Dean's Office Senior Administrative Assistant

Position Title:

Dean's Office Senior Administrative Assistant

Position Type:

Regular

Hiring Range:

$25.05 - $30.05/per hour; Compensation will be based on education, experience, skills relevant to the role, and internal equity.

Pay Frequency:

Hourly

A.   POSITION PURPOSE

This position reports to the Assistant Director of Administration. The purpose of this position is to support the administrative operations of the School of Engineering Dean’s Office and coordinate event logistics.

B. ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES 

Provide administrative support to the Dean's office team and backup administrative support to other School of Engineering units, as needed. 

• Serve as a point of contact for faculty, staff, students, and external constituencies.
• Respond to inquiries and provide accurate and timely verbal and/or written information, data, forms, and other administrative resources, as appropriate.
• Coordinate and maintain Dean’s Office calendar of events, including workshops, speakers, symposiums, conferences, and other School events. 
• Maintain and update a centralized repository of School of Engineering policies, procedures, and administrative resources to ensure information is current and accessible.
• Maintain and assist with developing standardized workflows, job aids, and administrative resources to support efficient, accurate, and consistent processes aligned with University policies and procedures.
• Maintain general inventory of office and event supplies.
• Support Marketing and Communications team in School of Engineering website maintenance and communications, as needed.
• Provide backup administrative support to other School of Engineering departments, as needed, including general administrative operations, student and faculty support, and other departmental functions.
• Provide administrative support to the Assistant Dean of Finance and Administration, Assistant Director of Administration, and Dean’s Office Department Manager, completing administrative tasks, record keeping, and other related assignments as needed.

I. Event and Program Support

• Provide administrative and logistical coordination for School of Engineering events and programs, including meetings, workshops, conferences, advisory boards, and partnership activities.
• Coordinate event logistics from planning through execution, including room reservations, catering, audiovisual and media services, event materials, signage, supplies, and other operational needs.
• Manage event timelines and responsibilities, anticipate logistical needs and deadlines, coordinate with relevant stakeholders and service providers, follow up on outstanding items, and proactively communicate needs, updates, or potential issues.
• Occasional early morning, evening, and weekend work may be required to support events.
• Partner with Conference Services, Operations, University Marketing and Communications (UMC), and other University departments to understand and implement policies and procedures related to School of Engineering events and activities. Develop and communicate School-level procedures and guidelines, ensuring faculty and staff understand University requirements and supporting consistent compliance across the School. 
• Provide administrative support to the Assistant Dean of Marketing and Communications, and Assistant Director of Administration, as needed.

II. Financial Support

• Support the Dean’s Office Department Manager with monthly budget reporting and reconciliation of Dean’s Office financial transactions, including identifying discrepancies and submitting correction requests.
• Assist with routine financial transactions, including supplier invoices, purchase requisitions, reimbursements, event-related purchases, and other financial processes.
• Track and monitor event budgets in coordination with event stakeholders.
• Provide financial and administrative support to the Director of Finance, Assistant Dean of Finance, and Assistant Director of Administration, completing financial tasks, reconciliations, reporting, and other related assignments as needed.

III. Human Resource Management 

• Provide administrative and logistical support for faculty and staff candidate visits, guest speakers, visiting lecturers, and other visitors, including travel, room reservations, catering, media services, and other logistical needs, as appropriate.

• Provide administrative support for faculty and student employee hiring and job posting, as needed.
• Provide administrative onboarding support for new faculty and staff, as needed, to facilitate their transition to the School of Engineering and SCU.
• May hire, train, supervise, and evaluate departmental student assistant(s)

IV. Other duties:

• Perform other duties and special projects as assigned to support the operational needs of the School of Engineering Dean’s Office.
  

C.   PROVIDES WORK DIRECTION 

• May supervise student employees, as needed. 

D.   GENERAL GUIDELINES 

• Works independently with appropriate guidance and exercises sound judgment in managing routine administrative matters, identifying appropriate next steps, and escalating matters as appropriate. Manages responsibilities and timelines while balancing multiple priorities and competing deadlines. Takes ownership of work through completion, including appropriate follow-up, and ensures work is accurate, complete, and timely. Communicates clearly, accurately, and professionally with faculty, staff, students, external partners, and other stakeholders, providing appropriate context and timely follow-up. Provides feedback and suggestions for improving administrative processes, as appropriate.

E. QUALIFICATIONS 

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The items below are representative of the knowledge, skills, abilities, education, and experience required or preferred. 

a. Ability to establish and maintain effective, cooperative working relationships within a diverse and multicultural environment.

b. Identifies routine administrative, event-related, or service-related issues, recommends appropriate solutions, and supports improvements to processes and services, as appropriate.

c. Knowledge 

• General understanding of administrative operations; experience in academia or higher education preferred.
• Basic knowledge of financial administrative processes, such as purchasing, reimbursements, and budget tracking.
• General familiarity with event planning and logistical coordination.

d. Skills 

• Strong organizational and time-management skills with attention to detail and accuracy.
• Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel.
• Familiarity with financial, HRIS, or other enterprise administrative systems; Workday experience preferred.
• Strong customer service, problem-solving, collaboration, and cross-functional coordination skills.

e. Abilities 

• Ability to manage multiple responsibilities and priorities with minimal supervision.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment and adapt to changing priorities.
• Ability to handle confidential information appropriately.
• Commitment to understand and support Santa Clara University’s distinctive
• Jesuit educational vision and willingness to model institutional values of competence, conscience, and compassion, in pursuit of its mission and goals 

f. Education 

• Bachelor's degree preferred. 

g. Years of Experience 

• 2–3 years of relevant administrative, event, customer service, or related experience preferred.

F. PHYSICAL DEMANDS 

The physical demands described below are representative of those that must be met by an employee to perform the essential functions of this job successfully. Following the Americans with Disabilities Act, as amended, the California Fair Employment & Housing Act, and all other applicable laws, SCU provides reasonable accommodations for qualified persons with disabilities. A qualified individual is a person who meets the skill, experience, education, or other requirements of the position, and who can perform the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodation. 

a. Considerable time is spent at a desk using a computer terminal. 

b. May be required to travel to other buildings on the campus. 

G. WORK ENVIRONMENT 

The work environment characteristics described below are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. 

a. Typical office environment 

b. Mostly indoor office environment. 

c. Offices with equipment noise 

d. Offices with frequent interruption

Telecommute

Santa Clara University is registered to do business in the following states: California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, and Illinois. Employees approved to telecommute are required to perform their work within one of these states.

 

EEO Statement

Equal Opportunity/Notice of Nondiscrimination

Santa Clara University is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship, ancestry, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender expression, gender identity, marital status, parental status, veteran or military status, physical or mental disability, medical conditions, pregnancy or related conditions, reproductive health decision making, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.  For a complete copy of Santa Clara University’s equal opportunity and nondiscrimination policies, please visit the Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX website at  https://www.scu.edu/title-ix/. 

 

Clery Notice of Availability

Santa Clara University annually collects information about campus crimes and other reportable incidents in accordance with the federal Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act. To view the Santa Clara University report, please visit the Campus Safety Services website. To request a paper copy please call Campus Safety at (408) 554-4441. The report includes the type of crime, venue, and number of occurrences.

 

Americans with Disabilities Act

Consistent with its obligations under the law, Santa Clara University will provide reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities.  Applicants who wish to request a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process should contact the Department of Human Resources ADA Team at [email protected] or by phone at (408)554-4392. Please note: This contact information is intended for accommodation requests only. Resumes or inquiries about application status sent to this inbox will not be reviewed or forwarded. For resumes or questions regarding application status, please contact [email protected].