Administrative Assistant

About SAIC

For more than 150 years, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) has been a leader in educating the world’s most influential artists, designers and scholars. Located in downtown Chicago with a fine arts graduate program consistently ranking among the top four graduate fine arts programs in the nation by U.S. News and World Report, SAIC provides an interdisciplinary approach to art and design as well as world-class resources, including the Art Institute of Chicago Museum, on-campus galleries and state-of-the-art facilities. SAIC’s undergraduate, graduate and post-baccalaureate students have the freedom to take risks and create the bold ideas that transform Chicago and the world—as seen through notable alumni and faculty such as Michelle Grabner, David Sedaris, Elizabeth Murray, Richard Hunt, Georgia O’Keeffe, Cynthia Rowley, Nick Cave, and LeRoy Neiman.

About the Department

The staff on the Academic Administration/Operations team provides administrative support to the Department Chairs/Directors, faculty, and students in the academic departments and programs.

Position Summary

The Administrative Assistant works under the supervision of, and with direction from the Senior Administrative Directors, to provide day-to-day administrative support to Department Chairs/Directors, faculty, and students in the academic departments and programs. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, general office reception and support, accounts payable processing, special project/event support, entering facility maintenance requests, and managing student worker office assistants.

Responsibilities

Administrative Support and Office Reception

• Facilitates communication between the administrative staff, Department Chairs/Directors, faculty, and students; answering questions and providing solutions when possible and escalating requests as necessary
• Manages daily reception services for the department(s). Answers phone calls and responds to emails.
• Daily maintenance of departmental calendars and databases
• Maintains office supply inventory
• Directs students to appropriate student services as needed
• Assists with facilitating substitutes for faculty absences
• Assists with communicating the field trip policy to faculty as needed and assist with the administrative process
• Stays current on and utilizes administrative institutional software
• Fields requests for departmental tools/supplies
• Files and organizes office records, distributes mail, and makes copies

Accounts Payable

• Enters accounts payable documents into the accounting system and software
• Purchases instructional and office supplies with the unit procurement card
• Assists with travel arrangements, per diem payments, and accommodations for faculty and visitors
• Assists faculty with submitting their corporate card reconciliation and answers related questions on institutional policy

Event Support

• Assists with events; such as departmental lecture series, student and faculty orientations, symposiums, etc.
• Enters events into the institutional software, prepares publicity materials, arranges catering, and be present for the event as needed

Facilities

• Assists with classroom access lists
• Submits and tracks progress of facility maintenance requests

Student Workers

• Manages student office assistant (OA) hiring and training
• Posts jobs on the institutional student job board. Prepares and submits work authorizations and approves timesheets.
• Assigns work and oversees progress, providing input and guidance as needed

Other duties as assigned

Qualifications

• High School diploma required; BA/BS/BFA preferred
• 1 years of experience in previous administrative positions 
• Strong organization and communication abilities
• Ability to work well with students, faculty and staff
• Ability to handle multiple projects and priorities
• Ability to work with and adapt to a variety of software and systems

Physical Requirements

• Sitting and standing required
• Some evening and/or weekend work may be required
• Occasional lifting of objects up to 25 lbs.

Compensation & Benefits

Please click on the links below to view our competitive, comprehensive benefits package:  

• Hiring Range

The expected hiring range is an estimated amount for positions based on the grade. Final offers are based on various factors, including skill set, experience, qualifications and other job-related reasons. 

• Benefits        
• PTO Overview
• Job Classification: Non-Exempt
• Employment Category: Full-time
• Grade Level: 5

If you are accessing this listing from a third party, not all links to salary and benefits information may work. Please visit our career page at saic/artic.edu/employment for complete information

Application Instructions

Please submit your resume and cover letter to be considered for this position.

Union

This position is part of a bargaining unit represented by AFSCME Council 31.

Accessibility

If you are a job seeker with a disability and require a reasonable accommodation to apply for one of our jobs, you will find the contact information to request the appropriate accommodation by visiting the following page:

Accessibility Accommodation for Applicants

Equal Opportunity Statement

The Art Institute of Chicago is an Equal Opportunity Employer that recruits, hires and promotes qualified individuals compliant with federal and state laws. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact the Department of Human Resources at  apply_help@artic.edu.