About UMass Amherst

UMass Amherst, the Commonwealth's flagship campus, is a nationally ranked public research university offering a full range of undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University sits on nearly 1,450-acres in the scenic Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, and offers a rich cultural environment in a bucolic setting close to major urban centers. In addition, the University is part of the Five Colleges (including Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, and Smith College), which adds to the intellectual energy of the region.

Job Summary

Provides sole administrative assistance and support to one of the oldest Departments of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) in the country. Primary responsibilities are to the Chair and administrative support for the undergraduate program, graduate certificate program, and finance and personnel matters in the Department.

Essential Functions

• Personnel Management: Compiles faculty personnel actions, including faculty tenure and mini-tenure, promotion, and PMYR cases, annual faculty reports, and sabbatical leave requests. Prepares requisitions and personnel actions for faculty/staff/graduate and undergraduate student staff, as well as additional compensation paperwork for faculty. Serves as record-keeper for faculty searches, develops and implements advertising strategy, maintaining search records, corresponding with applicants, and preparing search documents and statistical reports as needed. Coordinates campus visits for finalists and organizes itineraries and processes reimbursements for travel-related expenses. Manages the hiring, supervision, and payroll for student workers. Serves as liaison with Dean’s Office HR Staff.
• Financial Management: Coordinates with Chair on budgetary planning. Advises Chair of instructional and equipment expenditures to ensure optimal financial management. Acts as a liaison with the HFA Business Office and other departments to ensure correct processing of expenditures and reimbursements. Creates purchase orders in Buyways and maintains departmental credit card.
• Scheduling: Serve as Department’s Scheduling Officer. Prepares basic schedule for forthcoming semesters and solicits and compiles scheduling information from faculty. Revises schedule in consultation with Chair. Enters all course information into SPIRE via CAPS including processing changes to enrollment capacity, cross-listing, and final exams. Collaborates with Chair to assign department’s TA allocations and subsequently assists in TA recruitment, hiring, and communication. Works with Registrar’s Office to create updates in CAPS following successful course and curriculum management system proposals for all new courses, changes to credits and Gen Eds, and the title and course description updates. Keeps apprised of all rules and regulations in all aspects of course scheduling.
• Event Planning and Facilities Management: Plans and coordinates departmental events in conjunction with college, University, and development staff. This includes all logistics of events including catering, travel arrangements, publicity materials, and space reservations. Manages departmental list-serv and creates general event announcements.
• Serves as Facilities Coordinator for department including scheduling of rooms, inventory of equipment (including tracking and maintenance of AV equipment) and submits requests for work orders. Works with College IT personnel on technology troubleshooting and hardware issues.
• Academic Support: Compiles list of department courses (undergraduate and graduate) for distribution. Processes student overrides and independent study requests. Supports the faculty Undergraduate Program Director (UPD) and Graduate Program Director (GPD) on outreach and communicating requirements, policies, and procedures to current and prospective students. Escalates those with additional advising needs to departmental or campus resources as needed. Coordinates application process for undergraduate scholarship program and graduate certificate program. Provides administrative support and leadership to the Chair and faculty by producing reports and collecting data from the student information system (SPIRE) and other sources, tracks the progress of majors and minors in departmental programs, and assists in outreach and recruitment. Maintains departmental website and listservs.

Other Functions

• Performs other tasks as assigned to support the mission of the Department, College, and University.

Minimum Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, Education, Experience, Certifications, Licensure)

• High School Diploma or equivalent.
• At least three (3) years of general office experience. An Associate's degree or higher may substitute for one (1) year of required experience.
• Past budget management or bookkeeping experience.
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team of faculty and staff with diverse backgrounds. Strong interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrated strength in organizational and time management skills.
• Previous experience working with confidential information.

Work Schedule

• Monday - Friday, 37.5 hours a week.
• 8:30am - 5:00pm; some weekend or evening work may be necessary.
• This position has the opportunity for a hybrid work schedule, which is defined by the University as an arrangement where an employee's work is regularly performed at a location other than the campus workspace for a portion of the week. As this position falls within the University Staff Association, it is subject to the terms and conditions of the University Staff Association collective bargaining agreement, therefore.

Salary Information

USA/MTA Grade 15.

Special Instructions to Applicants

Along with the application, please submit a resume. References will be checked at the finalist stage. Please be prepared to provide contact information for three (3) professional references.

UMass Amherst is committed to a policy of equal opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, caste, creed, sex, age, marital status, national origin, disability, political belief or affiliation, pregnancy and pregnancy-related condition(s), veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, genetic information, natural and protective hairstyle and any other class of individuals protected from discrimination in employment, admission to and participation in academic programs, activities, and services, and the selection of vendors who provide services or products to the University. To fulfill that policy, UMass Amherst is further committed to a program of affirmative action to eliminate or mitigate artificial barriers and to increase opportunities for the recruitment and advancement of qualified minorities, women, persons with disabilities, and covered veterans. It is the policy of UMass Amherst to comply with the applicable federal and state statutes, rules, and regulations concerning equal opportunity and affirmative action.