Administrative Specialist

Department Administrative Specialist

The Department of Chemical Engineering at Northeastern University seeks an experienced and people-focused Department Administrative Specialist to serve as the welcoming face and operational anchor of the department's Cullinane Hall suite. This is a front-line, high-contact role at the center of daily department life the primary point of contact for all students, faculty, staff, visitors, and guests who interact with the department in person, by phone, or via email.

Operating with a high degree of independence and professional judgment, the Administrative Specialist provides an advanced level of administrative support across the full range of department operations: reception and constituent services, office and facilities management, event coordination, financial processing, and faculty support. Assignments are often varied and complex, requiring ingenuity and initiative. This individual serves as the department's go-to resource identifying problems, recommending solutions, improving processes, and maintaining the smooth operational rhythm of a busy academic engineering department.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree required.
• Minimum of 24 years of progressive administrative experience in a fast-paced office environment; experience in a university or academic setting strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience as a primary point of public contact in a multi-constituent environment (students, faculty, visitors, vendors).
• Experience hiring, training, and supervising student workers or junior staff preferred.
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams) required; experience with university systems such as Banner, ePaws, Concur, or Workday preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to manage competing priorities, make sound independent decisions, and carry out complex assignments with minimal supervision.
• Outstanding interpersonal and customer service skills; ability to interact professionally and warmly with individuals at all levels, including students, faculty, senior administrators, and industry guests.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to draft professional correspondence, presentations, and reports on behalf of the department.
• High level of discretion and ability to handle confidential information with professionalism and sound judgment.
• Ability to work across multiple buildings on the Boston campus, occasionally as needed. Hybrid schedule of 3 days on campus each week, subject to change for business needs.

Key Responsibilities & Accountabilities:

• Primary Point of Contact & Constituent Services
• The Department Administrative Specialist is the first and most lasting impression of the Chemical Engineering department. At this level, the role goes beyond routing and greeting: the Specialist applies advanced departmental knowledge to resolve non-routine inquiries, interpret policy, and recommend courses of action.
• Serve as the primary in-person, phone, and email point of contact for students, faculty, staff, visiting researchers, prospective students, industry partners, and department guests; ensure the reception area consistently projects a professional, welcoming environment.
• Apply an advanced understanding of department programs, policies, procedures, and university resources to resolve routine and non-routine inquiries; exercise independent judgment on complaints, exceptions, and escalations, providing recommendations to department leadership on the most complex matters.
• Serve as the department's institutional guide for students navigating administrative processes directing them to appropriate resources for registration, petitions, co-op, research opportunities, and more.
• Manage the department's general communications inbox; screen and route incoming calls and email, draft professional responses on behalf of the department, and communicate critical information including deadlines, announcements, and procedural updates
• Office Operations & Facilities Management
• The Administrative Specialist is the operational steward of the department's Cullinane Hall suite, responsible not only for maintaining efficient daily functions but for identifying and implementing process improvements as the department evolves.
• Oversee day-to-day operations of the department suite, including common areas, conference rooms, storage, and adjacent office areas; identify operational gaps and implement solutions to improve workflow and space efficiency.
• Maintain organized electronic filing and records management systems; monitor and order office supplies and equipment; submit and track facilities work orders for maintenance, repair, and space needs.
• Coordinate onboarding and offboarding logistics for faculty, staff, visiting scholars, and research personnel office assignments, access cards, computer setup, and building orientation.
• Manage department mail, package deliveries, and inter-office correspondence; serve as departmental liaison to Facilities, ITS, and other university service offices.
• Recruit, hire, train, and supervise undergraduate student workers supporting reception and administrative operations; assign tasks, monitor hours, approve timesheets, and process hiring submission for faculty research positions.
• Events Coordination & Special Projects
• The Administrative Specialist leads all aspects of department event planning and execution, overseeing logistics, communications, and budget, and conducting post-event analysis to drive continuous improvement.
• Lead end-to-end logistics for department events including the visiting seminar speaker series, faculty interviews, Industrial Advisory Board (IAB) meetings, student town halls, orientation sessions, seminar series, and departmental celebrations from initial planning through post-event closeout.
• Manage all event logistics: space reservations, catering, A/V coordination, signage, supplies, name badges, attendee communications, and reimbursement processing for guests and speakers.
• Prepare event materials, briefing documents, and printed programs; maintain the department events calendar and proactively flag scheduling conflicts with appropriate lead time.
• Develop and refine event management processes and checklists; conduct post-event analysis to evaluate outcomes and improve quality and consistency of future events.
• Support high-visibility department initiatives by drafting correspondence, preparing presentations, and carrying out special assignments setting plans, coordinating stakeholders, monitoring progress, and problem-solving as needed.
• Faculty & Academic Administrative Support
• The Administrative Specialist provides reliable, professional, and substantive administrative support to Chemical Engineering faculty enabling faculty to focus on teaching, research, and scholarship.
• Serve as the knowledgeable departmental resource for faculty on Northeastern's administrative procedures, enterprise systems (ePaws, Concur, Banner, Workday), key contacts, and academic calendar deadlines; proactively share important dates and updates at the start of each semester.
• Process and track expense reimbursements, travel bookings, purchase orders, and procurement transactions in compliance with university policy; reconcile procard transactions, monitor budget expenditures, and flag discrepancies to the appropriate administrator.
• Support faculty research logistics coordinating vendor visits, managing shipping and receiving of research materials, and assisting with grant-related administrative tasks.
• Coordinate faculty and committee meetings: prepare agendas, take and distribute minutes, and follow up on action items; prepare and proofread correspondence, reports, and presentations on behalf of faculty and department leadership.
• Maintain department records including faculty directories, committee rosters, and course listings; gather and synthesize data for accreditation, program reviews, and internal planning; support adjunct and visiting faculty onboarding and faculty search logistics.