diverse membership
- Advance scientific discovery and research dissemination
- Advocate for physics and physicists, and amplify the voice for science
- Share the excitement of physics and communicate the essential role physics plays in the modern world
- Promote effective physics education for all
Core Values:
Core values are essential to shaping the culture of an organization. They provide the structure and guidance for how we conduct ourselves in our day-to-day interactions. Every employee has a responsibility for upholding these values. The behaviors and actions associated with demonstrating competency in these Core Values are described in a separate document.
Our Core Values:
- Scientific Method
- Trust, Integrity, and Ethical Conduct
- Equity, Diversity, and Respect
- Collaboration
- Education and Learning
- Speaking Out
Amazing 2026 Benefit Offerings:
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Flexible schedules and ability to work remotely
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8% employer-paid retirement contribution
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Investment advisement services: 100% employer paid
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Medical benefits: PPO or HDHP option
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Employer contribution to FSA or HSA account, eligibility based on medical plan enrollment
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Lifestyle Spending benefit up to $1,500.00 (USD) - 100% employer paid
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Vision benefits: individual and dependent coverage 100% employer paid
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Basic Life & Accident insurance: employee coverage 100% employer paid
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Supplemental Life & Accident insurance, including spouse & dependent child(ren) coverage
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Disability insurance: employee coverage 100% employer paid
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Voluntary Accident & Critical Illness insurance
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Healthcare, Commuter & Dependent care flexible spending accounts
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Vacation: 15 days annually
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Generous holiday leave: 17 paid office closures; includes one week closure at the end of December
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Personal leave: 4 days annually
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Volunteer leave: 1 day annually
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Sick leave: 10 days annually
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Bereavement & Compassion leave: 2 -15 days based on loss
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12 weeks employer-paid family leave
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College tuition reimbursement plan
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Job related seminar & continuing education 100% employer paid
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Professional Certification/Recertification 100% employer paid
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Training and professional development; access to LinkedIn Learning on-demand courses
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Employee Assistance Program
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Mindfulness Meditation: live and on-demand classes
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APS does not offer relocation assistance/costs
The American Physical Society is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. It is the policy of American Physical Society not to discriminate or allow the harassment of employees or applicants on the basis of race, religious creed, immigration status, alienage or citizenship, religion, color, ethnicity, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, familial status, protected veteran status, protected military status, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, predisposing genetic characteristics, ancestry, domestic violence victim status or any other characteristic protected by law with regard to any employment practices, including recruitment, advertising, job application procedures, hiring, upgrading, training, promotion, transfer, compensation, job assignments, benefits and/or other terms, conditions, or privileges of employment, provided the individual is qualified, with or without reasonable accommodations, to perform the essential functions of the job. This policy applies to all jobs at APS. The American Physical Society is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. To request a reasonable accommodation, please contact APS Human Resources at hr@aps.org. The “Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal'' poster, prepared by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), provides an overview of several laws that protect you from discrimination on the job, and several rights are afforded to you by these laws. The “Pay Transparency Non Discrimination Provision,” prepared by the U.S. Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), provides an overview of several protections implemented to protect individuals working under federal contracts from discrimination when inquiring about or discussing compensation; these protections apply to all employees and applicants. The APS has a "remote first" concept that promotes equal treatment and equal access, independent of physical work location, with a majority of staff working primarily from remote work locations.
