Division Assistant- Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

Division Assistant

Please note that internal candidates who meet all lateral transfer eligibility requirements and submit their application by the internal deadline of 11:59 p.m. on July 10, 2026, will receive priority consideration over external candidates. Open until filled. Initial review date: July 23, 2026. This position will remain open until filled. However, to ensure full consideration, completed applications should be submitted by the initial review date of July 23, 2026. Applications received after this date may be reviewed at the discretion of the hiring committee.

Under general direction, the employee implements and coordinates office procedures and timelines in order to provide support for the Dean or Administrator overseeing various division services and programs. This position works with college faculty and other staff, students, vendors, other educational institutions, business and community representatives, regulatory and governmental agencies for the purpose of exchanging policy and procedural information. A high degree of independent judgment and creativity is required to resolve issues that may arise. Division Assistants can lead the work of other clerical staff, volunteers and student workers as assigned.

Distinguishing Characteristics

This class is distinguished from other administrative and secretarial jobs including Senior Departmental Assistant in that incumbents' complete complex clerical work at the action level involved in providing major logistical and operational support for a multi-faceted division, including responsibility for office management and maintenance of division budgets with substantial grant funding. Other responsibilities at this level generally include coordinating with outside agencies, maintaining contracts, MOUs, or other agreements and monitoring compliance. Specific responsibilities vary depending on the divisions to which assigned. Ideal candidate:

The ideal candidate for the Division Assistant position in the Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences division is a highly professional, equity-minded individual who thrives in a dynamic, higher-education environment. They are deeply committed to supporting faculty, staff, and students through detail-oriented, accurate, and timely work that upholds the mission of Gavilan College. This candidate demonstrates exceptional organizational skills, the ability to manage complex workloads, and the capacity to multitask effectively while maintaining a calm, student-centered approach. They understand the significance of working in a division that houses diverse academic programs and are dedicated to fostering clear communication, respectful collaboration, and responsive service across the campus community. With strong judgment, tact, and confidentiality, they bring reliability and integrity to every task, whether coordinating schedules, preparing documents, supporting committees, or assisting with budget and contract processes.

This ideal candidate is passionate about serving a diverse student population and providing operational excellence that helps the Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences division function smoothly. They bring prior experience in an educational institution or complex organizational environment, where they have demonstrated proficiency with office technologies, database management, and the ability to interpret and follow institutional policies and procedures. They excel in fast-paced settings, anticipate needs, and take initiative in solving problems while supporting programs, faculty hiring processes, and instructional operations. With a commitment to equity, inclusion, and high-quality service, the ideal candidate embraces the role of a collaborative partner, contributing to a welcoming and efficient working environment.

Essential Duties

The following duties are typical of those by employees in this job title; however, employees may perform other related duties, and not all duties listed are necessarily performed by each employee in the job title:

• Exchanges information with college faculty, staff, contractors, vendors, the general public, other educational institutions, outside agencies, businesses and organizations regarding division services, operating policies, and procedures;
• Serves as a liaison between division staff and other College offices for a variety of operational, logistical, program and other procedures;
• Screens calls, visitors and electronic inquiries to provide policy and procedural information and/or to make appropriate referrals; sets up and maintains a management calendar; attends meetings and other events to obtain and provide current information; coordinates divisional events;
• Manages a variety of contracts and MOU's ensuring compliance with each external agency;
• Coordinates recruitment for part-time faculty and schedules interviews;
• Distributes, collects and compiles faculty evaluations;
• Uses a database and a variety of spreadsheet and other computer software to set up, track and maintain a wide variety of data and files, including educational and faculty schedules, budget and financial records, proprietary student demographics and other information;
• Researches, compiles and maintains data for grant applications, contracts, special projects, surveys, presentations, agenda materials, and programs and services;
• Plans, creates and implements new and modified office forms and procedures in conjunction with management and other staff;
• Prepares division wide class schedules each semester/summer; produces and maintains room chart that documents scheduling decisions and information;
• Coordinates scheduling activities with departments; compiles department information; assigns room and times for classes; and resolves room assignment conflicts;
• Assigns instructional classroom use, and schedules assessments and orientations for various programs;
• Compiles and reviews information regarding faculty teaching assignments; performs a variety of calculations such as workloads; facilitates problem solving with appropriate staff; and processes changes;
• Enters scheduling data and faculty assignments into a computer-based scheduling program; Monitors division budgets; maintains financial records showing allocation of expenditures and account balances;
• Prepares and processes purchase requisitions and collects receipts; departments; obtains approval for expenditures; recommends and processes transfers of funds;
• Retrieves budget reports from accounting system and distributes to departments;
• Administers schedules meetings; disseminates information; records and transcribes meeting minutes;
• Arranges for substitute instructors as needed;
• Assists instructors with textbook ordering, including obtaining review copies of materials; Researches and compiles a variety of informational materials from sources both inside and outside the office;
• Types drafts and a variety of finished documents, including instructional materials such as schedules, course descriptions, tests, correspondence and reports; reviews finished materials for completeness, accuracy, format, compliance, and English usage;
• Composes correspondence and develops division reports for signature of management, supervisory, professional or instructional staff; works from notes, brief instructions or prior documents;
• Schedules appointments for Dean and maintains calendar; schedules and arranges Division meetings; and schedules facilities use by college staff or outside agencies;
• Makes travel arrangements and reservations;
• Keeps records for Dean, faculty and staff; tracks support staff absences; produces leave, vacation and sick leave reports; routinely purges files of information no longer appropriate or needed;
• Trains and leads the work of clerical staff, volunteers and student assistants as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications, Education, and Experience

Knowledge of:

• Office organizational procedures including workflow, office equipment, supplies, file systems and computer applications.
• Proper formats for a variety of correspondence, reports and other documents.
• Personal computer applications software including spreadsheets and word processing.
• Correct English usage, including spelling, grammar, punctuation and vocabulary.
• Budgeting fundamentals.
• Standard business arithmetic.
• MOU/Contract Compliance
• Comprehensive understanding of the structure and operations of a community college.
• Technical knowledge of programs, facilities, services and curriculum.

Skill in:

• Multi-tasking and workload prioritizing under deadline pressure, using independent judgment for in-scope decision-making.
• Providing an advanced level of support to executive and management staff. Providing administrative assistance to grant requirements.
• Project planning and coordination.
• Using initiative and independent judgment within established guidelines.
• Composing original correspondence from brief instructions.
• Understanding and interpreting a variety of written information, including policies, procedures and regulations.
• Proficiency in word-processing, spreadsheets, and basic desktop publishing, and in specialized software used in scheduling.
• Organizing work in a demanding, hectic environment, meeting critical deadlines and solving problems quickly and decisively.
• Strong speaking, writing and conversational skills.
• Protecting the confidentiality of sensitive information.
• Establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.
• Skill in respectful, tactful and sensitive interaction with diverse cultures, language groups and abilities
• Office workload planning, anticipation and resolution of problems and workflow modification
• Leading the work of others
• Organizing complex data, setting up tracking and maintaining data in electronic and manual files

Other Requirements: Some positions in this class may be required to possess a valid California driver's license and have a satisfactory driving record. Illustrative education and experience: A typical way to obtain the above knowledge and skills is a combination of education and experience equivalent to: Completion of