Academic Administrative Assistant

Chemistry - Staff Hourly The academic administrative assistant will provide a wide range of office management and administrative support for the Department of Chemistry. The position will assist with essential links between the academic program and co-curricular activities including internships, fellowships, global experiences, and post-graduate opportunities. Work involves frequent exercise of sound judgment and initiative, as well as the highest standards of professionalism in all aspects of the work including the ability to maintain and preserve confidentiality of department materials and deliberations. An important function of this position is to develop relationships with students, faculty, and alumni and to facilitate connections within and across these groups. Please note that the position does not require knowledge of chemistry.

• Oversee the department’s office operations
  • Receive and respond to inquiries and welcome guests of the department.
  • Distribute mail and packages, following appropriate safety and handling guidelines.
  • Arrange work orders with Facilities Services.
  • Train and oversee student workers.
  • Use a variety of software programs (e.g. Microsoft & Google Office Suites, Workday, & Wordpress), and common office technology.
• Supporting the Chemistry Department via office management and administrative duties.
  • Oversee transactions and budgets for more than 20 unique college cost centers that represent between $500K and $1 Mil in funds annually.
  • Maintain credit card account for all departmental purchases.
  • Oversee/approve all departmental account transactions within Workday such as direct vendor payments, expense reports, and fund transfers.
  • Oversee the ordering of chemicals and supplies, including researching pricing and product availability. Work directly with vendors to acquire quotes and place orders.
• Engage with internal organizations such as Communications, DavisConnects, College Advancement to support co-curricular activities of students in the department.
• Work as part of a collaborative team of Academic Administrative Assistants.

• High school diploma or equivalent required
• 3 years of previous administrative professional experience
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, and organizational skills with a high level of motivation and initiative
• Attention to detail and accuracy are critical
• Ability to handle confidential information tactfully
• Commitment to support the academic mission and educational goals of the College and the departments/programs being supported
• Strong business English, proofreading, and spelling skills
• Must be able to work independently, exercise judgment and manage projects with minimal supervision
• Highly developed computer skills including extensive experience using Microsoft and Google Office Suite, email and web applications, database applications, WordPress, image editing software (e.g. Adobe Photoshop), as well as an interest in and ability to learn new programs.
• Ability to make an impact through work as a member of a team and diverse community

• Some post-secondary education
• Experience with web page creation and maintenance

• To successfully perform the essential functions of this position, an employee must be able to maintain appropriate confidentiality with regard to employee data, documents, issues, etc., and respect privacy needs of employees and past employees with regard to the same.
• The ability to comply with highly inflexible deadlines is required to successfully perform the essential functions of this position; there will be multiple occurrences of sudden, urgent task completion required.
• There may be occurrences of employees, past employees, members of the general public, and others who express opinions, may exhibit strong emotions, which will require the employee to interact professionally, diplomatically, and appropriately in such situations.
• While performing the essential duties of this position, an employee would frequently be required to move around the office space as well as within hallways, meeting rooms, and other parts of the campus facilities.
• There may be multiple/daily instances of prolonged personal computer use which would include keyboard and/or mouse usage as well as viewing a computer monitor.
• An employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 35 pounds to perform essential position functions.
• Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, and ability to adjust focus.
• The overall work environment requires the mental ability to shift focus quickly due to interruptions; an employee must be able to mentally track multiple projects and tasks as well.
• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate; however, there may be unexpected instances of somewhat loud sounds.