Assistant Director, GRAD Administrative Services

Department

Provost UChicagoGRAD Admin Services

About the Department

UChicagoGRAD, a part of the Office of the Provost that supports graduate education across the University, is an innovative national model for preparing graduate students and postdocs to succeed while at UChicago and beyond. With teams focusing on admissions, fellowship advising, writing support and public speaking training, diversity initiatives, career exploration and planning, and administration, UChicagoGRAD works with campus partners to support students and postdocs at every stage of their academic careers and beyond. UChicagoGRAD functions as a one-stop shop for graduate students and postdocs to access resources that support timely degree completion and to enhance professional preparation that helps them translate their degrees into a variety of careers. UChicagoGRAD works with academic departments and divisions as well as campus-wide offices to develop and implement outreach, recruitment, and yield efforts; graduate and postdoc-focused programs, workshops, and events; training and support tailored to UChicago graduate students and postdocs; and administrative practices and policies in support of graduate education.

Job Summary

The job administers a variety of student affairs activities. Acts as the primary point of contact for student inquiries. Uses understanding in student affairs to develop programs and strategies for graduate students, suggests and implements improvements using data.

Responsibilities

• Maintains information on and makes updates to administrative process timelines related to graduate student payments and funding, and communicates these to all relevant administrators.

• Runs frequent reports from several University administrative systems on teaching assignments, account statuses, aid, payments, etc.; analyzes the data for issues; and prepares reports for relevant administrators.

• Serves as a primary point of contact for students experiencing issues with administrative processes and services, via email and in person.

• Advises students on necessary processes and paperwork related to employment, aid and other payments, and taxes, including following up as necessary regarding the submission and processing of these documents.

• Prepares communications for distribution to graduate students across the University advising them of payment schedules, deadlines for completing paperwork, and other administrative processes.

• Prepares communications for distribution to administrative staff across the University advising them of process improvements, deadlines, and other required actions.

• Collaborates with staff from across the University’s administrative offices and academic units to support and communicate administrative services for graduate students.

• Recommends process improvements for programs that relate to critical student-life improvement, including emergency management, accommodations for students with disabilities, and/or the administration of health care services and programs for students.

• Collaborates with academic divisions in educating students on safety issues. Interprets student disciplinary issues and prepares an annual university summary of disciplinary actions. Counsels students, parents, and staff in response to concerns, and handles complex situations including student crises.

• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Education:

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

Work Experience:

Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 2-5 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Certifications:

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Preferred Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor's degree.

• Advanced degree.

Experience:

• 3-5 years of relevant work experience.

• Background in a research-intensive university setting.

• Skilled in administrative services, including payments, employment, taxation issues, and registration processes in a college or university setting.

• Familiarity with graduate education in a research-intensive university setting. 

Technical Skills or Knowledge:

• Familiarity with standard tools and software, such as MS Office suite, Google suite, etc.

• Understanding of Workday and/or AIS.

• Proficient with Excel, Tableau, or other data tools.

• Strong Excel skills; familiarity with PeopleSoft and Workday.

Preferred Competencies

• Exce