Assistant to the Dean - Design (71101)

Pratt Institute•Ny, NY

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Assistant to the Dean serves as the operational anchor and primary liaison for the Office of the Dean in Pratt Institute’s School of Design. Reporting directly to the Dean, the role works closely with the Assistant Dean and Director of Finance & Operations and coordinates with department chairpeople, department managers, and staff across the Institute. The position manages the Dean’s Office business functions, executive administration, digital communications, event planning, and facilities workflows across the School’s multidisciplinary departments. It represents the Dean’s Office to internal and external constituents, including the Office of the Provost, vice presidents, faculty, staff, students, alumni, visiting designers, and industry partners, while maintaining discretion, cultural competence, and institutional integrity. The role supports five academic departments—Undergraduate Communications Design, Graduate Communications Design, Fashion Design, Industrial Design, and Interior Design—and the School’s undergraduate, graduate, interdisciplinary, and production-lab activities. Duties include executive scheduling and stakeholder coordination; faculty search, evaluation, and tenure processes; governance, curriculum, assessment, and accreditation support; communications and public programming; fiscal processing and facilities coordination; and supervision of student employees and Graduate Assistants. The position is on-site five days per week at Pratt Institute’s Brooklyn campus. Hybrid work may be possible during periods when the School is out of session, with advance agreement with the Dean. Standard business hours apply, with periodic evening and weekend hours required for events. The work is in a standard office setting and includes prolonged computer and desk work, regular movement around campus, and occasional lifting or transporting of event materials and supplies weighing up to 20 pounds.

Requirements

Associate’s degree required; a bachelor’s degree is strongly preferred.
At least 3 years of progressive administrative, operational, or executive support experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Proficiency with Google Workspace, including Docs, Sheets, Drive, and Calendar, and Microsoft Office Suite, including Word and Excel.
Familiarity with website content management systems, digital communication tools, and social media platforms.
Experience with, or demonstrated ability to quickly learn, enterprise higher education systems such as Workday, Canvas, and digital room-scheduling platforms.
Exceptional written, editorial, and verbal communication skills.
Ability to handle sensitive personnel, labor relations, budget, and student data with absolute confidentiality.
Demonstrated commitment to an inclusive environment and ability to communicate and collaborate effectively within a diverse community of students, faculty, and staff.
Ability to work on-site five days per week at the Brooklyn campus; hybrid work during periods when the School is out of session is subject to advance agreement with the Dean.
Availability for periodic evening and weekend hours to support public lectures, exhibition openings, symposia, and School-wide events.
Ability to perform prolonged computer and desk work, move around campus regularly, and occasionally lift or transport materials and supplies weighing up to 20 pounds.

Nice To Haves

Administrative experience in higher education, particularly an academic dean’s office or multi-departmental division, or in a creative nonprofit or arts organization.
Experience in an environment governed by a collective bargaining agreement, especially one covering teaching faculty.
Background, academic degree, or demonstrable professional interest in design, architecture, visual arts, or creative production.
Experience coordinating academic accreditation processes such as NASAD or CIDA and supporting institutional assessment reporting.

Responsibilities

Direct and maintain the Dean’s executive calendar, resolve scheduling conflicts, prioritize appointment requests, and prepare briefings, agendas, and background materials.
Serve as the Dean’s Office primary contact and gatekeeper; screen and route correspondence, calls, and visitors, and independently handle routine to moderately complex inquiries.
Coordinate communications on behalf of the Dean with the School’s departments, the Office of the Provost, vice presidents, academic peers, and external partners.
Arrange domestic and international travel, accommodations, expense filings, and honoraria for the Dean and invited guests.
Coordinate operational workflows for full-time faculty and administrative searches, including candidate correspondence, campus visits, presentations, room bookings, travel, and confidential search records.
Assist with documentation and coordination for faculty evaluations, appointments, reappointments, and tenure reviews, ensuring adherence to Institute policies and deadlines.
Plan logistics for all-School faculty meetings, administrative retreats, and committee sessions; prepare and distribute notices, calls for proposals, agendas, and meeting minutes.
Assist with academic assessment reports, program reviews, and documentation for professional accreditation reviews.
Collect, audit, and edit School of Design curriculum content for annual undergraduate and graduate Institute bulletins and catalogues.
Plan and coordinate Dean’s Office events, lectures, exhibitions, symposia, and workshops, including venues, audiovisual needs, catering, speaker hospitality, registration, attendee check-in, and post-event records and budgets.
Collect, curate, and edit content for newsletters, website pages, and social media; share School milestones, student and faculty accomplishments, lectures, and exhibitions.
Support outreach and events for alumni, advisory boards, design industry partners, and global institutional collaborators.
Process purchase orders, check requests, invoice reconciliations, and expense reimbursements in accordance with Pratt’s financial policies.
Coordinate with Facilities and Space Planning; monitor executive-suite, lab, studio, and shared-facility conditions; log maintenance work orders; manage equipment and supply inventories; and assist with capital-project background materials.
Supervise, onboard, and train student employees, work-study students, and Graduate Assistants; assign tasks, coordinate reception coverage, monitor workflows, approve electronic timecards, and conduct routine performance evaluations.
Perform other duties as required.