Administrative Assistant

The College of Social Sciences and Humanities (CSSH) combines Northeastern University’s signature approach to experiential learning with liberal arts education, interdisciplinary research, and community engagement, both locally and globally. 

The College comprises 20 academic units, including two schools, eight departments, and ten interdisciplinary programs, as well as 15 research centers and institutes. Our faculty connects liberal arts education with the challenges of our time, and fosters ethical reasoning and critical thought, with attention to the enduring significance of history, literature, and culture.  CSSH promotes inquiry with global perspectives across interdisciplinary clusters of expertise including: Artificial Intelligence, Resilience, Sustainability, Health, and Equity; Cultural studies, Governance, and Globalization; and Network Science, Computational Social Science, Digital Humanities, and Data Ethics. 

At the College of Social Sciences and Humanities (CSSH), we believe that a culture of belonging, where every faculty member, staff member, and student feels empowered, respected, and connected, strengthens our shared pursuit of knowledge. 

Reporting to the College Executive Assistant, the Administrative Assistant will join an administrative team and provide administrative support to one or more units. This role will primarily be assigned to support the Office of Student Academic Affairs and will be the front-line contact for the College regarding undergraduate inquiries, requests for information, and appointments with advisors. The Administrative Assistant serves as a liaison between students and University offices to provide accurate information and excellent customer service in helping students navigate their way through processes and procedures across the College and University. This role will work with students and parents on the phone, via e-mail, and in person.  

Duties include maintaining a welcoming office atmosphere, providing immediate response to student needs,  managing work study students, ensuring appropriate front desk coverage, organizing and scheduling appointments and meetings, answering phones, email communications, maintaining office operations, ensuring accurate and confidential recordkeeping, inputting data into central systems, and troubleshooting meeting technology 

The Administrative Assistant will assist with events and programming. This role is on campus five days per week due to the support needed for the team, students, parents, and visitors.  

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities
Customer Service

• Serves as a key point of contact for inquiries about programs, policies, and processes in one or more department/program

• Acquires and applies department knowledge to provide information for routine matters and escalate more serious matters

• Provides front desk coverage and coordinates work study student schedules to ensure appropriate coverage, customer service, and support are always available during needed hours (typically Monday-Friday, 9am – 5pm)
   

Administrative and Operational Support

• Organizes and schedules meetings

• Tracks and maintains unit budgets

• Maintains office equipment, generates purchase orders, reconciles corporate credit cards, files documents, sorts mail, answers department telephones and e-mail, and orders office supplies.

Data Gathering, Analysis & Reporting

• Gathers, organizes, and reviews data from a variety of sources for recordkeeping, reporting, and program management
   

Events

• Assists with the planning of events and coordination of activities needed to hold workshops, conferences, and seminars