Job Details
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Posting Number: STA00693PO26
Job Family: Administrative Support
Job Function: Administrative Services
USC Market Title: Administrative Assistant
Link to USC Market Title: https://uscjobs.sc.edu/titles/131895
Job Level: A3 - Administrative/Operational Support
Business Title (Internal Title): Assistant to the Department Chair
Campus: Columbia
Work County: Richland
College/Division: College of Arts and Sciences
Department: CAS Biological Sciences
State Pay Range: G06
USC Market Range: MRC - $41,073 $50,315 $59,556
Anticipated Hiring Range: We offer a competitive salary and benefits package.
Part/Full Time: Full Time
Hours per Week: 37.5
Work Schedule:
- Monday – Friday, 8:30am – 5:00pm with one hour for lunch.
- Must be willing to work a flexible schedule to meet the needs of the department.
Basis: 12 months
Job Search Category: Administrative
About University of South Carolina:
From the Upstate to the Lowcountry, the University of South Carolina system is transforming the lives of South Carolinians through the impact of our eight institutions and 20 locations throughout the state. More than 50,000 students are enrolled at one of eight institutions, including the research campus in Columbia and comprehensive four-year universities in Aiken, Upstate and Beaufort. In addition, our Palmetto College campuses in Salkehatchie, Union, Lancaster and Sumter enable students to earn associate or bachelor’s degrees through a combination of in-person, online or blended learning. All of our system institutions place strong emphasis on service — helping to build healthier, more educated communities in South Carolina and beyond.
Veterans' Preference Statement:
The University of South Carolina is committed to equal opportunity and proudly values the skills and experience military veterans bring to our workforce. Across South Carolina, we are making veterans a priority for employment and recognize their vital contributions to our state and our communities.
Advertised Job Summary:
The Administrative Assistant plays a key role in supporting the leadership and daily operations of the Department of Biological Sciences, serving as the confidential assistant to the Department Chair and a central administrative resource for faculty, staff, students, and visitors.
This position manages a variety of high-level administrative responsibilities, including coordinating the Chair’s calendar and meetings, preparing and maintaining confidential correspondence and records, providing guidance on University and state policies and procedures, and supporting efficient office operations. The Administrative Assistant also coordinates important faculty and academic processes, including faculty reviews, promotion materials, annual activity records, syllabi collection, and faculty meeting documentation.
In addition, this position plays an integral role in faculty recruitment and departmental engagement by coordinating candidate interviews and campus visits, travel arrangements and reimbursements, departmental seminars, guest speaker visits, social events, and related communications.
This position is ideal for a highly organized, resourceful, and service-oriented professional who enjoys working in a collaborative academic environment, managing multiple priorities, and providing exceptional administrative support. The Administrative Assistant also contributes to special projects and other initiatives that support the Department of Biological Sciences and the McCausland College of Arts & Sciences.
Job Related Minimum Required Education and Experience:
- Typically holds a high school diploma or GED. Requires 2 or more years of job related experience.
Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:
- Proficiency in MS Office (MS Excel and MS Word, in particular). Strong team player skills and the ability to work harmoniously with a diverse workforce is a must.
- Have writing skills sufficient to compose and edit a variety of documents using correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation, with the ability to pay close attention to detail and proofread work carefully.
- Good organizational, time management, customer service and problem-solving skills and the ability to work accurately and meet deadlines with frequent interruptions.
- Work requires initiative and independent judgment. Be proactive and creative, identifying process improvement opportunities. Ability to possess thorough knowledge of University Policy and Procedures.
- Can handle sensitive information with the highest degree of integrity and confidentiality.
Job Duty:
Coordinate logistics for tenure-track faculty recruitment and search activities. Maintain confidential applicant files and records for faculty searches, provide guidance regarding search procedures, coordinate candidate interviews and campus visits, arrange travel accommodations, process reimbursements, and support search committees throughout the recruitment process.
Essential Function: Yes
Percentage of Time: 20
Job Duty:
Coordinate and assist faculty with administrative and academic processes for the Department of Biological Sciences, including Tenure and Promotion, Peer Reviews for tenured, tenure-track, and professional-track faculty, Third-Year Review, Post-Tenure Review, Chaired Professorships, Outside Professional Activities, and the annual collection and management of Resumes of Activity. Maintain departmental academic records through the collection of course syllabi, preparation of faculty review materials, and documentation of faculty meetings through accurate meeting minutes.
Essential Function: Yes
Percentage of Time: 30
Job Duty:
Serve as the confidential assistant to the Department Chair by managing the Chair’s calendar, scheduling appointments and meetings, screening calls and visitors, and coordinating daily administrative operations. Advise the Chair on University and state policies and procedures, prepare and edit correspondence, reports, and other documents, and exercise sound judgment in handling confidential matters. Oversee departmental office operations including mail distribution, room reservations, meeting coordination, and problem resolution to ensure efficient departmental operations.
Essential Function: Yes
Percentage of Time: 30
Job Duty:
Coordinate departmental seminars, speaker visits, and special events by arranging travel, lodging, reimbursements, room reservations, and event logistics. Assist faculty with seminar scheduling, advertising, and the preparation and distribution of seminar, meeting, and event announcements to faculty, staff, students, and external participants. Organize departmental social functions, including catering arrangements, room setup and cleanup, and payment or reimbursement processing for related expenses.
Essential Function: Yes
Percentage of Time: 15
Job Duty:
Contribute to the overall success of the Department of Biological Sciences and the McCausland College of Arts and Sciences by performing additional duties, special projects, and responsibilities as assigned.
Essential Function: Yes
Percentage of Time: 5
Safety Sensitive or Security Sensitive: No
Hazardous weather category: Non-Essential
Number of Vacancies: 1
Desired Start Date: 11/01/2026
Job Open Date: 09/17/2026
Job Close Date: 11/01/2026
Open Until Filled: No
Special Instructions to Applicant:
Positions are advertised for a minimum of five (5) business days on our job website. After five (5) business days, positions can be closed at the discretion of the department at any time. This employment site is updated on a regular basis. The length of the recruitment and screening process may vary from position to position, depending upon a variety of factors. Should review of your qualifications result in a decision to pursue your candidacy, you will be contacted by phone or email. We are only accepting applications submitted by November 01, 2026. The University of South Carolina offers a valuable benefits package including but not limited to:
- Health and Life Insurance
- Retirement Programs
- Paid Tuition
- Dependent Scholarships
- Annual Leave
- Sick Leave
- 13 Paid Holidays (including an extended December holiday)
- Paid Parental Leave
- Professional Development Opportunities
Click here to learn more about why you should work at USC.
Quicklink for Posting: https://uscjobs.sc.edu/postings/213287
EEO Statement:
The University of South Carolina does not discriminate in employment opportunities or decisions for qualified persons on the basis of age, ancestry, citizenship status, color, disability, ethnicity, familial status, gender, gender identity or expression, genetic information, military status, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other protected category under applicable law.
Organization
Working at University of South Carolina
With more than 200 years of history and tradition, the University of South Carolina is redefining itself for decades to come. There's never been a better time to be at South Carolina, the state's flagship university and one of only 62 public universities to receive the Carnegie Foundation's highest designation for research.
The University is located in the heart of South Carolina in the capital city of Columbia, which is the nexus of government, a thriving arts and culture center, a venue for big-time Southeastern Conference intercollegiate athletics, and a community that is reinventing itself with redevelopment projects citywide. Much of the development is tied to land along the scenic, slow-moving Congaree River. Working with government, business, and community leaders, Carolina has developed a unified plan that will allow the University to expand from its origins on the historic Horseshoe to its future-Innovista, a research and innovation district that will stretch to the banks of the Congaree.
Innovista represents a new vision for research by creating a vibrant, urban community where students and researchers, including those from private firms, will live, work, learn, and play. Innovista will represent the University's four core research areas-hydrogen fuel cells, nanoscience and technology, biomedical and public health, and the environment-but will include other initiatives and business partners that serve the knowledge economy. Innovista's first private tenant, for example, is a leader in software applications for the insurance industry and will create several hundred high-paying jobs.
By attracting similar companies and jobs-and by capitalizing on an attractive location for restaurants and residential and retail space-Innovista will help drive the economy and increase per-capita income in the city and state. Recreational space will include a world-class waterfront park along the Congaree River and a new stadium for the Gamecocks' nationally ranked baseball program. Greenway paths for biking, walking, and running already line much of the river area. Innovista's 8 million square feet will blend seamlessly with the Vista, the city's nearby entertainment district of restaurants, bars, shops, and art galleries.
Chartered in 1801, Carolina began classes in 1805 with nine students and a single building, Rutledge College. As the campus grew and buildings were added during the next 50 years, a horseshoe layout was adopted. Today, the Horseshoe is on the National Register of Historic Places, with 10 of its 11 buildings dating to the 19th century. Those renovated buildings house, among other areas, the South Carolina Honors College and Undergraduate Admissions, representing much of the University's current and future lifeblood.
In fact, incoming freshman classes have never been larger or more competitive. The freshmen from fall 2006 set records for their size (more than 3,700) and SAT scores (1171 average). Freshmen enrolling in the Honors College had average SAT scores of 1398. Members of the University's prestigious scholarship programs, Carolina Scholars for in-state students and McNair Scholars for out-of-state students, had average scores of 1449 and 1477, respectively. Total enrollment at Carolina for undergraduates and graduates is more than 27,300, with some 350 degree programs to choose from. Since 1994, Carolina students have earned more than $9.9 million in prestigious national scholarships such as the Goldwater, Truman, Rhodes, and NSF scholarships and the Fulbright Fellowships.
South Carolina's student body is diverse. In fact, Carolina was recently recognized as the state flagship university with the highest percentage of African-American student enrollment in the nation. Research by the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education shows African-American students made up 14.7 percent of enrollment in 2004, the latest year available. The JBHE also ranks Carolina eighth in the nation in percentage of African-American faculty at a state flagship university with 4.3 percent.
The University's faculty garnered a record $173.3 million in federal, state, and private funding for research, outreach, and training programs in 2005-06, and several key hiring plans will introduce more talent and expertise to the faculty ranks. An aggressive campus building master plan and the faculty recruiting initiatives will change the collective face of the University and the faces of many of its key teachers and researchers.
South Carolina is recruiting world-class faculty to be endowed chairs-and change agents-for a series of "research centers of economic excellence" in areas such as nanoelectronics, polymer nanocomposites, brain imaging, regenerative medicine, cancer therapeutics, drug discovery, vision research, hydrogen fuel cells, and travel and tourism technology. These centers, some in collaboration with other state research universities and health and hospital systems, are funded with $30 million annually in state lottery money, as well as private matching money. Carolina is in the midst of a faculty recruitment plan to hire 600 new members. The Faculty Excellence Initiative is recruiting 150 faculty, many in interdisciplinary clusters of emphasis, while the Centenary Plan will recruit 100 elite research faculty to lead the University's core initiatives. Additionally, 350 faculty will be hired across disciplines to replace retirees over the next few years.
The University has forged a number of international collaborations in research, and the University's global connections are also strong in academics, particularly in international business. U.S. News & World Report has consistently ranked the Moore School of Business best in the nation for its undergraduate and graduate programs in international business; the undergraduate program is No. 1 for the 10th consecutive time, while the graduate program is No. 1 among public universities for the 18th consecutive year and No. 2 overall, continuing a streak of 18 years with a top-two overall ranking.
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