Department Assistant

Department

HUM Staff: RLL Romance Administration

About The Department

The Department of Romance Languages and Literatures embraces multiple disciplinary and linguistic traditions reflecting the geographical range and theoretical diversity of our fields. We teach seven languages: Basque, Catalan, French, Haitian Kreyol, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese. Our configurations for undergraduate study include majors and minors in the languages, literatures, and cultures of Italy, France and the Francophone world, and Iberia and Latin America. We offer graduate programs in French and Francophone Studies, Hispanic and Luso-Brazilian Studies, and Italian.

Job Information

Job Summary

The Department Assistant maintains the day-to-day operation of the Romance Languages and Literatures (RLL) department and provides administrative support and guidance to the Graduate Affairs and Operations Administrator, Undergraduate Affairs Administrator, Department Chair, faculty/other instructors and students, and other internal and external stakeholders. The Department Assistant supports several activities including office administration, processing expenses, event planning, website maintenance, publicity measures and other duties as assigned.

Interested applicants, please be sure to submit all required application materials (resume and cover letter) listed in the job posting.

Responsibilities

• Supports the Director of Undergraduate Studies and the Undergraduate Affairs Administrator. Assists with the documentation related to new hires and renewals in the language program. Processes paperwork connected to staffing of language classes. Helps organize quarterly events for undergraduates.
• Processes expenses and reimbursements related to departmental events, search candidate and prospective student visits, and independent contractor invoices.
• Supports Department Administrators and Department Chair with organization of departmental lectures, conferences, faculty search candidate visits, and Prospective Student and Orientation Weeks; schedules ad-hoc meetings of faculty; coordinates use of department-controlled rooms and maintains room calendars.
• Performs basic receptionist and general office duties; keeps all office equipment in working order and schedules maintenance; orders and maintains office supplies; collects and sorts mail.
• Manages the courses database; assigns course numbers to courses; facilitates cross-listing and numbering of courses; submits the department’s course offerings to the Registrar for publication in the official University course listings; keeps changes updated.
• Supports the Director of Graduate Studies and the Graduate Affairs Administrator. Maintains departmental database and updates university student tracking system. Assists with quarterly and annual student progress review processes, admissions applications and award nominations.
• Maintains department list servs and manages subscribers; collects information for, drafts and disseminates weekly/bi-weekly events and news digests and annual departmental newsletter.
  
  

Competencies

• Comfortable working directly with people from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds preferred.
• Provide academic guidance and excellent interpersonal advocacy skills preferred.
• Handle details meticulously and make few mistakes.
• Handle multiple concurrent tasks in a competent and professional manner while also meeting deadlines.
• Work effectively with supervision and collaborate as a part of a team, individually or while taking directions from others.
• Maintain confidentiality/discretion at all times.
• Effective problem-solving skills.
  
  

Additional Responsibilities

Education, Experience, or Certifications:

Education

• High school diploma required.
  
  

Experience

Knowledge and skills developed through < 2 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Background working in an office, ideally in a higher education institution preferred.

Familiarity creating and maintaining databases preferred.

Organizing events preferred.

Technical Knowledge Or Skills

• Proficient in Web maintenance programs and social media preferred.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills including excellent editing/proofreading in English.
• Proficiency in Mac and PC environments.
• Proficiency in Word, Excel, Outlook, and online organizational tools.
• Skilled at using graphic design programs, such as Canva.
• Learn new methods to improve the position and to effectively incorporate them into the job.
  
  

Working Conditions And Physical Requirements

• Office environment.
• Minimal evening work.
• Fast-paced environment.
• Lift up to 25 lbs.
• Push carts with up to 40 lbs. of material.
• Sit at a computer for 2-4 hours.
• Periodic walking to other campus locations.
• Climbing up to 5 flights of stairs.
  
  

Required Documents

• Resume/CV
• Cover Letter which is to include your interest in this position.
  
  

When applying, the document(s) MUST be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.

Benefit Eligibility

Yes

The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off.

Pay Rate Type

Hourly

Pay Range

$21.58 - $31.60

The included pay rate or range represents the University’s good faith estimate of the possible compensation offer for this role at the time of posting.

Scheduled Weekly Hours

37.5

Union

024- Local 743, I.B.T. Clerical

Job is Exempt

No

Drug Test Required

No

Health Screen Required

No

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required

No

Posting Date

2025-04-09

Posting Statement

The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.

All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history. A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment. Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.

The University of Chicago's Annual Security & Fire Safety Report (Report) provides information about University offices and programs that provide safety support, crime and fire statistics, emergency response and communications plans, and other policies and information. The Report can be accessed online at: http://securityreport.uchicago.edu. Paper copies of the Report are available, upon request, from the University of Chicago Police Department, 850 E. 61st Street, Chicago, IL 60637.