Senior Staff Assistant - Office of Provost & VP - Academic Affairs

In the Office of the Provost and Senior Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Senior Staff Assistant provides strategic and operational support for key functions and services. This role works closely with the Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Development and serves as a liaison across a range of offices and initiatives.

This position also supports strategic initiatives within the Provost's Office by coordinating implementation, tracking progress, and ensuring the timely advancement of key priorities. Reporting to the Senior Associate Vice President/Chief of Staff, the Faculty Development Specialist collaborates regularly with the Associate Vice Provosts and the Assistant Vice President for Administration. The incumbent will routinely interact with members of the University Senate who are on the Council for Promotion and Continuing Appointment, Deans Leadership Team and Department Chairs.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Faculty Development Support:
  • Coordinate faculty personnel processes for tenure-track faculty, including tenure, promotion, and term renewals, in collaboration with the Office of Human Resources and academic units.
  • Support the Council on Promotion and Continuing Appointment (CPCA) by coordinating meetings, preparing materials, documenting outcomes and drafting summary reports, following up with Deans staff and Department Chairs on any concerns.
  • Administer faculty-related programs and initiatives, including Joint Labor Management programs (e.g., Drescher).
  • Oversee data collection, management, and tracking of faculty personnel processes, and provide reports as needed.
  • Maintain secure, auditable records of faculty promotions and contract renewals.
• General Operational Support:
  • Support the daily operations of the Provost's Office, including managing operational procedures, communications and routing inquiries.
  • Serve as a liaison with campus partners, facilitating communication and collaboration across Academic Affairs and administrative units.
  • Contribute to institutional initiatives, including reporting, committee support, and special projects.
  • Identify and implement opportunities to streamline workflows and enhance efficiency within faculty support processes.
  • Facilitate clear communication with faculty, department chairs, and university offices about policies, procedures, and deadlines.
  • Review and process voluntary appointments.
  • Provide administrative support for Provost office procedures related to faculty searches.
• Oversee the Work-Study Process for the Provosts Office
  • Serve as the liaison with the Office of Financial Aid Work-Study unit.
  • Create and post adds and hire Work-Study Students.
  • Supervise Work-Study students.
• Oversee the Provost Office Self-Study Process
  • Update SMART goal progress annually.
  • Draft the Self-Study and Self-Study report updates.
  • Coordinate data collection and reporting related to strategic priorities, including annual SMART goal tracking and self-study updates.
• Office Operations:
  • Represent Academic Affairs on the University Incident Management Team (IMT) and support emergency preparedness, response efforts, and continuity planning.
  • Update the Provost Office Continuity Plan/Documentation annually.
  • Coordinate annual updates to the electronic Faculty Handbook.
  • Develop and maintain the Provost Office Standard Operating Procedures Manual.
  • Serve as the AA Sustainability Committee liaison with the Sustainability Office.
• Other Reasonable Duties as Assigned

Functional and Supervisory Relationships:

• Reports to: Senior Associate Vice President and Chief of Staff for Academic Affairs
• Supervises the following positions: Work-Study Student(s)

Job Requirements:

• Strong oral, written, and organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and maintain accurate records.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Outlook, Word, and Excel.
• Ability to handle confidential, personal, and sensitive information with a high degree of discretion, professionalism, and adherence to privacy requirements.
• A range of skills to build trust with staff, faculty and administrators, and communicate effectively and confidentially with a range of stakeholders.
• Capacity to bring rigor and care to complex, high-stakes processes.
• Ability to serve as a trusted resource for faculty concerns, conflict resolution, and academic personnel matters, fostering a respectful and professional culture.
• Applicants must demonstrate an ability to develop inclusive and equitable relationships within our diverse campus community.
• Applicants must demonstrate an ability to support diversity, equity, access, inclusion, and belonging relative to their role.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree from a college or University accredited by the US Department of Education or an internationally recognized accrediting organization.
• 3 to 4 years of relevant professional experience such as project management, handling confidential personnel matters, developing and updating procedures, working with multiple constituencies.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree from a college or University accredited by the US Department of Education or an internationally recognized accrediting organization.
• Professional experience working within higher education.
• Experience with PeopleSoft.
• Experience with Business Intelligence (BI) software.

Working Environment:

• Typical office environment

This is a promotional opportunity for current UAlbany employees.

Eligibility for Consideration:

• You must be employed at the University at Albany campus.
• You must be in a State-funded UUP professional position (MC employees are not eligible).
• You must have a permanent, term, or probationary appointment. Only temporary employees employed by UAlbany for three or more consecutive years can be considered eligible.

For details concerning the University's Promotion Policy for Professional Employees, please see HR Memorandum 88-4.

Professional Rank and Salary Grade: Senior Staff Assistant, SL3, $68,000-72,000.

Special Note: Visa sponsorship is not available for this position. If you currently need sponsorship or will need it in the future to maintain employment authorization, you do not meet eligibility requirements. Additionally, please note that UAlbany is not an E-Verify employer.

The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, or Clery Act, mandates that all Title IV institutions, without exception, prepare, publish and distribute an Annual Security Report. This report consists of two basic parts: disclosure of the University's crime statistics for the past three years; and disclosures regarding the University's current campus security policies. The University at Albany's Annual Security Report is available in portable document format [PDF] by clicking this link http://police.albany.edu/ASR.shtml

Pursuant to New York Labor Law §194-a, the University will not seek, request, or rely upon an applicant's wage or salary history in determining whether to interview, hire, or establish compensation for an applicant. Applicants are not required to provide wage or salary history information as a condition of employment consideration. Salary history may only be verified in the limited circumstances permitted by law.

If you have a disability and require a reasonable accommodation to participate in the application process, including interviews, please contact Rhonda Haines, the University's Designee for Reasonable Accommodations (DRA) in the Office of Human Resources, at rlhaines@albany.edu or (518) 437-4700; requests for accommodation will be considered in accordance with applicable law.

THE UNIVERSITY AT ALBANY IS AN EO/AA/IRCA/ADA EMPLOYER

Please apply online via http://albany.interviewexchange.com/candapply.jsp?JOBID=205818