Assistant to the Senior Associate Dean and Associate Dean for Academics, Cornell Graduate School

About the Cornell University Graduate School

Cornell University's Graduate School enables graduate and professional students and graduate faculty to thrive intellectually and achieve academic success. The Graduate School serves 4,800 students across nearly 100 fields of study. Through the graduate field system, the Graduate School provides the administrative structure to allow fields to devote their efforts and resources to research, scholarship, instruction, and professional development for their students.

The Opportunity

About Cornell University: Cornell University is a community of scholars dedicated to academic excellence and inclusivity. The Graduate School, a cornerstone of this mission, fosters collaboration across multiple disciplines and units. Our administrative team is central to supporting the diverse academic and professional success of our students, faculty, and staff. We are seeking a highly organized, collaborative, and proactive Administrative Assistant to join our dynamic team and contribute to the success of our graduate programs.

We are looking for a dedicated and detail-oriented Administrative Assistant to support the Senior Associate Dean and Associate Dean for Academics. This newly created, full-time position is vital in ensuring the smooth operation of our life sciences graduate fields, academic policies, and student support programs. As an Administrative Assistant, you will be a key liaison, interacting frequently with students, faculty, and staff from various academic units across the university, fostering productive collaborative relationships.

Key Responsibilities

General Administrative Support:

• Manage dynamic and complex calendars for the Senior Associate Dean and Associate Dean for Academics, anticipating needs, resolving scheduling conflicts, and setting them up for success through strong organization and with an attention to detail.
• Work both independently and in coordination with the graduate school administrative team, to coordinate logistics for meetings, events, and workshops, including scheduling, room reservations, guest arrangements, vendors, food and logistics, setting agendas, taking minutes, and disseminating information.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for faculty, students, and staff, providing accurate information on academic policies and issues.
• Prepare domestic and international travel arrangements and process reimbursements, along with other routine financial transactions.
• Develop and maintain confidential administrative and academic records, draft sensitive correspondence, and design reports and tables that are time sensitive.

Academic Support:

• Organize and support meetings related to academic integrity, grievance issues, and critical functions, ensuring confidentiality and efficient coordination.
• Assist with grant proposal development, including familiarizing yourself with sponsor guidelines, formatting proposals, and supporting fellowship and award applications.
• Schedule semester meetings of the Directors of Graduate Studies, compile agenda and share with participants, invite guest speakers, record meeting notes.
• Manage scheduling and coordination of complex regularly occurring meetings, and provide back-up support for Graduate School committee meetings on occasion.
• Support the assembly of graduate student fellowship, training grant, and award applications.

Project Management:

• Independently manage assigned projects, determining timelines, deliverables, and collaborations needed for successful completion.
• Occasional evening and weekend availability may be required to support Graduate School programs, events, and initiatives.

Support Team Dynamics and Professional Growth:

• Provide back-up reception coverage and support other administrative functions within the Graduate School.
• Participate in university-wide events, such as orientation and commencement.
• Prioritize professional development opportunities with input from your supervisor.

Success Factors

• Comfortable working in a fast-paced and busy environment.
• Outstanding organizational, problem-solving, and customer service skills.
• Ability to handle highly sensitive information with discretion and confidentiality.
• Effective communication skills, with the ability to navigate formal and informal decision-making networks.
• Ability to work both collaboratively and independently, contributing to team goals and supporting the Graduate School's mission.

At Cornell University, we value diversity and inclusion, and we are committed to fostering a culture where every member of our community feels respected and valued. This role offers the opportunity to engage with a wide range of stakeholders, contribute to meaningful projects, and grow professionally within a supportive and innovative environment.

If you are a proactive, detail-oriented professional with a passion for supporting academic excellence and collaboration, we encourage you to apply. Join us in making a difference at Cornell University by submitting your application, including a cover letter and resume.

What We Need

All applicants must include a resume and cover letter for full consideration.

• Associate's degree with 4-6 years of relevant administrative experience or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• Demonstrated ability to manage a high volume of work effectively, with strong attention to detail.
• Proven ability to communicate clearly and effectively, verbally and in writing.
• Strong diplomatic skills, with experience working with senior leadership and others on topics of strategic importance.
• Experience planning and implementing complex events and programs.
• Experience making travel arrangements.
• Demonstrated fluency with Microsoft Office (especially Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams) and videoconferencing tools (such as Zoom).
• Experience in and/or demonstrated commitment to supporting diversity, equity, access, inclusion, and wellbeing.
• Experience incorporating the perspectives of multiple communities, including communities of color.

If you have all those things, great! We have a few more things that we would prefer you to have, but it's ok if you don't.

• Bachelor's degree.
• Proven project management skills, including ability to develop effective project plans, timelines, and deliverables and to assemble teams, if needed, to provide the expertise to complete projects.
• Experience working with or in support of graduate and professional degree students and/or postdoctoral scholars.

Rewards and Benefits

• This position is eligible for a hybrid work arrangement after a 90-day training and onboarding period. Once successful training and onboarding is complete, and depending on the ongoing needs of the position, employees may perform this role remotely 2 days per week and on-campus 3 days per week. The university reserves the right to modify, suspend, revoke, or terminate the hybrid work arrangement at any time.
• Cornell receives national recognition as an award-winning workplace for our health, wellbeing, sustainability, and diversity initiatives.
• Our benefits programs include comprehensive health care options, generous retirement contributions, access to wellness programs, and employee discounts with local and national retail brands. We invite you to follow this link to get more information about our benefits: https://hr.cornell.edu/benefits-pay.
• Follow this link to learn more about the Total Rewards of Working at Cornell: https://hr.cornell.edu/jobs/your-total-rewards.
• Our leave provisions include health and personal leave, three weeks of vacation and 13 holidays: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and the day after, and an end of the year winter break from December 25-January 1.
• Cornell's impressive educational benefits include tuition-free Extramural Study and Employee Degree Program, tuition aid for external education, and Cornell Children's Tuition Assistance Program.

No visa sponsorship or relocation assistance is available for this position.

Diversity and Inclusion are a part of Cornell University's heritage. We are a recognized employer and educator valuing AA/EEO, and we do not tolerate discrimination based on any protected characteristic, including race, ethnic or national origin, citizenship and immigration status, color, sex/gender, pregnancy or pregnancy-related conditions, age, creed, religion, actual or perceived disability (including persons associated with such a person), arrest and/or conviction record, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender expression and/or identity, an individual's genetic information, domestic violence victim status, familial status, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. We also recognize a lawful preference in employment practices for Native Americans living on or near Indian reservations in accordance with applicable law.

Cornell University embraces diversity and seeks candidates who will contribute to a climate that supports students, faculty, and staff to all identities and backgrounds. We strongly encourage individuals from underrepresented and/or marginalized identities to apply.

Familiarize yourself with Cornell's COVID-19 workplace guidance as well as the university's COVID-19 services and information.

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Noted pay ranges reflect the potential pay opportunity for each job profile. The hiring rate of pay for the successful candidate will be determined considering the following criteria:

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• Unique applicable skills
• Academic Discipline

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EEO Statement:

Diversity and Inclusion are a part of Cornell University's heritage. We are a recognized employer and educator valuing AA/EEO, and we do not tolerate discrimination based on any protected characteristic, including race, ethnic or national origin, citizenship and immigration status, color, sex/gender, pregnancy or pregnancy-related conditions, age, creed, religion, actual or perceived disability (including persons associated with such a person), arrest and/or conviction record, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender expression and/or identity, an individual's genetic information, domestic violence victim status, familial status, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. We also recognize a lawful preference in employment practices for Native Americans living on or near Indian reservations in accordance with applicable law.

Cornell University embraces diversity and seeks candidates who will contribute to a climate that supports students, faculty, and staff to all identities and backgrounds. We encourage individuals from underrepresented and/or marginalized identities to apply.