Administrative Specialist

Under general supervision of the School Director, the Administrative Specialist will provide administrative support (academic, HR, Finance, and other) to faculty, staff, and students within the School. The Administrative Specialist will ensure the smooth operations of the School through knowledge and appropriate application of institutional policy, procedures, rules, and regulations. This position is critical to providing stability to the operational structure of the School.

Plymouth State University’s academic programs are organized into six Schools. Each one consists of faculty, staff, and students associated with multiple degree programs and academic disciplines. Administrative Specialists will provide administrative leadership in collaboration with directors and support assistants in their assigned School, but will also work with colleagues in other Schools and with support staff across the University to ensure student and program success.

The Director, the Administrative Specialist, and the AOM will work together as a team, and as such, the Administrative Specialist duties might not be exclusive to what is outlined in this description. This role is dynamic and requires a willingness to be flexible.

Duties/Responsibilities

Academic and Financial Support (70%)

• Serve as the primary point of contact for the School and its programs to non-School offices and services such as Admissions, ACAC, Communications and Marketing, Advancement, Student Life, the Registrar’s Office, Student Financial Services, etc. to promote operational efficiency and enhanced communication.

• Be part of the monthly leadership meetings with OAA.

• Together with the Director, take care of operational and academic needs of the School, including:

• Serving as a primary contact to OAA for operational tasks and problem solving

• Planning the schedule of courses, including faculty and TL assignments

• Building faculty workload and overload reports to OAA

• Managing low-enrolled courses, including coordinating with OAA, and communication with the Registrar’s Office, instructors, and affected students when courses are cancelled

• Assisting with the creation of School and programmatic work plans

• Assisting with academic/program support activities such as program reviews, fees management, and other academic projects

• Supporting the onboarding of new full-time and part-time faculty

• Planning monthly School-wide meetings and any School retreats done during the academic year (with the support of the Academic Operations Manager)

• Providing oversight of the budget

• Managing budget requests and helping to write and facilitate any SPA/MOU contracts appropriate to the School.

• Manage other operational responsibilities to support the School, including:

• Providing schedules to the AOM for entering into the PSU scheduling platform

• Reviewing the schedule entered in the PSU system before registration begins.

• Developing and maintaining an on-line repository of records required to align program accreditation and other assessment requirements.

• Develop/managing School’s SharePoint site to facilitate internal communications and project management.

• Coordinating the budget planning & management processes with assistance from the AOM.

• As the AOM and the Administrative Specialist will likely be located in different buildings, manage expected responsibilities associated with the assigned location

Student Support (20%)

• Potentially serve as an Academic Advisor to new and continuing majors in appropriate programs. The Provost or Associate Provost will review/approve of this role for any individual Administrative Specialist.

• Support and manage curricular changes along with the school Director

• Keep current with best practices of, and tools for, supporting students

• Serve as signatory authority (together with the School Director) for student requests, change of majors, academic minor/certificate declarations, etc.

• Either serve as the first point of contact or support the Director on issues such as students and faculty complaints, fair grading and academic integrity violations, etc.

Admissions, Enrollment Management, and Retention (10%)

• Support the participation of program faculty in admissions events

• Participate in admissions events such as Open Houses, Accepted Student Days, etc. (which might happen outside regular work hours)

• Support the Undergraduate and Graduate Admissions, Enrollment, and Retention initiatives of the School.

• Work with Admissions on student materials and admissions tours in collaboration with the School faculty and staff.

• Along with the Director, plan for course/enrollment needs for graduate and undergraduate offerings

Requirements

Minimum Acceptable Education & Experience:

• High School diploma and at least two years of administrative support experience in any setting

• A well-rounded selection of as many of the KSAs/Competencies (soft skills) listed below as possible

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Excellent interpersonal skills and willingness to collaborate and work with others, including faculty, staff, administration, students, and external stakeholders.

• Ability to work collaboratively and communicate effectively with faculty, staff, students, administrators, and external stakeholders

• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships across campus and with the general public.

• Ability to work both independently and as a part of a team

• Ability to work in a high-volume, fast-paced environment that experiences frequent changes and interruptions

• Strong problem-solving skills

• Strong customer service skills

• Appropriate professional behavior

• Ability to maintain confidentiality about sensitive issues

• Effective written and communication skills

• Ability to understand and support the management of budgets

• Proficiency using computers and standard software such as the Microsoft 365 Suite

• Ability and willingness to learn Enterprise Resource Planning (such as Banner and Workday) and other applications needed for the performance of School support duties

• Self-motivation and commitment to continued self-improvement

Preferred Qualifications:

• A high school diploma with five years of support experience, OR a Bachelor’s-or-higher degree with academic support experience in a Higher Education setting

• Office management experience

Applicant Instructions:

Applicants should be prepared to upload the following documents when applying online within the My Experience: Resume/CV section of the application: (Maximum of 5 Documents)

• Resume/CV

• Cover Letter

• Contact Information for 3 Professional References

Applications that are missing any of the required items may not move forward for consideration. Additional uploaded documents not requested in the position announcement will not be reviewed.

Plymouth State University offers high-quality baccalaureate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs. Through research and innovative community partnerships, the University contributes to the economic, social, cultural, and environmental development of the North Country and Lakes Region of New Hampshire and beyond.

EEO Statement

The University System of New Hampshire is an Equal Opportunity/Equal Access employer. The University System is committed to creating an environment that values and supports diversity and inclusiveness across our campus communities and encourages applications from qualified individuals who will help us achieve this mission. The University System prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or marital status.

Compensation Pay Range:

The pay range for this position is listed above. Actual offer will be based on skills, qualifications, experience, and internal equity, in addition to relevant business considerations. More information on benefits can be found here: USNH Employee Benefits | Human Resources

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