Executive Staff Assistant to the Dean of AAP / Chief of Staff

About the College of Architecture, Art, and Planning

The College of Architecture, Art, and Planning at Cornell University (Cornell AAP) includes the departments of Architecture, Art, City and Regional Planning, the Paul Rubacha Department of Real Estate, jointly led by AAP and the SC Johnson College of Business, the multicollege Department of Design Tech, and the Cornell Mui Ho Center for Cities. The college spans three locations in Ithaca, New York City, and Rome, Italy, each with world-class facilities and cutting-edge technologies.

Cornell AAP is about acts of transformation. We are committed to reimagining and reshaping the world in new ways, every day. A vital college at one of the nation's foremost research universities, Cornell AAP brings faculty, staff, and students together from around the world to take up some of today's most urgent challenges and advance research, inquiry, and collaborative approaches to designing, making, and doing that make a more just and resilient future.

The Opportunity

Are you an organized, collaborative, and proactive professional who thrives in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment? The College of Architecture, Art, and Planning (AAP) at Cornell University invites applications for an Executive Administrative Assistant to join our dynamic community and support the work of the Dean.

This is an exciting opportunity for a strategic, service-oriented leader to provide direct executive support to the Dean, manage the day-to-day operations of the Dean’s Office, and supervise the other assistants in the office. This position plays a pivotal role in advancing the priorities of the college by ensuring operational excellence, supporting academic leadership, and fostering meaningful connections across the university and beyond.

In this highly visible and impactful role, your responsibilities will include:

• Executive Support of the Dean: Independently manage the Dean’s complex calendar, organize frequent domestic and international travel, coordinate meetings and strategic initiatives, and serve as a trusted advisor—anticipating needs, solving problems, and ensuring priorities are met. Act as the principal liaison on behalf of the Dean, partner closely and build effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders to strengthen the Dean’s engagements, and oversee adherence to university and college policies. Provide administrative support to the Dean’s standing committees; prepare meeting minutes and distribute, track meeting action items, and ensure action has been completed. Facilitate the Dean’s participation on major university committees, national boards, and associations. Lead special projects, including managing high profile events, major meetings, programs, and special functions on behalf of the Dean. 
• Chief of Staff Duties: Serve as a primary point of contact and liaison to facilitate communication and collaboration among multiple units and constituents, including faculty, students, staff, alumni, and constituents throughout Cornell and externally. This includes a close partnership with AAP Communications, Alumni Affairs & Development, AAP Operations teams, academic departments, and the Provost’s Office. Supervise and mentor administrative staff within the Dean’s Office, directing administrative support for the Senior Associate and Associate Deans. People leadership duties include scheduling, addressing performance, fostering growth and development, orchestrating training, and coordinating work responsibilities. Lead executive-level communications, committee coordination, and college-wide engagement efforts. Champion best practices and promote a culture of excellence, teamwork, and continuous improvement. Co-supervise (with the Assistant Dean for Communications) the AAP Events & Exhibitions Coordinator.
• Manage Academic Personnel Processes: Partner with HR and academic leadership to coordinate academic appointments, promotions, reviews, retirements, and leaves—ensuring timely, policy-aligned actions. This requires thorough understanding of the processes, policies, and relationships involved, while capturing all relevant details to ensure timely and accurate approval and documentation.
• Exceptional Internal and External Communications: On behalf of the Dean, read and analyze internal and external information (e.g., memos, mail, and reports) to determine significance; perform additional research and analysis as needed; draft responses for Dean or redirect to appropriate individuals; and track progress on responses. Compose correspondence, reports, and presentations on behalf of the Dean; use independent judgment to determine content and presentation by assessing purpose, goals, audience and potential impact. Manag