Senior Administrative Assistant to the Department Head

MIT•Cambridge, MA

8d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Chemistry Department seeks a highly organized professional to provide comprehensive executive support to the Department Head and manage critical operations. This essential role offers the opportunity to foster academic excellence by supporting faculty affairs, coordinating major events, and ensuring the seamless administration of a vibrant intellectual community. This position serves as the administrative cornerstone of the department, entrusted with complex calendar management and the facilitation of essential departmental business. The successful candidate will navigate the academic lifecycle by coordinating faculty promotional cases, drafting and assembling academic dossiers with meticulous attention to detail, and tracking recurring responsibilities such as junior faculty progress reviews and NIH research trainings. The role is integral to departmental recruitment and engagement, responsible for independently organizing comprehensive itineraries and complex travel for faculty search candidates.

Requirements

A minimum of five years of administrative, office, or related experience.
Demonstrated proficiency in English grammar and composition.
Highly developed organizational skills.
Ability to handle multiple tasks, set priorities, and have attention to detail.
Ability to work in a challenging and fast-paced environment.
Advanced Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Adobe Acrobat Pro, Google Workspace, Slack, WordPress skills.
Event planning experience.
Experience with handling confidential/sensitive materials.
Ability to maintain confidentiality of confidential and highly sensitive materials/information.
Discretion and good judgment.
Excellent interpersonal and organizational skills.
Project coordination experience.
Communication skills.
Ability to work well with all levels of internal management and staff, and outside vendors.
Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree.
Experience in higher education.
Knowledge of SAP, SAP web, Concur, and MIT financial processes, policies, and procedures.

Responsibilities

Provide comprehensive executive support to the Department Head.
Manage critical operations within the department.
Support faculty affairs.
Coordinate major events.
Ensure seamless administration of the department.
Manage complex calendars.
Facilitate essential departmental business.
Coordinate faculty promotional cases.
Draft and assemble academic dossiers.
Track junior faculty progress reviews.
Track NIH research trainings.
Organize comprehensive itineraries and complex travel for faculty search candidates.