Administrative Assistant

Administrative Assistant

Posted on 12/19/2025

Accepting applications

About this position

The administrative assistant to the Dean assists the Dean of the School of Architecture with operational and administrative details and performs diverse and responsible administrative assistant functions that require contact with senior administrators, program coordinators/chairs, other officials, faculty, staff, and students and their families and has a thorough knowledge of College policies, procedures and operations. The administrative assistant oversees daily office activities and projects and the dissemination of information to faculty, students, staff and the various constituents served by the College.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

1. Act as a receptionist in providing friendly and efficient customer service by answering the phone and greeting faculty, students, staff, and visitors.
2. Respond to customer (student, prospective student, student family, adjunct faculty, staff, faculty, community partner, etc.) inquiries and resolve sensitive issues by listening and gathering information about concerns expressed by stakeholders (parents, students, staff, faculty, donors, members of the community, elected officials, federal, state, or local officials, etc.), gathering additional information, determining possible solutions or referring the issue to the appropriate person, verifying that the issue has been addressed satisfactorily, and informing the Dean when appropriate.
3. Maintain an appointment calendar for the Dean of the School of Architecture, using judgment to determine which appointments should be expedited or rescheduled, preserving the best use of the senior executive's time, and allowing the senior executive adequate preparation and travel time.
4. Process scheduling of all facilities and classrooms in the School of Architecture (SOA) and schedule SOA-related meetings and appointments to include handling room logistics and set up.
5. Facilitate the success of meetings or events by scheduling them with appropriate offices and agencies; reserving required facilities and equipment; advising/contacting participants; preparing agendas, handouts, and similar materials; using independent judgment regarding activity alternatives, modifications, or last-minute changes; and coordinating or providing assistance during the activities.
6. Assist with event planning within the School of Architecture (i.e., retention events, SOA majors meetings, department meetings, symposiums, continued professional educational series, and other events, etc.).
7. Provide required or requested information and/or data for internal and external reports and records (by researching SOA files, records, and databases, retrieving electronic data from College files and databases (e.g., Jenzabar), researching online sources); "clean" and manipulate the data and/or tabulate statistics; and organize, present, and disseminate the data into meaningful information that can be used by decision-makers.
8. Prepare routine to complex correspondence, email, reports, forms, manuscripts, transcripts, and proofs for distribution, approval and/or mass mailing from machine or oral dictation, handwritten drafts, or printed text by using various computer applications (e.g., word processing, spreadsheets, Adobe PDF, desktop publishing), checking the documents for completeness and accuracy, and distributing the documents or submitting them to the supervisor or document originator for approval.
9. Maintain databases and electronic and paper-based filing systems including, but not limited to, academic contractual agreements, personnel credentials, fulltime and adjunct faculty records, inventory, student records, and more.
10. Initiate distribution of any required forms, and collect and store completed forms and related documents, recording status in the appropriate database.
11. Initiate, process, and maintain academic contractual agreements; facilitate the hiring and ending employment of SOA personnel through the processing and maintenance of employee -related forms, documents, part-time employee contracts (adjunct instructors), and files; ensure all adjunct faculty have FSC accounts prior to the beginning of each semester; and provide an orientation (either in person or through a written orientation guide) for new faculty and staff (i.e. how to get nametag, access e-mail, access the portal and Canvas, obtain office keys, etc.).
12. Maintain the School of Architecture's operating accounts by determining the proper method to purchase required products or services, maintaining budget records, reconciling the SOA P-Card account monthly and preparing monthly and annual P-card account reports to itemize purchases by program/department and producing budget reports and summaries.
13. Assist Dean with payroll for all SOA Full Time Faculty and Adjunct Faculty, by collecting and preparing payroll sheets and collecting, reviewing and processing time cards for all student workers, clerical, and administrative staff.
14. Exchange information on behalf of the Dean with peers, the Provost and/or Vice Presidents, and/or their administrative support staff by relaying information accurately and assuring information is communicated in a timely manner.
15. Process communications received daily, obtain signatures as required, and forward to the correct department or recipient.
16. Communicate SOA information, schedules, etc. directly to School staff and faculty, students, and prospective students and keep faculty up-to-date via e-mails on meetings and important calendar notifications.
17. Support the Dean, faculty, and staff of School of Architecture in efforts and initiatives to obtain and maintain accreditation of programs from state, regional, and national accrediting bodies through oversight and maintenance of databases containing licensing documentation, records, and reports and the preparation and dissemination of reports for various accrediting and licensing agencies and bodies.
18. Serve as liaison for School of Architecture to other College units.

SECONDARY FUNCTIONS

1. Order supplies, keep supplies in stock and organized, and maintain office equipment such as copiers (i.e., maintenance and supplies), ensuring equitable access to available resources to enable task performance by SOA faculty and staff.
2. Process and monitor the satisfactory and timely completion of all maintenance, facilities, and IT requisitions, using the College's internal maintenance request software, to ensure compliance with accreditation regulations and to provide a safe and inviting learning and work environment.
3. Prepare and process purchase orders for the School, secure signature, and forward to Business Affairs. Ensure proper accounts on invoices/PO's are correct.
4. Orient, train, and coach clerical and administrative support staff, including student workers, to enhance skill levels for job-related tasks.
5. Contribute to the success of the School of Architecture by performing all other duties as needed to drive the vision, fulfill the mission, and abide by the values of the College.

About our ideal candidate

EDUCATION AND WORK EXPERIENCE

1. Associate's degree, or vocational or technical school degree in secretarial services required. Bachelor's degree in education or related area of study preferred.
2. Minimum 3 years progressively responsible experience in administrative and operational support.
3. Experience in a higher education institution and/or Education setting; experience with college accreditation preferred.
   1. Analytical. Ability to anticipate and assess day-to-day situations, challenges, or projects and determine, recommend, or take appropriate action; follow up on problems and ensure appropriate resolutions; ability to provide initial analysis of data gathered from various School of Architecture databases and data sources.
   2. Project/Process Management. Excellent organization skills for processes and managing projects; excellent time management; ability to identify and prioritize tasks, determine course of action to complete tasks, and meet project completion deadlines; ability to monitor and coach staff in organizing and completing their projects.
   3. Computer/Technical. Proficient with Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams, Adobe, SharePoint, DropBox, PowerPoint, Publisher, Access; able to export data from various sources into Excel and/or Access for analysis; ability to design databases to collect information relevant to School of Architecture operations; ability to access and prepare reports from various types of data in the EX system/Jenzabar; ability to select appropriate technology with which to perform and complete tasks and projects.
   4. Clerical/Secretarial. Able to record, disseminate, store, and organize meeting minutes, manage schedules, design and implement efficient and accessible filing systems; able to use judgement in determining what and when information should be shared and /or disseminated and with whom and how to communicate various types of information to varied audiences.
   5. Written and Oral Communications. Excellent oral written communication skills; ability to communicate effectively with students, faculty, staff, and administrators on a daily basis and prospective students and their families and community stakeholders regularly; uses good judgement and discretion in oral and written communications; communications are free of grammatical, mechanical, spelling, and syntactical errors.
   6. Equipment Operation. Facility with typical office machinery including but not limited to computers, printers, copy machines, recording devices, microphones; able to address minor equipment problems and/or identify problem and resources needed to resolve problem.
   7. Academic Program Knowledge. Ability to possess a comprehensive understanding of program eligibility requirements regarding credentials, policies, and processes as related to program admittance; is able to effectively communicate these requirements to others (e.g., students, prospective students and their families, college personnel) and to refer students to resources (personnel or programming) to facilitate their academic goals.

About us

The College's health and wellness plans along with generous paid time-off benefits are in addition to rewarding employee benefits such as the tuition grant and 403(b) plan.

The employee tuition grant is a remarkable benefit that covers the cost of 100% of the College's tuition for dependent children of faculty and staff who have been employed with the college fulltime for one year. Employees can also take advantage of the benefit for themselves.

The Defined Contribution Retirement Plan is a 403(b) plan in which the college automatically contributes 7% of the eligible employee's earnings into a retirement fund whether the employee chooses to participate or not. The account has a comprehensive investment portfolio and allows the employee to control their investment choices. At 6 years of service, the employer contribution amount is elevated to 10%. Employees can choose to participate through pre-tax payroll deductions when ready

Florida Southern College is committed to diversity and inclusion in hiring, campus life, and intellectual engagement and welcomes applications from all interested candidates. The college actively seeks a wide variety of candidates and enthusiastically looks to diversify our workforce.

Florida Southern College has a strong commitment to the principles of equal employment opportunity. The college recruits, hires, trains, transfers, promotes and compensates individuals and makes all personnel decisions without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, national origin or ancestry, marital status, veteran status, or physical or mental disability unrelated to an individual's ability to perform the job, in accordance with applicable law.

Founded in 1883, Florida Southern College is the oldest private college in the state. The College maintains its commitment to academic excellence through 70+ undergraduate programs and distinctive graduate programs in business administration, education, nursing, and physical therapy. Florida Southern has a 14:1 student-to-faculty ratio, is an award-winning national leader in engaged learning, and boasts 30 NCAA Division II National Championships. Florida Southern is ranked at #8 among the "Best Regional Universities in the South" by U.S. News & World Report in its 2022 "Best Colleges" guide and is included in The Princeton Review's 2022 Best 387 Colleges guide and the "Fiske Guide to Colleges 2022." The 2021-2022 Colleges of Distinction guidebook praises Florida Southern's AACSB accredited Barney Barnett School of Business and Free Enterprise alongside the College's School of Education and its Ann Blanton Edwards School of Nursing and Health Sciences. Poets&Quants, U.S. News & World Report, Fortune, and The Princeton Review further laud the Barney Barnett School of Business and Free Enterprise and the Ann Blanton Edwards School of Nursing and Health Sciences as foremost programs in the nation for business and nursing education. Home to the world's largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture, FSC has appeared on The Princeton Review's top 20 "Most Beautiful Campus" national listing for 12 consecutive years. Connect with Florida Southern College.

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