Senior Desk Assistant (SDA) - Student Hourly

University of Kansas • Lawrence, KS

3d • Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Desk Assistant (SDA) is responsible for leadership and oversight of the operations of a Housing & Residence Life Front Desk. This role reports directly to an Administrative Associate and indirectly to the Business Coordinator for Front Desks & Administration. The ideal candidate will demonstrate effective skills in communication, leadership, and administration, and must understand and be sensitive to the needs of others. While not required to live on campus, this position requires some evening hours and the ability to provide last-minute desk coverage, necessitating general availability by phone and the ability to respond quickly to campus. The position expects an average of 20 hours per week, with 8-12 of those hours scheduled between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. As a representative of Housing & Residence Life, Student Affairs, and the University of Kansas, Senior Desk Assistants are expected to demonstrate a commitment to the Mission and Values of Housing & Residence Life, which include building learning-centered communities through individual support and respect, and advancing KU's mission with engaging communities, vibrant physical spaces, and effective administration.

Requirements

• Must have at least one semester of service as a Desk Assistant, Resident Assistant, Proctor, or Food Board Manager at KU.
• Be in good standing with the University and Housing & Residence Life at the start of the hiring process and for the duration of their employment.
• Must be enrolled as an undergraduate or graduate KU student.
• Available to consistently work 20 hours per week.
• At least 8-12 of the 20 required working hours must be scheduled between 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
• Prior experience demonstrating the ability to manage work tasks in a fast-paced environment with rapidly changing priorities as shown in application materials.
• Prior experience demonstrating the ability to follow direction and communicate clearly in written and oral form as shown in application materials.
• Experience with Microsoft Office Suite software and applications.
• During the semester term of the appointment, the student hourly must be enrolled in no fewer than 6 credit hours.
• For summer periods the student hourly must: (1) have been enrolled in no less than 6 hours in the past spring semester or (2) be pre-enrolled in the upcoming fall semester in no less than 6 hours or (3) be enrolled in summer session or (4) be admitted to study in the upcoming fall semester.
• Student Hourlies may be undergraduate or graduate students.
• Student employees are not eligible for remote work arrangements unless an exception is approved by the unit leadership and HR.
• This is an hourly/non-exempt position. A student employee cannot hold an hourly/non-exempt position and a salaried-exempt graduate or undergraduate position (GRA/GTA/GA/RUA/RGA) concurrently.

Nice To Haves

• The Senior Desk Assistant is not required to live in on campus housing, however, this position requires some evening hours, and last-minute Desk coverage. As such, the Senior Desk Assistant should be generally available by phone and able to quickly respond to campus.

Responsibilities

• Co-manage at least one 24-hour Front Desk with their direct supervisor, serving residents and guests.
• Ensure quality customer service at the Front Desk and provide a welcoming environment.
• Assist with the management of Desk Assistant staff with the Administrative Associate and/or the Business Coordinator.
• Assist with the hiring of Desk Assistants.
• Assist with Desk Assistant training and residence life staff training.
• Onboard and train new Desk Assistants, helping them become familiar with the role and the complex.
• Evaluate Desk Assistants minimally once per year.
• Create the Front Desk schedule (including breaks), assign shifts, find coverage, and fill in when staff miss a shift.
• Facilitate a regular monthly meeting for all staff who work at the Front Desk.
• Handle telephone calls requiring knowledge of Desk and Housing policies and procedures.
• Facilitate distribution of flyers, copies, and other materials within the complex.
• Manage all logs, inventories, and equipment associated with the Front Desk (packages, keys, etc.).
• Assist with tracking damage billing and charges within the complex.
• Take inventory and create supply orders to replenish supplies in desk areas.
• Coordinate processes for mail and package distribution, complying with State and Federal laws, and overseeing mail procedures including accurate logging of packages, tracking missing packages, and forwarding mail/packages.
• Oversee the labeling of student mailboxes.
• Serve as a liaison to Housing & Residence Life campus partners, such as Facilities, mail and package carriers, academic units, etc.
• Monitor inventory of resident room keys, lock-out keys, and Temporary Access Cards through weekly audits.
• Process lock changes and complete loss/damage forms for charges to begin the billing process.
• Create check-in packets and complete checkouts to support resident room changes.
• Communicate facilities concerns, including vending and laundry machine concerns, to appropriate personnel.
• Demonstrate a commitment to personal integrity, modeling good judgment, ethical behavior, maintaining confidentiality, and adherence to laws and policies.
• Positively participate, engage, and contribute within trainings, meetings with supervisor, ongoing departmental communication, and an annual performance evaluation process.
• Attend monthly Senior Desk Assistant meetings.
• Attend and actively participate in Fall Training (August), Spring Training (January), and on-going semester in-person and online trainings.
• Attend undergraduate staff meetings within complex as needed.
• Perform additional duties and special assignments as directed.

Benefits

• Partial on campus housing credit of $500 per semester awarded at the end of each semester (requires good standing, active contract with Housing & Residence Life, and living on campus).

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Part-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed