Senior Administrative Assistant and Chair's Assistant, Sociology

Overview

This Senior Administrative and Chair’s Assistant reports to the Department Chair and Operations Manager. The role provides vital support to the chair, faculty, and students, manages the academic appointment lifecycle, handles financial transactions, and coordinates events.

Duties may include but are not limited to:

1. Provides executive-level confidential administrative support to the chair for the Sociology Department.
2. Works with the chair on faculty affairs processes for ladder, instructional, secondary, and visiting faculty/postdocs, including searches, recruitment, appointments, promotions, reappointments, onboarding and terminations.
3. Serves as resource for the chair, faculty and students on Yale processes, policies, procedures, forms, and other activities.
4. Budgets, coordinates and reconciles department and special events.
5. Manages student employment including job posting, hiring, and termination in Yale’s Student Employment System (SEO).
6. Provides administrative & financial support for faculty and students as assigned.
7. Performs additional duties as assigned.
8. Flexibility to work occasional evenings and weekends

Required Skills and Abilities

1. Self-directed; ability to take initiative, problem-solve and exercise independent judgment. Ability to manage time to be efficient and productive. Strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to interact well with a diverse population including students, visitors (domestic and international), faculty, and staff.
2. Excellent organizational skills, as well as written and verbal communication skills, with strong attention to detail, thoroughness, and follow-through. Strong self-starter, who is adaptable, resourceful, and well-spoken, with a strong work ethic and professional demeanor.
3. Ability to multi-task effectively with demanding time constraints. Work well under pressure addressing multiple projects. Excellent follow-up skills. Demonstrated ability to be flexible and manage change effectively, often with short notice. Demonstrated ability to learn new systems, processes, and software.
4. Proven ability to function independently and as part of an integrated team in a fast-paced environment. Demonstrated proficiency providing support in a professional organization. Ability to maintain discretion and professionalism.
5. Demonstrated track record of excellent attendance, reliability, and punctuality. Demonstrated strong administrative support skills. Proven record of resourcefulness, problem-solving, and ability to work independently, without continuous direction. Demonstrated intermediate proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, and Outlook.

Preferred Skills and Abilities

1. Familiarity with Yale or experience in a university setting working directly with faculty and students and managing the academic appointment lifecycle.
2. Prior experience with Workday and Interfolio.
3. Demonstrated experience with expense management and event planning.

Principal Responsibilities

1. Oversees and coordinates administrative, program, and office activities. Establishes, selects, implements, and coordinates office procedures and systems. Serves as principal source of information to students, staff, and faculty on policies, procedures, programs, and office activities.
2. Oversees, instructs, and coordinates activities of support staff. Oversees the preparation of materials for grants, contracts and budgets. Monitors expenditures and reconciles financial statements.
3. Provides editorial support for a journal/publication. Proofreads and edits material for grammatical and factual accuracy. Tracks copy through various editing and production stages. Communicates with authors, printers, and others concerned with published work.
4. Determines administrative, facility, and equipment needs for symposia, lectures, seminars, and conferences. Assembles and arranges for necessary items. Determines sources of data. Compiles, synthesizes and manipulates data. Summarizes findings and writes reports or portions of reports.
5. Gets visitors. Answers and screens telephone calls. Assesses nature of business. Responds to requests for information and provides assistance. Screens and responds to mail.
6. Formats, keyboard, proofread, and edits correspondence, reports, manuscripts, grants, and other material. Assembles attachments and corresponding material. Reviews outgoing material for completeness, dates, and signatures. Composes substantive correspondence and written material.
7. Coordinates travel arrangements. Schedules and coordinates meetings and appointments. Orders and maintains inventory of supplies. Takes minutes or dictation. Performs additional functions incidental to office activities.

Required Education and Experience

Six years of related work experience, four of them in the same job family at the next lower level, and high school level education; or four years of related work experience and an Associate's degree; or little or no work experience and a Bachelor's degree in a related field; or an equivalent combination of experience and education.

Job Details

• Posted: 27-Mar-26
• Location: New Haven, Connecticut
• Categories: Staff/Administrative
• Internal Number: 132913WD
• Job Category: Administrative Support
• Bargaining Unit: L34
• Compensation Grade: Labor Grade D
• Hourly Range: $31.83
• Time Type: Full time
• Work Model: Hybrid