Administrative Assistant, School of Art

Department: Col of Visual and Performing Arts

Classification: GMU Worker

Job Category: Part-Time / Hourly Wage

Location: Fairfax, VA

Workplace Type: On Site Required

Sponsorship Eligibility: Not eligible for visa sponsorship

Salary: Salary commensurate with education and experience

Criminal Background Check: Yes

About the Department:

George Mason University's School of Art is housed in an award-winning, 88,000 square-foot facility in Fairfax, VA, with gallery, graduate studios, and fully equipped studios across painting and drawing, photography, sculpture, printmaking and book arts, new media, and design. The School offers BA, BFA, and MFA programs, an MAT in Art Education, an MA and Certificate in Graphic Design, an undergraduate Honors Program, and ten minors. It supports more than 50 faculty and staff and over 700 students, with an emphasis on interdisciplinary research, socially-engaged practices, student agency, and collaborative community projects.

About the Position:

The Administrative Assistant is the operational anchor of the School of Art office and the first point of contact for the School. This is a hands-on role for an experienced administrative professional who can run the daily operations of a busy academic office with minimal direction: managing complex scheduling, processing purchases in compliance with university and state policy, coordinating events and visitor experience, maintaining the School's systems and communications, and working within an academic unit with over 50 faculty and staff and over 700 students. The position calls for judgment, discretion, and follow-through.

Responsibilities:
Office Operations and Purchasing

• Monitors and triages the AVT email account, responding and routing as needed;
• Maintains the organization and readiness of the front desk, conference room, and shared administrative spaces;
• Processes purchases on a university purchasing card and reimbursements in full compliance with university and state policy, and allocates and documents transactions accurately;
• Processes food and beverage requests, and manages office supply inventory and reordering;
• Coordinates vendor paperwork, quotes, and routine procurement steps, routing items requiring approval to the Director or designated approver;
• Supports contract and vendor documentation and tracking; and
• Maintains accurate records and files, and handles sensitive information with discretion.

Scheduling, Coordination, and Systems

• Coordinates logistics for meetings and School events;
• Manages complex scheduling across faculty, staff, and reservable spaces, resolving conflicts independently;
• Reserves School spaces using 25Live and assists with coordinating advising appointments using Navigate Mason; and
• Supports Director and Advisors with data entry and submission of adjunct faculty assignments.

Visitor Experience, Tours, and Communications

• Greets and assists students, staff, faculty, vendors, and visitors, and answers and directs office phones professionally;
• Schedules and occasionally leads guest tours of the School of Art, representing the School to prospective students and visitors;
• Generates room charts, posts and removes building signage, and unlocks classrooms; and
• Maintains the listserv and distribution lists, and assists with distribution of program related reports for internal and external audiences.

Other Related Duties

• Performs other related administrative tasks as assigned by the Director.

Required Qualifications:

These qualifications are required. Applicants should demonstrate a track record of independent administrative work, not simply exposure to it.

• Demonstrated ability to independently manage the daily operations of a busy office, prioritizing and following through on competing demands with minimal supervision;
• Demonstrated proficiency with MS Office, including Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, and Word, at a level that includes building and maintaining spreadsheets and formatting professional documents;
• Demonstrated experience processing purchases in compliance with formal financial policies and procedures;
• Demonstrated skill managing complex calendars and scheduling systems and resolving conflicts independently;
• Strong written and verbal communication skill, including professional correspondence and triage of a shared email account;
• Proven ability to handle confidential and sensitive information with discretion;
• Demonstrated problem-solving ability and sound judgment in a fast-paced environment; and
• Ability to schedule and lead guest tours and to provide responsive, professional customer service to a diverse community.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in a higher education or government setting;
• Proficiency with 25Live and Navigate;
• Proficiency with Adobe Creative Cloud products; and
• Experience supporting events in an academic or arts organization.

Instructions to Applicants:

For full consideration, applicants must apply for Administrative Assistant, School of Art at https://jobs.gmu.edu/. Complete and submit the online application to include three professional references with contact information, and provide a Cover Letter/Letter of Intent with Resume for review.

Posting Open Date: August 3, 2026

Posting Close Date: August 16, 2026

Open Until Filled: No

Mason Ad Statement

George Mason University is a nationally ranked R1 research university committed to creating a more just, free, and prosperous world. With 40,000 enrolled students, George Mason is the largest and most diverse public research university in Virginia, offering degree programs at the master's, doctoral, and professional level, along with certificates and credentials.

George Mason fosters an All Together Different environment for students, faculty, and staff, driven by our core beliefs. We believe in inclusivity over exclusivity; we believe in advancing our mission by being willing to take risks, not avoiding them; and we believe our best work is possible when we apply our diversity of origin, identity, circumstance, and thought.

Equity Statement

George Mason University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, committed to promoting inclusion and equity in its community. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or veteran status, or any characteristic protected by law.

Campus Safety Information

Mason's Annual Security and Fire Safety Report is available at http://police.gmu.edu/annual-security-report/