Senior Administrative Assistant, ISPS

Yale University Event Management And Digital Communications Professional

Working at Yale means contributing to a better tomorrow. Whether you are a current resident of our New Haven-based community, eligible for opportunities through the New Haven Hiring Initiative, or a newcomer, interested in exploring all that Yale has to offer, your talents and contributions are welcome. Discover your opportunities at Yale!

The Institution for Social and Policy Studies (ISPS) at Yale University seeks a highly organized, tech-savvy professional to manage the full lifecycle of academic events and conferences while supporting the institution's digital presence. This position is well-suited to a collaborative, detail-oriented professional who thrives in a dynamic university environment and brings expertise in both event logistics and web-based communications. The Institution for Social and Policy Studies (ISPS) advances interdisciplinary research in the social sciences that aims to shape public policy and inform democratic deliberation. Under the direction of the Operations Manager and Director, this position will be an integral member of the ISPS team, working closely with faculty, staff, and students to provide high-level administrative and operational support for the institution's mission.

Required Skills and abilities:

• General experience with events, such as with event planning and/or hosting guest speakers. Managing hotel room blocks, arranging catering, and managing reimbursements. Proficiency using Zoom for meetings, events, webinars.
• Proficiency with content management systems (Drupal or similar) and web editing tools. Familiarity with Microsoft 365 (Outlook, Teams, SharePoint) and experience managing shared calendars. Comfort with basic graphic design tools for creating web and promotional imagery.
• Demonstrated outstanding interpersonal and organizational skills. Excellent record of attendance and punctuality. Proven ability to take initiative and follow through, work both independently and in a team.
• Proven high level of accuracy and attention to detail, ability to manage multiple projects and effectively meet deadlines.
• Superior verbal and written communication and excellent customer service skills with the proven ability to interact with all levels of faculty and staff. This position must be able to independently reach out to faculty, students, staff, schedule Zoom or in-person meetings to directly communicate, respond to inquiries in a timely manner, and provide continuous follow-up when required.

Primary job responsibilities:

• Events Management & Logistics
• Plan, coordinate, and oversee ISPS events and conferences from inception through wrap-up, managing attendance, logistics, contracts, and budgets for multiple simultaneous events. Including in-person, hybrid and zoom events.
• Serve as the primary expert resource for faculty organizers, assessing event needs and developing execution plans.
• Research, negotiate, and procure event services including hotel room blocks, catering, and off-campus venues.
• Maintain the master ISPS events calendar aligned with the Yale academic calendar, proactively identifying scheduling conflicts and advising faculty on optimal event dates.
• Coordinate post-event activities including guest travel reimbursements, budget finalization, and distribution of conference materials.
• Support for programming associated with various ISPS centers and initiatives, such as various speaker series.
• Digital Communications & Website Management:
• Create and maintain ISPS event websites and the CSAP program website using Drupal and Yale Campus Press platforms.
• Design and distribute event announcements via email and Yale Message to targeted internal and public audiences.
• Build and manage online registration forms; track attendance data and generate reports such as rooming lists and catering headcounts.
• Create and edit graphics and images for use on ISPS websites and event announcements.
• Proofread the ISPS Newsletter and provide editorial feedback.
• Systems & Special Projects:
• Administer ISPS shared Outlook/Microsoft 365 calendars, managing staff access and permissions.
• Maintain and troubleshoot ISPS AV systems; coordinate with Yale IT teams for upgrades and serve as the department primary AV point of contact.
• Field questions from faculty and students on survey research services and attend DISSC quarterly meetings.

Preferred Skills and Abilities:

• Experience with Yale Message.
• Experience working in a university, academic or research institution

The current hybrid work schedule for this position is 4 days on campus with 1 remote workday. You may be required occasionally to work on site more often in a given week due to operational needs. In the event, the university/department transitions to being on campus five days a week, either temporarily or permanently, the hybrid schedule will be suspended or subject to change at management discretion.