Career Center

Swarthmore College is a highly selective liberal arts college located in the suburbs of Philadelphia, whose mission combines academic rigor with social responsibility. Swarthmore has a strong institutional commitment to inclusive excellence and nondiscrimination in its educational program and employment practices and encourages candidates who will further advance the goal of fostering a diverse and inclusive community. As one of the nation’s finest institutions of higher learning, Swarthmore College is global in outlook and draws students from around the nation and world. The 425‐acre campus is a designated arboretum, complete with gardens, rolling lawns, a creek, wooded hills, and hiking trails in the Crum Woods. Swarthmore College was recently ranked number 3 in the 2021 US News Best National Liberal Arts Colleges rankings - https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/swarthmore-college-3370.

The Administrative Assistant II high-level administrative support to the following: Associate Dean and Director of Student Engagement, Director for Residential Life, Director of Student Activities & Leadership, Assistant Director for Student Activities & Leadership, and the Office of Student Engagement.

Among other responsibilities, the Administrative Assistant II handles queries from students, staff, parents and members of the public related to Residential Life, Student Activities, the OSE and the Dean of Students Division. The Administrative Assistant II maintains a high level of confidentiality, professionalism and attention to detail. Must provide a demonstrated ability to work with highly confidential and time-sensitive material. Projects managed with a great deal of autonomy including those referenced below.

Essential Responsibilities:
GENERAL ADMINISTRATIVE TASKS
• Answers departmental emails and main OSE phone in a prompt and courteous fashion, in order to respond to callers’ inquiries, route calls to appropriate persons, and take accurate messages. Forwards emails to appropriate parties and ensures that follow-up is taken on general inquiries.
• Greets office visitors in such a way as to promote a positive and professional departmental image
• Maintains calendar for Associate Dean and Director of Student Engagement regarding appointments with students, campus colleagues, or other constituents and occasionally arranges ad hoc meetings, contacting, scheduling, and confirming places and times.
• When appropriate, provides scheduling assistance to the Director for Residential Communities, Director of Student Activities & Leadership, and Assistant Director for Student Activities & Leadership.
• Advises Divisional staff, campus departments and students on proper procedures and policies, in order to ensure appropriate requirements are met for event registration.
• Works cooperatively with dean’s office staff to help ensure smooth and positive functioning of the office.
• Maintains, on a daily or weekly basis, the Office of Student Engagement webpages, calendar, and FAQ pages. When necessary, identifies outdated web pages and refers to the appropriate staff for updating.
• Provide assistance to residential life staff in terms of data management, data entry, as well as helping address questions from students and families, as needed.
• Assists in scheduling, communication and setup of New Student Orientation program for students, including management of Orientation Guidebook Application.
• Maintains appropriate inventory and is responsible for the ordering of general office supplies and other items as needed.
• Work with student leaders on follow-through and plan logistics for campus events; supports new student event planners.
• Oversees the scheduling of the OSE Front Desk Workers. Partners with the Assistant Director and Directors to develop training materials for Desk Workers, and follows-up with students on outstanding questions or concerns during their shifts. Develops and Facilities OSE Office Training at the beginning of each semester.
• Strict adherence to confidentiality.
• Other duties as assigned in order to sustain and grow the Office of Student Engagement and Swarthmore College educational mission and goals.

STUDENT EMPLOYMENT
• Approves student timesheets on a bi-weekly basis and coordinates the hiring and termination of 300+ student employees in Job X and with Student Payroll. Follows up with students who are not following student employment processes and refers to supervisors as appropriate.
• Coordinates with student payroll to ensure that RPL stipend student employees are paid during the first pay period of each term.
• Reconciles timesheets of student supervisors (SwatTeam program, Paces, Swaudio, Event Assistants, etc) to ensure budget compliance
• Assists in the scheduling, room reservation, catering, and securing other supplies for OSE professional and student staff member searches.

EVENT MANAGEMENT AND SPACE RESERVATIONS
• Manages student space reservations through 25 Live, approving reservations in a timely fashion and communicating with campus partners about usage expectations
• Advises Events Office on student space reservation requests for campus-owned spaces
• Helps organize and coordinate campus traditions and events, including Orientation, Senior Week, Worthstock Weekend, LSE, Halloween and Winter Formal.
• Provides logistical support and resource requests for student organizations hosting events on campus; supports central purchasing needs for 140+ student organizations

BUDGET MANAGEMENT
• Completes, distributes, and monitors a variety of accounting documents, such as travel forms, internal requisitions, vouchers, receipts, and purchase orders in order to ensure appropriate billing, payment, and budget reconciliation.
• Maintains a College purchasing card and utilizes card to support programs; reconciles receipts in a timely fashion; seeks advisement for large purchases
• Maintains multiple College SBC purchasing card and utilizes cards to support student organization purchases
• Holds weekly office hours to provide purchasing support to more than 140 student organizations.
• Maintains equipment purchase log for items valued at more than $100
• Ensures that student purchases are in compliance with College rules and regulations
• Facilitates contacts and payment of invited speakers and performers, and student events
• Provide administrative support to the Assistant Director and Directors on all SBC matters, and provides co-advising to SBC manager and directors on issues related to contracting, payments, reimbursements, purchasing, and general budget management
• Supports Residential Community Coordinators, Assistant Directors and Associate Dean with p-card reconciliation and submission in order to meet monthly deadlines.

Required Qualifications:
• High school diploma or equivalent, with three to five years of job-related experience or an equivalent combination of education and/or experience.
• Must be able to work independently, with minimal oversight, on projects from conception to completion and must be able to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Must have demonstrated ability to handle a wide variety of activities and confidential matters with discretion and good judgment.
• Ability to maintain collegiality, flexibility, tact and good judgment in a busy office environment and have a keen attention to detail.
• Must possess an expert level of verbal and written communication in English.
• Extensive experience and proficiency with the Microsoft Office Suite of computer programs such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Ability to organize work, set priorities, and follow through on projects requiring meticulous attention to accuracy and detail.
• Demonstrated problem-solving and communication skills; ability to represent the Office of Student Engagement, Dean of Students Office and Division effectively to a wide variety of constituencies and audiences.
• Ability to exhibit emotional maturity, reliability, composure, and stability under pressure in order to handle on-the-job challenges.
• A sense of humor is key.
• Occasionally works authorized overtime as business needs require in order to complete projects or meet heavy demand.
• Some weekend and evening hours may be required.

Preferred Qualifications:
• Baccalaureate degree.
• Ability to review office budget and track financial performance across the Office of Student Engagement
• Experience working in a higher education setting.
• Previous experience with 25 Live, Job X, Banner, Argos, Maxient, Drupal, and other Swarthmore data management systems.

For full consideration, submit applications including resume and cover letter with salary expectations by February 14, 2022.

Swarthmore College actively seeks and welcomes applications from candidates with exceptional qualifications, particularly those with demonstrable commitments to a more inclusive society and world. Swarthmore College is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply.