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Business and Operations Assistant

Employer
Smith College
Location
Five Colleges, Inc.

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Job Details

Job location: Five Colleges, Inc.


Employment Type: Full-time
Posted data: 2019-09-10
Req: R-201900923
Job Description

General Description:

The Business and Operations Assistant supports FCI’s essential administrative services including human resources, facility management, business services, emergency preparedness, and records management. This position helps to strengthen the effective and efficient functioning of Five Colleges, Inc. internal structures, procedures, and policies.

Importance of Diversity to our Educational Mission:

Five Colleges, Incorporated and its five associated institutions (Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke and Smith Colleges and the University of Massachusetts Amherst) are committed to supporting and sustaining a diversity of people, backgrounds, experiences, ideas and points of view for the essential contribution this diversity makes to educational missions of our organizations. In support of this commitment Five Colleges requires all of its employees to work cooperatively and effectively with the diversity of people at the colleges (students, faculty members, other employees) and within the organization itself.

Specific Duties:

General administrative support

  • Conduct a broad range of administrative tasks including routine phone and email correspondence, records management, calendar management, and travel arrangements for the Director of Operations and the Director of Business Services as requested by these two Directors.
  • Manage content on relevant sections of the FCI website.
  • Handle correspondence, manage group membership, and prepare agendas for various committees of the Consortium, including Principal Business Officers, HR Directors, Emergency Preparedness Committee, Librarians Council, and other groups as assigned.
  • Provide back-up reception coverage and associated administrative duties when receptionists are out of the office.

Facility management

  • Coordinate with multiple partners to ensure the maintenance, safety, and security of the facilities that FCI owns or occupies, with significant focus on the Five College Library Annex.
  • Cultivate positive working relationships with vendors, contractors, property managers, and other facility management contacts.
  • Develop procedures and maintain schedules to comply with facility maintenance standards.
  • Support FCI’s emergency preparedness practices and continuity of operations planning; regularly update the emergency operations plans.

Human resources

  • Coordinate employee recruitment, selection, hiring, onboarding, and departure processes; this work includes tasks such as posting open positions, scheduling interviews, developing orientation schedules, and shepherding the employee departure checklist.
  • Assist the Director of Operations in establishing a professional development program, by identifying professional development opportunities, arranging offerings, and supporting the performance evaluation process.
  • Contribute to the development of personnel policy and protocol updates; ensure employee handbook stays up to date.
  • Maintain confidential personnel records.
  • Support the campuses’ spouse/partner hiring activities.
  • Draft and distribute employee communications.

Business services

  • Provide administrative assistance to business office personnel to include creating and maintaining annual spreadsheets, databases, text documents, and business office files.
  • Complete weekly, monthly and quarterly business services tasks as requested; such tasks include distributing department budget financial reports; preparing and reconciling expense reports; preparing and conducting in-person banking transactions; and preparing outgoing business office mail.
  • Support business office personnel in accounts payable and receivable follow-up.

Records management

  • File FCI agreements, contracts, and MOUs; track contractual obligations, including relevant deadlines, renewals, and expiration dates.
  • Adhere to FCI records management policies and practices.

Other duties

  • Serve as back-up when the Five College Messenger is unavailable.
  • Other related duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

  • Strong organizational skills that reflect ability to perform and prioritize high volume of tasks seamlessly and with excellent attention to details and deadlines.
  • Proactive approaches to problem-solving with strong decision-making capability.
  • Excellent written, verbal, and listening skills; ability to communicate clearly and effectively in a professional and timely manner.
  • Demonstrated adaptability and flexibility.
  • Strong interpersonal skills and ability to build relationships with stakeholders, including internal staff, campus-based colleagues, and external partners.
  • Forward-looking thinker, who actively seeks opportunities for continuous improvement.
  • Ability to work with diverse groups of people with differing perspectives and backgrounds.
  • Proven ability to handle confidential information with discretion.
  • Resourceful team-player, with the ability to also be effective independently.
  • Reliable access to transportation; this position requires the flexibility to work, from time to time, from varying Five College locations.
  • Valid driver’s license and ability to satisfy Five College Driver Credentialing program.
  • The physical and mental expectations of the position include:
    • Ability to comprehend written and verbal communication.
    • Ability to communicate effectively in person, by telephone, and via email.
    • Ability to sit or stand for extended periods.
    • Ability to lift and carry up to 40 pounds.
    • Ability to bend, walk, climb stairs, and complete driving route on schedule.
    • Access to and ability to use a cell phone safely.

Education and Experience Requirements:

  • Associate’s degree or equivalent.
  • Minimum of two years of job-related experience.
  • First-hand experience in higher education environment.
  • Proficient use of Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, and Power Point), Google Suite (Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Forms) and Adobe Acrobat. Experience with web content management systems preferred.

Position Type:

Regular

About Five Colleges, Inc.

Five Colleges, Incorporated, sustains and enriches the excellence of its members -- Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, and Smith colleges and the University of Massachusetts Amherst -- through academic and administrative collaboration. The consortium facilitates intellectual communities and broad curricular and cocurricular offerings; affording learning, research, performance and social opportunities that complement the distinctive qualities of each institution.

Five Colleges, Inc. is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, age, color, religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression or veteran status in the recruitment and employment of faculty and staff, and the operation of any of its programs and activities, as specified by all applicable laws and regulations. Women, minorities, veterans and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Organization

Working at Smith College 

Founded in 1871, Smith College is the nation's largest liberal arts college for women. The reputation of the College as one of the finest in the country holds strong because of the dedicated work of our staff, faculty, and administration. We are a diverse group bringing to our community different talents, perspectives, and experiences. Our strength arises from this diversity and is sustained by a community value of providing an outstanding educational environment for our nearly 2,700 students. Smith College is located in Northampton, a lively town of 30,000 in the Connecticut River valley of western Massachusetts.

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