Student Affairs Officer

The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training. The above hiring range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.

Position Summary

The Student Affairs Officer is a student affairs practitioner who manages and provides front-line support across all Engineering Student Affairs (ESA) functional areas, including undergraduate student affairs, graduate student affairs, wellness, graduate student life, enrollment, etc. This individual is the first point of contact for all students, faculty, employers, alumni, and staff seeking support from ESA. The incumbent will need to thoughtfully and independently problem solve and triage requests, consulting with the relevant teams as needed. Responsibilities include managing delegations of visitors, including academic and industry partners, and providing overall office management.

Responsibilities

Student Affairs Generalist (55%) :

Serve as the first point of contact for visitors to the front desk of the ESA main office (530 Mudd). Manage and greet guests, answer phones, and relay messages using sound judgment. Ensure the highest level of diplomacy and discretion when interacting with visitors and callers. Discern the nature and purpose of visits and calls with professionalism and exceptional hospitality.

Manage all forms of communication to engineering student affairs, including email, phone, in-person, web, etc.

Perform specialized office support work, which requires independent judgment as well as detailed knowledge of the programs and activities of ESA. Projects may include coordinating graduation awards, supporting the creation of graduation materials, and managing student requests for certifying their status.

Support signature student affairs events, including Welcome Day, New Student Orientation Program, Graduate Engineers Connect, Senior Design Expo, graduation ceremonies, and other school-wide initiatives for engineering students.

Support student onboarding activities, including admissions yield, orientation, and advising.

Assist in responding to messages to various ESA aliases for respective teams.

Manage, proofread, and edit communications to students, including correspondence.

Serve on the Engineering Student Affairs graduate student on-call team, providing crisis intervention for graduate students experiencing difficulty. Assist with responding to urgent situations.

Administrative Services Management (30%) :

Create and maintain office contact lists and shared calendars / spreadsheets.

Arrange and confirm ESA meeting logistics, including room reservations, catering, audiovisual equipment setup, and attendee invitations.

Facilitate room bookings, food services, and A / V equipment orders. Dispatch messengers, errand runners, etc. Responsible for UPS and Federal Express.

Monitor and manage office supply inventory, proactively identifying needs and placing orders to ensure adequate stock levels. Maintain organized records of supplies and vendor interactions and ensure physical organization for easy access by all team members.

Ensures the office suite is kept orderly and clean, coordinating with maintenance and facilities staff and taking initiative to address any immediate issues.

Special Projects (10%) :

Oversee ad-hoc special projects at the direction of the Senior Associate Dean or Associate Dean of ESA.

With the Financial Operations Manager, support the timely processing of expenses for the Senior Associate Dean or Senior Vice Dean and on behalf of ESA.

Undertake the preparation of meeting materials, agendas, minutes, and presentations as needed.

(5%) : Performs other and related duties and responsibilities as assigned / requested.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor's degree or its equivalent required.

Minimum of two years of experience in a high-volume administrative / customer service environment required. Some experience in an academic environment is preferred.

Discretion, diplomacy, and confidentiality are of the highest importance. Must be a strategic thinker, politically savvy, and ensure the utmost discretion in all matters.

Must be highly organized with excellent communication and customer service skills. Must be able to interact effectively with a wide variety of visitors and contacts.

Must be highly conscientious and detail-oriented, efficient, and calm under pressure with a commitment to exceptional quality support.

Proficiency in MS Office and Google Suite required.

Positive, mission-oriented, forward-thinking attitude and sense of humor a must.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.