Staff Assistant

Duke University:

Duke University was created in 1924 through an indenture of trust by James Buchanan Duke. Today, Duke is regarded as one of America’s leading research universities. Located in Durham, North Carolina, Duke is positioned in the heart of the Research Triangle, which is ranked annually as one of the best places in the country to work and live. Duke has more than 15,000 students who study and conduct research in its 10 undergraduate, graduate and professional schools. With about 40,000 employees, Duke is the third largest private employer in North Carolina, and it now has international programs in more than 150 countries.

Scope of Responsibilities:

Serve as Staff Assistant supporting several functional Dean of Students Office (DOS) units, including but not limited to New Student & Family Programs (NSFP), Office of Student Conduct & Community Standards (OSCCS), Graduate and Professional Student Services (GnP), Office of Student Veterans, DukeReach, Crisis Response & Risk Mitigation, and the Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs. Perform administrative and clerical duties in support of major office or departmental activities including scheduling, running reports, programming, and communications. Support student, staff, faculty and family contacts by phone, email or personal contact. Assist supervisor(s) and dean staff with budget preparations and variance reporting. Handle financial tasks such as reconciliation, travel, contracts, and purchasing.

Duties

Administrative Support

1. Serve as the office point of contact for all telephone calls during the business day. Screen and route mail and documents; determine which to respond to or which to bring to supervisor(s) attention based on content of communication and knowledge of office programs and activities.                                                                                                     

                                               15%

2. Maintain and schedule appointments and meetings for staff. Organize and support DOS office job searches and campus visits. Organize and maintain office files of records, reports and correspondence. Maintain up-to-date knowledge of office protocols, policies and procedures.                                                                                    

                                                  15%

3. Assist supervisors with compiling and summarizing data for compilation of annual and bi-annual reports. Assist in preparing weekly summary reports and presentation(s) for staff meetings.  Respond to requests for OSCCS conduct checks. Review reports received for supervisor(s); check and compare with source documents and bring significant items, changes, errors or omissions to the attention of the supervisor(s).                                                                  

                                     15%

4. Maintain, review and reconcile office financial records, reconcile procurement card purchases, execute interdepartmental transfers, JV’s, and prepare variance(s) reports for supervisor(s) review.  Reconcile transactions on a monthly basis.  Arrange travel and prepare travel expense reports.  Order supplies and maintain supply inventory.                             

                                   10%

5. Coordinate and assist with office communication efforts to include newsletters, office website maintenance, social media monitoring, and other communication outlets. Assist with editing and formatting of office documents, liaison with colleagues on office website updates.                                        

10%

6. Trouble shoots maintenance problems and oversee that the facilities are maintained and follow up on service requests.      

                                 5%

Program Support

7. Support all programming functions within the NSFP, OSCCS, GnP student services office and those within the functional supervision of the directors for these areas, including but not limited to: A-Team, graduate and professional students, off-campus outreach, on-Call (risk mitigation), parent & family programs, student veterans, etc. Support programming outreach across the university community by assisting with program details, setup, and preparations.        

20%

8. Assist with planning and preparation of annual programs including space reservations, order processing, and volunteer coordination.          

                                  5%

9. Other duties and tasks as assigned by supervisor(s) and/or their designees.                                  5%                                   

On very rare occasions the person in this position may be asked to work over time (i.e. during orientation, Family Weekend, Last Day of Classes, Veterans programming).

General Qualifications

• Minimum of two years post-secondary education plus two years relevant full-time work experience is required.
• An undergraduate degree from an accredited four-year institution and previous relevant experience working in a college/university environment is strongly preferred. Preferred candidates will have direct experience working with university student, parent, and family populations and working effectively in a team environment. 
• Knowledge of University policies and practices and those of Student Affairs related to financial reporting, travel, and communications is desired.

Specific Skills and Competencies

• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal skills, including a friendly, professional interaction style is required. Excellent customer service skills.
• Knowledge of SAP/Duke@Work and Duke University financial practices and policy.
• Demonstrated effectiveness in working within team environments. 
• Skills relevant to achieving successful relationships with students, parents, faculty, and other staff. 
• Excellent organizational skills, including ability to multitask and prioritize, are needed.
• Maturity and good judgment/decision making are essential to the position particularly in relation to handling crisis related calls and confidential materials.
• Fluency with office productivity applications, database management, and web tools.
• Understanding of appropriate financial practices in a university setting.
• Understanding of university and student privacy regulations and ability to appropriately maintain that information.

Minimum Qualifications

Education

Work requires a broad knowledge of clerical and accounting principles and practices normally acquired through two years of post-secondary education in administrative support or a related business field.

Experience

Work generally requires three years of related secretarial/clerical experience to acquire skills necessary to administer complex office functions related to office management, communications, and budgetary/accounting activities. OR and equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.

Duke is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status.

Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation, creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust exchange of ideas—an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold these values.

Essential Physical Job Functions: Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essentialjob functions that require specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and provision for requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by each hiring department.