Administrative Assistant, Department of Life Sciences

Job Description

Job Description

Position Summary:

Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences is seeking an Administrative Assistant to provide administrative support to the Chair and faculty (20 full-time and 12-14 adjunct faculty) of the Department of Life Sciences. Life Sciences houses seven BS & six MS programs in addition to pre-pharmacy, pre-health, and joint degree & early assurance pathways.

Interested candidates should submit their resume online at acphs.edu/careers. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. This position is expected to begin in September 2025.

Major Duties & Responsibilities:

Office Support and Logistics

• Provide general office support for both full-time and part-time faculty department members.
  • Compose and type correspondence and memos.
  • Proofread materials prepared by the Chair.
  • Order office supplies as needed.
  • Maintain Department supplies
  • Greet all students, visitors, and personnel.
  • Answer and direct incoming calls, places outgoing calls as directed, and assist faculty with telephone problems.
  • Supervise department’s work study students.
    • Train in use of equipment.
    • Coordinating faculty requests for work study student’s assistance with projects.
    • Facilitate Time Sheet submissions to Finance.
  • Maintain filing system and files related documents.
  • Prepare letters, memos, records, and other related documents from rough drafts and corrected copies; proofread completed materials and makes corrections.
• Schedule meetings for departmental committees and faculty, including meetings with the Chair and Classroom Observations by the Chair.
• Provide scheduling and logistical support for department meetings and retreat.
  • Reserve rooms in MRM and make arrangements for refreshments.
  • Send Outlook invitations to meetings.
  • Taking of minutes.
• Monitor and arrange for the pick up of shred bins.
• Update departmental guidebook.
• Maintain an updated departmental directory.
• Facilitate faculty office moves.
  • At conclusion of office moves: confirm office locations and extensions with IT and physical plant, ensure all have the keys needed, ensure office furniture is moved, update door signs, update department directory, ensure that faculty directory on is accurate.
• Reports physical plant, technology and copier issues to appropriate individuals including, but not limited to:
  • Attempts to fix copier jams prior to placing service calls.
  • Places service calls for copiers.
  • Orders copier supplies as needed i.e. toner, staples, paper.

Academic/Faculty Support

• Serves as a liaison between students and faculty by helping to arrange meetings, helping students locate faculty and assisting students with locating office hours.
• LMS Course set up.
  • Enroll faculty in courses and give them access to relevant content areas.
  • Enroll pertinent staff as Teaching Assistants per Chair’s direction.
  • Enroll SAC Tutors as Guests and OSA Advisors as Advisors
    • Obtain requisite approval from Faculty
• Coordinate student evaluations.
  • Work with IT to clean up the department’s student evaluations
  • Add chair requested additional questions for Departmental courses
  • When evaluations are closed for semester, download evaluations and save to a PDF.
  • Enter numerical results into Excel summary sheet
  • Collate results for faculty (both individual faculty and departmental results).
  • Prepare evaluations for distribution to faculty.
• Assist faculty, part time and full time, with the submission of course grades.
• Facilitate questions/requests for students with faculty as needed.
• Assist with exam preparation and execution
  • Copying exams, grading and entering grades and assisting with proctoring
• Make room reservations for help sessions.
• Collect and file syllabi each semester
• Prepares cases in Faculty180 of annual evaluations and tenure/promotion/third year review
• Other assistance as requested by faculty.

Faculty Recruitment

• Assist in faculty recruitment process.
  • Arrange Zoom interviews.
  • Arrange itineraries for candidates being interview including making hotel and restaurant reservations, scheduling faculty, and arranging seminars.
    • Email itinerary to pertinent parties.
    • Publicize seminar to faculty/students/staff.
    • Reserve room for seminar in MRM.
  • Liaison with Candidate: provide directions, answer questions, send finalized itinerary/travel arrangements, process requests for travel reimbursement if needed.
• Assist in preparations for new faculty member(s).
  • Confirm office location and phone extension.
  • Order office supplies and coordinate requests for office items i.e. bookcases, file cabinets, white boards.
  • Arrange business card(s) and name tag(s).

Budget and Purchasing

• Processing purchasing requests as directed
• Obtaining quotes as necessary
• Learns the Ariett purchasing/budging software
• Track all departmental spending (against the department’s supplies, equipment and travel budgets).
• Travel Budget: facilitate Requests to Travel at beginning of fiscal year and notify faculty accordingly of Travel approval/denial; facilitate travel reimbursement forms for processing; and up-date travel reimbursement in travel budget spreadsheet.
• Marking items as received in Ariett
• Assist in obtaining any necessary information which may be needed to submit the departments’ new budget request (for the following academic year).
  • Process departmental purchase orders, check requests, Bookstore Orders, and Visa statements.
  • Assigns accounting information to invoices.
  • Prepare and submit monthly chair credit card reports

Additional Responsibilities

• Becomes familiar with College policies and procedures; directs students and faculty as necessary.
• Assists with preparation and maintenance of departmental activities.
• Provides spreadsheet and data entry as needed.
• Provides graphic support for faculty in the production of course materials.
• Performs other related duties as assigned within the parameters of the job description, including, but not limited to, scan articles, complete large print jobs, review and edit articles.
• Other duties as assigned

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Demonstrate the ability to both work independently with little direction and work confidentially with discretion.
• Is loyal to the department
• Completes work with attention to detain
• Demonstrates excellent organizational skills.
• Demonstrates excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Demonstrates a positive attitude and work ethic.
• Interacts effectively with organization members including across departments.
• Observes schedules and meets assignment deadlines.
• Willing to learn/enhance skills needed to perform responsibilities.
• Proficiency in Microsoft office (including Word, Excel, Outlook, and Access), Adobe and Internet searches. Proficiency in Canvas.
• Working knowledge of modern office practices, procedures, and equipment.

Education and Experience:

• HS Diploma/GED Required. AAS Degree preferred.
• Minimum 2 years administrative experience required.

Physical Demands:

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; and talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, climb, or balance; and stoop, kneel, or crouch. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and the ability to adjust focus.

Work Environment:

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is not substantially exposed to adverse environmental conditions.

Additional Information:

This position is based in Albany, NY. The duties and responsibilities of this particular role require the need for consistent, in-person collaboration and/or interaction with our community, requiring all work to be performed full-time on-site. Standard work hours are from 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM EST, Monday through Friday. Additional details pertaining to this position will be discussed during the interview process.

Benefits:

Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (ACPHS) offers a comprehensive benefits package for full-time employees including medical, dental and vision benefits, free life insurance and disability programs, tuition assistance programs, retirement plan with employer match and contribution, and generous time off including 20 paid holidays plus paid sick and vacation time. Additional perks include wellness rewards, free gym access, free parking, identity theft protection and many others. Please note, benefits and benefits eligibility can vary by position, and exclusions may apply for some roles.

ACPHS is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against any protected class of job applicant or employee in our hiring and employment practices.