The Placement Exchange Job Board

Job Description:

Job Summary:

Reporting to the Associate Director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies (CMES), the Center Assistant (CA) supports the Associate Director, Director, Deputy Director for Academic programs, and Outreach Coordinator with various administrative duties.  The CA provides administrative support for the Masterâ™s program; contributes to the design, editing and maintenance of the Centerâ™s web and social media sites including recognizing and identifying languages from the Middle East region, writing ad copy; supports the design and publication of the Centerâ™s newsletter; supports in-person and remote programming; assists in media production; participates in data collection for grant reporting and other purposes; acts as the first point of contact for inquiries about the Center, its students, faculty, staff and other matters of interest to its constituents; manages the day-to-day operations of the office; plans and supports logistics for events; processes financial transactions; supports the Director with various administrative tasks as assigned including producing reports and composing original correspondence on behalf of the Director; and performs other duties as assigned.  

Some remote work / hybrid schedule will be considered.

Responsibilities:

• Supports the Deputy Director: fields phone calls to address issues of students life and CMES programs, or refers students to appropriate CMES or University contacts; advises applicants through admissions and enrollment processes; is first point of contact; maintains a database of students and alumni; keeps information updated on student tracking, course offerings, membership of associate and honorary members; maintains contact with alumni to update database and invite alumni involvement in CMES MA programs career advising and support; maintains all databases by updating programming and or re-designing the database when needed; creates student forms; responds to requests from CMES faculty affiliates in a timely manner; processes associate and honorary member applications.
• Plans and executes all events for the Center.  Some of the annual events are student orientation, prospective student day, and conferences to promote the Centerâ™s programming and outreach; determines venue, hires vendors; secures space and equipment for student events. Manage in-person and remote events, as necessary, including audio/video recording and editing.
• Publicizes events and other matters for the Center; produces promotional literature, materials and posters for events; occasionally uses text in foreign languages to produce publicity material; writes ad copy and considers special needs issues on all promotional material; uses a graphic design program and other techniques such as email blasts to make publicity material; researches venues to publicize events; distributes publicity materials and the departmentâ™s outreach interests and images to the community such as to all visitors, prospective students, and center members; supports the design and publication of the CMES newsletter as directed; contributes to the design, editing, and maintenance of the Centerâ™s UChicago website and social media pages; keeps information accurate and up-to-date, solicits others to obtain data needed to keep the website current.
• Provides support for grant proposals and reporting and helps prepare an annual report; performs tasks as assigned including but not limited to researching information from faculty, proofreading and editing data, determining which faculty member to solicit for translation, preparing the content for the index of the grant proposals; and developing statistics from the appropriate database which are needed for grant proposals.  Provides administrative support for CMESâ™s annual report as assigned. 
• Processes all financial transactions through the Local Business Center in the Social Sciences Division, and as appropriate through Financial and Grant Services in the Humanities Division; uses the University systems such as Webdart, BuySite, epayment, and Gems and others; reconciles ledgers monthly and provides Associate Director with financial reports on a regularized basis; processes reimbursements for student-organized activities.
• Acts as the first point of contact for the Center and manages day-to-day operations including but not limited to the following; greets visitors and provides information to all regarding lectures, workshops, or general activities; responds to letters of inquiry about the Center; takes minutes at all meetings; creates forms as needed; schedules courses for Pick 218 and works with Registrar and departments to manage space for courses; maintains office equipment and office supplies; collects and sorts mail; delivers outgoing mail to mailbox; maintains Centerâ™s bulletin boards; supports CMES faculty members in their needs for booking classrooms in Pick Hall, contacting necessary facilities units of the University.
• Performs special projects as assigned by the Director and Associate Director.

Competencies:

• Communicate knowledge of the field of Middle Eastern Studies, the Humanities Division and the Division of Social Science in general, and departmental regulations in particular, clearly and succinctly.
• Clear, concise communication in-person and in writing, as well as to correspond in the voice of others.
• Maintain confidentiality.
• Provide accurate information about the degreed program.
• Update and maintain the Centerâ™s website and Facebook pages.
• Understand the project goals while also ensuring the details are correct and have flexibility.
• Keep tasks and documentation organized and have excellent follow through.
• Problem solve successfully.
• Tact, courtesy, and a high level of customer service.
• Work independently and take direction from others like project managers or faculty supervisors.

Education, Experience or Certifications:

Education:

• High school diploma or general education degree (GED) required.
• Bachelorâ™s degree preferred.

Experience:

• Financial administration, event organization, and records management.
• Conducting research and data collection on topics associated with higher education.
• Managing communications and composing administrative reports, memos, minutes, and procedural communications to diverse constituencies. 
• Creating, updating and maintaining website content and the ability to learn new software programs and on-line systems.
• Progressively responsible administrative experience in higher education or an enterprise associated with higher education.
• Working on faculty and/or student affairs at a college or university preferred.
• Knowledge of academic administrative practices. 
• Working or studying in the field of Middle Eastern culture, language, etc.

Technical Knowledge or Skills:

• Strong editing/proofreading ability in English.
• Recognize and identify languages of the Middle East.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, Zoom, relational databases, standard e-mail, Internet applications, and social media.
• Skilled in or willingness to learn Abode Creative Suite and basic audio/video editing.

Pay Range:

• $19.94 - $29.20 per hour.

Working Conditions:

• Office environment.
• Set up and break down events.
• Lift up to 25lbs.
• Work at a computer for hours.

Required Documents:

• Resume/CV
• Letter of Interest in this position
• References Contact Information (3)
• Please describe examples of a) when you have successfully worked as part of a team and b) how you have handled challenging situations in the workplace

The University of Chicago is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity/Disabled/Veterans Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, status as an individual with a disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

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