Administrative Assistant I

Job Title

Provides administrative and operational support for the designated academic area.

Job Description

This position coordinates scheduling, budget processing, contract routing, and administrative functions to ensure effective day-to-day operations. The incumbent serves as a central point of contact for faculty, students, staff, and external partners, and supports the work of the Dean and Department Chairs through organization, communication, and data tracking. The role operates with independent task management while final decision-making authority resides with the Dean or designee. Work is subject to cyclical peaks aligned with academic scheduling, hiring periods, and fiscal deadlines, requiring prioritization of competing tasks.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities

Essential Job Functions

• 30% Administrative & Logistical Management
• Coordinates and supports academic, financial, logistical, and administrative functions of the academic area.
• Serves as the central point of contact and communicates timelines to the Dean and Department Chair(s) of all timelines for tasks and projects.
• Coordinates the academic scheduling process, including data entry, updates, and communication with relevant departments, under the direction of the Dean and Department Chair(s).
• Maintains all instructional and office supplies, and orders instructional materials for all campuses, including printer and other office equipment.
• Coordinates with the College Store Textbook Manager for textbook adoptions. Orders review copies for possible adoption. Orders adopted books and ancillaries for all faculty.
• Tracks required and supplemental instructional materials for all courses.
• Coordinates with departments and other college offices on status of tasks and initiates actions to ensure compliance with established deadlines.
• Maintains academic area digital and hard copy files in accordance with records retention guidelines, including, but not limited to personnel files and contracts, financial records, grants, and vendor contracts.
• Assists with coordination of academic area's meetings.
• Assists with academic area Operations/Facility/ITS Division work orders with a working knowledge of Ad Astra scheduling software.
• Assists with creation of presentations and documents in accordance with the organization's style and format guidelines.
• 30% Budget & Contract Management
• Manages designated cost centers including academic operational budgets and grants.
• Processes budget-related transactions, including expenditures, reimbursements, and transfers, and tracks activity for review by the Dean or designee.
• Maintains designated budgets in Colleague.
• Assists in maintaining tracking spreadsheets to support budget monitoring.
• Assists with preparation, coordination, and routing of contracts for the academic area. Prepares contracts for:
• Human Resources: Adjunct instructors, as well as permanent faculty overload contracts in compliance with the faculty handbook using a high level of detail in determining pay amounts per course credit.
• Accounts Payable: Vendor contracts, which include Academic Program Reviews, Performance, Gallery, Maintenance, Catering, Technology, and Service contracts which may require collaboration with other departments.
• Other: Completes additional types of contracts/stipends as the need arises.
• 15% Data & Reporting
• Generates routine and ad hoc reports and provides preliminary analysis to support decision-making by the Dean and Department Chair(s). Designs search queries, generates, and analyzes needed reports, and other products, including utilizing Colleague and CROA, for the Dean/Department Chair(s)/Coordinators to improve the academic area's efficiency, as well as in preparation for academic scheduling, lean enrollment, waitlists, faculty load, coordinator responsibilities, course cancelations, program and course studies, etc.
• 15% Hiring and Human Resources Coordination
• Serves as the academic area's Hiring Coordinator, supporting onboarding processes for adjunct and temporary employees.
• Ensures required documentation is completed and submitted in accordance with Human Resources processes and timelines.
• 5% Communications & Stakeholder Engagement
• Serves as first point of contact, assisting in resolving routine issues and routing more complex matters to appropriate leadership.
• Serves on committees designed to improve effectiveness of college, policies, procedures, and practices, as requested.
• Reviews existing policies and recommends process improvements to improve efficiency and effectiveness.
• Authors e-mails, memos, letters, and forms.
• Serves as a resource to faculty and laboratory staff on college process navigation and department document organization.
• Works closely with the Laboratory director and Department Chair on all aspects of laboratory needs including but not limited to supplies, equipment, safety, maintenance, furniture, etc.
• 5% Other
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Minimum Education and Training

Required Education and Experience:

• Associate degree or Administrative Assistant Certification minimum
• Three (3) years previous office experience

Preferred Education and Experience:

• Associate degree preferably in Business Administration or other related field
• Three (3) years of previous office experience, preferably 5 years experience in an executive office setting

Licenses, Certifications, or Additional Requirements:

• N/A

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, especially Excel.
• Ability to perform basic accounting and reconciliation tasks and the ability to function independently.
• Knowledge of supplies, equipment, and/or services ordering and inventory control.
• Records maintenance skills.
• Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with excellent customer service skills both in person and by phone.
• Ability to maintain calendars and schedule appointments.
• Ability to understand and follow specific instructions and procedures.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality of records and information.
• Word processing and/or data entry skills.
• Skill in the use of operating basic office equipment.
• Ability to create, compose, and edit written materials.
• Strong organizational and coordination skills with the ability to work collaboratively and manage multiple priorities.

Physical Demands

The work is mostly sedentary work which requires exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or negligible amount of force frequently or constantly.

General Employment Information

The College of Southern Maryland is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Background Checks

The College of Southern Maryland conducts background checks in order to ensure the safety and well-being of the College's staff and students. The final candidate for this position will be subject to the following background checks: Criminal History Check and Sex Offender Registry Check.

Conflict of Interest policy

No College of Southern Maryland employee shall engage in or have a financial interest, directly or indirectly, in any activity that conflicts or raises a reasonable question of conflict with his or her duties and responsibilities. CSM Employees shall not at any time engage in any outside employment or independent consulting that would adversely affect their employment status or performance as employees at the college, create a conflict of interest, or, with the exception of constitutionally protected activities, would compromise or embarrass the college, or adversely affect professional standing. Any full-time college employee who also holds a full-time position or its equivalent in consulting elsewhere (whether permanent or seasonal) will be deemed to have a conflict of interest and will be asked to resign from one of the full-time positions. Full-time employees must promptly disclose in writing, on a form available from the Human Resources Office, to the college all other full-time employment or its equivalent in independent consulting.

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