Administrative Assistant

The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training. The above hiring range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.

Position Summary

Reporting to the Executive Director and the Associate Director of Career Services, the incumbent provides comprehensive administrative assistance to the SIPA Career Advancement Center (CAC) and assists with coordinating many aspects of its operation which serves the SIPA student population. Among many other tasks, the Administrative Assistant directs students, alumni, employers, and visitors to appropriate resources, provides guidance on navigating SIPA and University policies and procedures, processes academic requirements, serves as a liaison between CAC and other SIPA units, and trains and oversees student workers.

Responsibilities

• Acts as the first point of contact in the office for all incoming students, alumni, inter-departmental, and employer inquiries by managing two general email inboxes and the main office phone line. During busy periods, incoming emails ranging from a wide variety of requests can reach 50+ per day. Requests may be complicated in nature and require research and experience.
• Processes academic requirements for the SIPA student population. This includes the mandatory internship program and professional development course. The incumbent instructs students on how to complete the requirements or waiver forms successfully, compiles paperwork from a multi-tiered process, issues grades in SSOL, and uploads internship reports into the student-facing Internship Directory on SIPA Connect.
• Assists with the administrative processing of summer internship stipends.
• Acts as a direct liaison between students and the International Students and Scholars Office (ISSO).
• Reviews eligibility requirements for Curricular Practical Training (CPT) and assists with work authorization for international students, escalating related questions to the Associate Director or ISSO as needed.
• Tracks student engagement and assists the Associate Director in devising metrics and thresholds to monitor the office's outreach success throughout the academic year. Assists with coordinating and reporting employer data.
• Maintains the Executive Director's calendar and prevents scheduling conflicts.
• Reconciles monthly corporate card statements and submits Travel and Business Expense Reports (TBER) through the Concur system on behalf of the Executive Director.
• Manages, purchases, and stocks all office supplies.
• Updates and maintains the career education library (print and virtual copies).
• Post jobs and internships to the online database.
• Provides students with immediate technical support for the office's virtual resources (including SIPA Connect, the Internship Database, VMock, Big Interview, Interstride, etc).
• Creates and hosts community / team-building activities / social gatherings for 20+ student staffers and employees, such as social hours.
• Drafts internal and external communications, including letters, memos, announcements, and reports.
• Responsible for coordinating meetings, conferences, and appointments as directed.
• Maintains the office filing system, postage, and mailings.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• High School diploma or its equivalent is required. Two years of related office experience is required.
• Must have excellent interpersonal, organizational, and oral and written communications skills.
• Must be proficient in using computers and have substantial experience with computer programs, including MS Office applications(Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) and G-Suite programs (Gmail, Drive, Sheets, Docs) is required.
• Must be highly organized, motivated, and able to balance multiple demands while remaining calm under pressure.
• Must have excellent judgment, be reliable, responsible, flexible, and a team player.

Preferred Qualifications

A bachelor's degree is strongly preferred.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.