Program Assistant (Department Operations Assistant) - College of Nursing

Hiring Department: Academic Department Operations

Location: Chicago, IL USA

Requisition ID: 1041552

FTE: 1

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday

Shift: Days

# of Positions: 2

Workplace Type: On-Site

Posting Close Date: June 30, 2026

Salary Range (commensurate with experience): $30.76 - 35.89 / Hourly Wage

About The University Of Illinois Chicago

UIC is among the nation’s preeminent urban public research universities, a Carnegie RU/VH research institution, and the largest university in Chicago. UIC serves over 34,000 students, comprising one of the most diverse student bodies in the nation and is designated as a Minority Serving Institution (MSI), an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPSI) and a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). Through its 16 colleges, UIC produces nationally and internationally recognized multidisciplinary academic programs in concert with civic, corporate and community partners worldwide, including a full complement of health sciences colleges. By emphasizing cutting-edge and transformational research along with a commitment to the success of all students, UIC embodies the dynamic, vibrant and engaged urban university. Recent “Best Colleges” rankings published by U.S. News & World Report, found UIC climbed up in its rankings among top public schools in the nation and among all national universities. UIC has nearly 260,000 alumni, and is one of the largest employers in the city of Chicago.

This position is intended to be eligible for benefits . This includes Health, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, a Retirement Plan, Paid time Off, and Tuition waivers for employees and dependents.

Under administrative direction, this position performs professional-level duties devoted to the effective operations and project management functions for the academic departments under a shared services model within the College. The program assistant coordinates logistics and completes activities to meet unit needs across operational, procurement, and office management functions, as well as strategic planning priorities. Demonstrated experience and strong knowledge of general office practices and procedures, administrative concepts and methods, and the ability to work independently and exercise judgment when analyzing and investigating a variety of questions or problems is required. This position requires regular and consistent on-site presence at the Chicago campus during regular business hours.

Duties & Responsibilities:

Department Operations Management

• Provides support to the Director of Academic Department Operations and department heads, implementing solutions to issues and performing professional support tasks to ensure effective unit operations related to purchasing, contracting, office management, and employee support
• Coordinates logistics and completes tasks for annual department elections (recruitment, balloting, data management, correspondence), faculty and staff compliance (tracking, recordkeeping, communication), external affiliations (tracking, updating, troubleshooting), and employee onboarding and offboarding processes for all department-affiliated employees
• Manages ticketing system and Help Desk email, responding to requests, managing information and records, and facilitating proactive solutions to issues
• Manages facilities and space management matters for assigned units, initiating and managing time sensitive requests, coordinating personnel and equipment moves, and overseeing complex projects
• Assumes responsibility for physical and digital recordkeeping of complex and confidential files and documents across unit activities; assists leadership in formulating and implementing policies for efficient and appropriate data management (current work product, personnel files, historic records, financial data, etc.)
• Plans and executes recurring and ad hoc events and meetings across multiple campuses involving internal and external stakeholders; responsible for locating and securing meeting space, facilitating all event requirements, managing attendee needs, and internal and external communication
  
  

Purchasing

• Coordinates, completes, and reconciles purchases of goods and services for assigned units, including P- and T-card transactions, purchase orders, contracts, direct payments, honorariums, cash advances, direct payments, and reimbursements for all department-affiliated employees and projects
• Maintains accurate and timely financial records; assists with budget functions including reporting, budgeting, and expense tracking for multiple funds types (State, ICR, self-supporting, gift, etc.)
• Develops training materials and best practices for purchasing policies and standard operating procedures; respond to inquires and train faculty, staff, and students on best practices and policies
• Arranges business travel for department-affiliated employees (flights, accommodations, transportation, registrations, misc. expenses, etc.)
  
  

Office Management

• Manages front office operations for assigned units including supply and equipment inventory (tracking, ordering, distributing); mailing and shipping via intercampus mail, UPS, and postal service; creates and manages room reservations; plans and completes phonebook updates (PbUpdate, DeptUpdate, external affiliates, directory management); and troubleshoots office equipment and arranges maintenance (copy machine, printers, computers, AV equipment, telecom systems, and related devices)
• Provides assistance to faculty to meet operational goals, as needed (proctoring exams, document creation, unlocking rooms, basic research, etc.)
• Performs other related duties and participates in special projects within a shared services environment, as assigned.
  
  

Minimum Qualifications Required:

• Bachelor’s degree.
  
  

Preferred Qualifications:

• At least two (2) or more years of experience in purchasing, project management, academic administration, and/or office management.
• Two or more years of professional work experience.
• At least two (2) or more years of experience processing transactions in Banner, iBuy, and/or Enterprise Emburse (employee expense management systems).
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Excel proficiency (pull and input data to/from spreadsheets to track purchases, approvals, payments, and other fiscal/operations data; filter, sort, and perform calculations to record and report on expenses, expense trends, and projections)
• Word proficiency (create, edit, and correct multi-source communications, graphic-heavy flyers, forms, and reference documents)
• Skills: MS Office suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Google Docs, Box, Qualtrics
  
  

To Apply: For fullest consideration click on the Apply Now button, please fully complete all sections of the online application including adding your full work history with specific details of your duties & responsibilities for each position held. Fully complete the education, licensure, certification and language sections. You may upload a resume, cover letter, certifications, licensures, transcripts and diplomas within the application.

Please note that once you have submitted your application you will not be able to make any changes. In order to revise your application you must withdraw and reapply. You will not be able to reapply after the posting close date. Please ensure the application is fully completed and all supporting documents have been uploaded before the posting close date. Illinois Residency is required within 180 days of employment.

The University of Illinois System is an equal opportunity employer, including but not limited to disability and/or veteran status, and complies with all applicable state and federal employment mandates. Please visit Required Employment Notices and Posters to view our non-discrimination statement and find additional information about required background checks, sexual harassment/misconduct disclosures, and employment eligibility review through E-Verify.

The university provides accommodations to applicants and employees. Request an Accommodation

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools may be used in some portions of the candidate review process for this position, however, all employment decisions will be made by a person.