Administrative Access Coordinator

Northeastern University•Boston, MA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Dr. Mona Minkara, a blind Assistant Professor of Bioengineering at Northeastern University, is seeking a full-time Administrative Access Coordinator (AAC) to make accessible and coordinate all operations related to Dr. Minkara's office and laboratory. This position will draft and execute high-level communication to internal and external collaborators (including faculty, researchers, and university staff), oversee a strict calendar schedule, and ensure all calendar invites are accessible with specific links and audio support to Dr. Minkara. This position will manage the operations of Dr. Minkara's team and analyze, manage, and make accessible financial reports (including grants, start-up, and discretionary accounts) for Dr. Minkara's office. The AAC also collaborates with the Bioengineering business management team to achieve appropriate fiscal processing. This position utilizes critical thinking constantly to develop creative and unique solutions to challenges associated with visual accessibility, in the academic environment and beyond. Responsibilities will also include providing access and visual information, booking travel, and periodically attending conferences with the Assistant Professor. This position maintains continuous correspondence with the Assistant Professor's students (teaching and research) and ensures frequent, quality communication. The AAC will meaningfully collaborate over creative efforts on Dr. Minkara's team, including but not limited to academic conference preparation, recruitment efforts for her research lab and office team, and occasionally contributing original content for external dissemination.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree required
Excellent organizational skills and high attention to detail
Punctual and responsive to a time-sensitive schedule; responsible and trustworthy
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills; strong notetaker and attentive listener
Ability to work well under pressure with strong multitasking and problem-solving abilities
Independent and efficient worker with strong project management skills
Flexible, adaptive, and capable of high-level critical thinking to address accessibility challenges as they arise
Commitment to maintaining finances and other university systems in an accessible manner

Nice To Haves

Financial and office management bookkeeping experience preferred

Responsibilities

Oversee projects related to the Assistant Professor's most pressing initiatives, including scheduling, attending, and participating in meetings, executing project work, and allocating resources and planning
Coordinate follow-up items to ensure project roadblocks or holds are addressed in a timely manner
Track progress on projects, tasks, and report obligations
Manage and coordinate a high volume of demands for the Assistant Professor's time by prioritizing requests and demonstrating significant independent judgment in identifying and resolving potential conflicts
Respond quickly and efficiently to schedule changes with diplomacy
Synthesize information to understand relationships and leverage them to the advantage of the Assistant Professor
Anticipate the Assistant Professor's needs by independently soliciting and providing necessary backup and research materials to ensure she is well-prepared for all meetings, events, and speaking engagements
Increase office accessibility through initiatives including creating Braille labels to improve the Assistant Professor's navigational abilities, creating tactile calendars to empower independent schedule reading, and critically improving upon existing systems
Create tactile representations of visual materials such as diagrams and figures
Oversee office operations, including management of technical equipment inventory (laptops, printers, etc.); maintain inventory, monitor levels, and place orders to ensure appropriate equipment is available
Hire, supervise, evaluate, and train student staff; complete onboarding and oversee the recruitment, development, and retention of Co-Op and graduate assistant staff
Make travel arrangements for the Assistant Professor, prepare itineraries and event information, and conduct necessary research to ensure preparation for events or meetings
Process and track travel and expense vouchers
Provide human guide support for travel accessibility
Communicate on behalf of the Assistant Professor
Advance and monitor progress on the Assistant Professor's initiatives; identify and track specific assignments
Review, revise, and summarize correspondence and briefs for the Assistant Professor
Create accurate and professional reports and presentations
Meet regularly with the Assistant Professor to review current and future expenses and operating budget needs
Responsible for financial monitoring of grant and operational budget accounts
Identify and resolve discrepancies with AP, the Budget Office, Student Affairs Office, and other key partners through detailed financial analysis
Responsible for timely processing of bill payments, budget reconciliations, and Concur reports, as well as the review of purchase and reimbursement requests from staff
Ensure accurate documentation, reporting, and compliance with established operational and financial procedures
Provide access to visual information in ways suitable to the Assistant Professor's needs, including: Verbally describing complex figures and images
Reading inaccessible material received via traditional methods such as mail and email (including PDFs and flyers)
Occasionally helping the Assistant Professor navigate the Northeastern University campus