Departmental Assistant

Job Title:

Departmental Assistant

   

Department:

Religious Studies

  

Job Description:

Rhodes College is hiring a Departmental Assistant. The assistant provides clerical and administrative support for the Religious Studies, Philosophy, Art departments.

Job responsibilities include but may not be limited to:

• Performs general receptionist duties such as greeting visitors, answering inquiries and distributing mail. Handles incoming and outgoing communications (written, telephonic and electronic) for the Religious Studies, Philosophy, and Art departments in accordance with standard operating procedures.

• Processes assigned materials for the Religious Studies, Philosophy, and Art departments and for faculty members in those departments including but not limited to official correspondence, memoranda, scholarly articles, bibliographies and class materials. Assists with assessment and other departmental reports. Processing tasks include transcribing, copying, scanning, mailing and otherwise transmitting materials and may include proof-reading and some editing, for which effective skills in regard to proper spelling, punctuation, alphabetization and grammar are essential. Tasks associated with faculty scholarship should not interfere with other priority departmental needs.

• Operates and maintains a variety of office equipment including personal computers, printers, copiers, fax machines, calculators and scanners. Utilizes appropriate software on the personal computer as designated by the Religious Studies, Philosophy, and Art departments (e.g., word-processing, spreadsheet, database, desktop publishing, web page editors, and internet search and HTML formatting applications). The purchase of new equipment should be coordinated with the chairs and the IT department.

• Establishes and maintains filing and record keeping system for the Religious Studies, Philosophy, and Art departments. Monitors inventory of the Religious Studies, Philosophy, and Art departments’ supplies and maintains as necessary.

• Schedules appointments, meetings, and special events (e.g., guest lectures, candidate interviews) with the appropriate faculty and makes travel arrangements and reservations as necessary.

• Maintains and expands the Religious Studies, Philosophy, and Art Departments’ respective websites, coordinating with the appropriate chairs and utilizing current HTML software to ensure that the material on the site is accurate and up-to-date. Keeps current in regard to campus information/communication technology available to staff and faculty. Maintenance of catalog information appropriate to the individual departments is the responsibility of the chairs of those departments, although it may be input by the departmental assistant.

• Trains, schedules and supervises student workers assigned to the Religious Studies, Philosophy, and Art Departments. Determines that their work has been done properly before approving it, in order to maintain the quality of work done in the office.

• Regular attendance is an essential function to perform the duties of this position.

Job Qualifications:

• HS Diploma or GED required.

• One year of administrative or clerical experience required OR bachelor’s degree required in lieu of experience.

• Proficiency with MS Office required.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills required.

• Demonstrated ability to multi-task and to work effectively and efficiently with faculty, staff, students, and off campus professionals required.

• Demonstrated ability to organize numerous projects, work with attention to detail, consistently meet deadlines, and exercise professional judgment required.

• Demonstrated ability to work with sensitive and confidential information required.

Physical Demands:

• General office environment. Requires sitting for extended periods of time, reaching, visual acumen and manual dexterity for working with computer keyboards. Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or a negligible amount of force constantly to move objects. The physical demands that must be met to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Close visual acuity to review both print and electronic documents. Frequent typing using the keyboard.

A complete application includes a cover letter and a resume.

Rhodes is an equal opportunity employer that offers an excellent benefits package and a great working enviro