CUNY Office Assistant (Provisional) - Financial Aid Office

GENERAL DUTIES

Assignment Level 1, 2 and 3 - Under supervision, performs office or secretarial work in various units, following relevant departmental, College, and University procedures. Typical duties are outlined below:

Documentation and Information

• Types and prints materials such as letters, memoranda, forms, purchase orders and vouchers, using typewriter/word processor/personal computers and all peripheral equipment.
• Proofreads typed material for accuracy, correcting errors as necessary.
• Uses commercial office software packages in typing, data entry, filing, updating files, and preparing various reports.
• Collects information or data from various sources; files and retrieves books, documents and/or data as needed. Updates existing files.
• Creates filing systems.
• Maintains departmental records; keeps separate confidential records when instructed.
• Retrieves and formats computerized data.
• With proper training, may take dictation and transcribe notes (written or recorded).
• Prepares and proposes various forms, e.g., financial aid applications, personnel papers and other college forms.

Communications and Customer Service

• Provides information, as directed, to faculty, students, employees, and the general public.
• Responds to routine inquires regarding departmental affairs.
• Answers telephone calls; screens incoming calls and forwards/refers calls; assists in maintaining up-to-date mailing and telephone directories.
• Provides receptionist services; sets up appointments; keeps calendars; refers students, faculty, other CUNY employees and general public to proper areas or persons.
• Furnishes information on the department’s rules and regulations, when authorized.
• Assists with arrangements for special events (e.g., conferences, reservations of rooms, travel arrangements, catering services, informing the relevant departments/units, etc.)
• Interviews and supervises College Assistants, College Work Study Students, Student Aides, Summer Interns, Volunteers, etc.
• Assists in training new employees in various office duties/use of office machines.
• Communicates with other academic or administrative departments or outside agencies to expedite the processing of work.

Transaction Processing

• Prepares routine reports, including drafts, using information received from various sources.
• Receives and processes financial transactions following prescribed procedures (e.g., tuition payments, library fines).
• Processes purchase orders and supply orders; verifies deliveries.
• Verifies inventory and supplies reports on request.
• Completes Time & Leave calculations and keeps up-to-date records.
• Assists supervisors in specialized office functions, e.g., fingerprinting, I-9, reference and background checking, unemployment insurance.
• Calculates payroll figures; verifies amounts on financial forms; prepares deposit records; refunds authorizations, and similar documents; keeps related records.
• Makes routine petty cash purchases and disbursements, and maintains petty cash account; keeps necessary records.
• Receives mail for the unit/department/college and distributes it among the proper persons; may sort mail per instructions.
• Prepare the department/unit/college mailings within or outside CUNY, arranging special mail services when authorized.
• Duplicates, collates and distributes materials. Coordinates the work of others to produce and distribute materials; confers with printing department and mailroom personnel as needed.
• Assists in preparing and distributing materials such as recruitment documents.
• Assists in registration activities within the department or as assigned; when authorized, processes drop/add and over tally requests for course registration.

Other

• Performs routine upkeep of office machines, e.g., photocopier, typewriter, computer terminals, printers, fax machines.
• May serve on committees when authorized.

Assignment Level 4 - Under supervision, performs moderately complex office or secretarial work in various units of CUNY. Perform tasks at assignment Level I, at a more complex or responsibility level or with significant expertise and masterly performance.

• May serve as secretary to an executive or to a small group of professional, managerial, or technical personnel.
• Organizes, supervises and coordinates the workload of a moderately complex office, including the supervision of full and part-time office support staff.
• Initiates administrative procedures on behalf of the department.
• Administers a specialized area, requiring unique training and/or experience within a large office.
• Interviews and recommends full and part-time office support staff, including College Assistants and CUNY Office Assistants in Level 1.
• Prepares and compiles complex reports, including simple research and analysis.
• With approval, makes improvements to department forms.
• Develops record-keeping systems.
• Trains office employees and others (as directed) in routine office duties, rules, procedures, etc. and related matters.

Levels 1, 2 and 3 are contractual pay steps based on length of employment. Employees are not given additional responsibilities when moving from Level 1 to Level 2 or from Level 2 to Level 3. However, Assignment Level 4 is an assignment level based on duties performed and is discretionary.

CONTRACT TITLE

CUNY Office Assistant

FLSA

Non-exempt

CAMPUS SPECIFIC INFORMATION

New York City College of Technology (City Tech) of the City University of New York (CUNY), a comprehensive college in downtown Brooklyn offering associate and baccalaureate degrees, invites applications for a CUNY Office Assistant position in the Financial Aid Office. This position will be in provisional status. Continued employment is contingent upon taking and passing a civil service examination when it is offered by CUNY.

The CUNY Office Assistant will perform clerical and daily office operations within the Financial Aid office.

Reporting to the Associate Director of Financial Aid, the CUNY Office Assistant will:

• Answer telephone calls, screen, forward, and refer incoming calls to the appropriate staff.
• Under direct supervision, provide information to students, employees and the general public.
• Communicate with other administrative departments to expedite the processing of work.
• Provide excellent customer service to students.
• Type, proofread, file, retrieve, and update records.
• Process transactions related to federal verification and required documentation.
• Use commercial office software packages to perform data entry, generate reports, and run basic queries.
• Assist with registration as needed.
• May serve on committees when authorized.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Proof of meeting requirements 1 - 4 is needed before the close of a Civil Service Examination filing period. You may be asked to provide proof of meeting these requirements at any time between your application and the close of the filing period.

1. A four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent

2. Two (2) years of experience performing general office work, which may be met by one of the following:

A) Two (2) years of satisfactory, full-time experience performing general office work; or

B) One (1) year of satisfactory, full-time experience performing general office work and 30 semester credits from an accredited college or university; or

C) An associate’s degree or 60 college credits from an accredited college or university.

3. Passage of a qualifying Work Experience Test.

4. English Language Proficiency. All candidates must be able to speak, read, write, and comprehend the English Language. English proficiency will be evaluated at the time of interview.

CUNY considers full-time work to be at least 35 hours per week. Part-time experience of at least 20 hours per week may be prorated by half and credited instead of, but not in addition to, full-time experience during the same period (e.g., two month’s related work experience at 20-34 hours per week equate to one month’s full-time related work experience.) Part-time experience of fewer than 20 hours per week will NOT be credited at all.

The high school diploma or its educational equivalent must be approved by a State's Department of Education or a recognized accrediting organization. The college or university must be accredited by regional, national, professional, or specialized agencies recognized as accrediting bodies by the U.S. Secretary of Education and by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).

Candidates who meet the above requirements must also meet requirements 5 - 7 after the close of the filing period.

5. Candidates must take and pass a job-related Civil Service Examination that measures critical competencies for the position.

6. Candidates must undergo a background check, including a fingerprint screening and a verification of their education and work history.

7. You will be required to meet the skill requirement of keyboard familiarity by demonstrating the ability to type accurately at a minimum speed of 100 keystrokes (20 words) per minute after errors are deducted. You must meet this requirement in order to be appointed. Additionally, candidates may be asked to demonstrate technical competence in using job-related software (e.g., word processing or other).