Position Description
About the Mechanical Engineering Department:
The Mechanical Engineering Department provides a rigorous
engineering education emphasizing technical excellence, hands-on
learning, design, experimentation, research, and professional
development. The Administrative Assistant is an integral member of
the department, supporting students and faculty while helping
ensure efficient academic and administrative operations.
The Mechanical Engineering Department seeks a highly organized,
proactive, and service-oriented Administrative Assistant to provide
comprehensive support to the Department Chair, faculty, staff, and
students. As a primary point of contact for the department, this
position requires excellent communication and organizational
skills, attention to detail, sound judgment, discretion, and the
ability to manage multiple priorities independently.
This is a full-time, in-person, non-remote position
.
Job Responsibilities
- Serve as a primary point of contact for students, faculty,
staff, visitors, and external partners; respond to inquiries and
direct students to appropriate University resources, forms, and
processes.
Provide administrative support to the Department Chair and
faculty; coordinate departmental workflow, calendars, records,
meetings, room scheduling, meeting minutes, and
communications.
Support ABET accreditation, program assessment, and continuous
improvement by assisting faculty with collecting, organizing,
maintaining, and archiving required documentation and data .
Provide administrative and logistical support for Mechanical
Engineering laboratories, senior design/capstone activities,
presentations, seminars, advisory board meetings, student
competitions, faculty and student research activities, and
departmental events.
Process purchase requisitions, invoices, reimbursements, travel
arrangements, and check requests; assist with budget tracking and
reconciliation and coordinate purchasing through systems such as
Unimarket.
Maintain inventories of departmental supplies, equipment, and
furniture; coordinate facilities, maintenance, textbook, desk-copy,
laboratory, instructional, and course-related requests.
Assist with faculty advising assignments, student records,
syllabi, office hours, enrollment information, and other
departmental academic records.
Support faculty and adjunct searches, including applicant
files, candidate schedules, travel and accommodations,
presentations, meals, interview logistics, recommendation letters,
and appointment forms.
Supervise student workers and graduate assistants, including
work assignments, timesheet approvals, and related administrative
processes.
Maintain organized electronic files and paperless processes
using Microsoft Office, shared drives, e-signature platforms,
Banner, Coursedog, Moodle, Unimarket, and other University
systems.
Help maintain the department’s social media presence by sharing
and promoting events, activities, and student and faculty
accomplishments.
Handle confidential student, personnel, search, and budget
information with discretion; provide general technical and
administrative support and perform other duties as assigned.
Requirements
- Associate's degree or vocational/technical school degree and a
minimum of three years of administrative experience.
- Excellent written and verbal communication, interpersonal,
customer-service, organizational, time-management, and
attention-to-detail skills.
- Ability to manage competing priorities, meet deadlines,
exercise sound judgment, maintain confidentiality, and work
independently with limited supervision.
- Strong proficiency with Microsoft Office, shared drives,
e-signature platforms, and email/calendar systems.
- Ability to quickly and independently learn currently used or
new digital tools and institutional systems such as Banner,
Coursedog, Moodle, and Unimarket.
Supplemental Information
Preferred:
- Bachelor's degree; experience in an engineering, STEM,
laboratory, or higher-education environment.
- Experience with purchasing, budgets, academic events, faculty
searches, accreditation, assessment, or institutional
reporting.
- Familiarity with ABET accreditation or willingness to learn
accreditation-related administrative requirements.