Administrative Assistant - Admissions and Financial Aid chez Colby College

Job Description

Department:

Pay Rate Type:

Employee Type:

Job Summary:

Reporting to the Director of Enrollment Operations, the administrative assistant provides a team of admissions and financial aid officers with operational and project support, communicates regularly with external constituents, devotes significant time to maintaining accurate records through data entry and document uploads, and participates in a variety of administrative and organizational functions within the department.

Essential Functions

To successfully perform in this position, an individual must be able to perform essential duties satisfactorily as well as possess education/experience, employ the knowledge, skills, and abilities as listed in representative fashion. Colby College actively supports the Americans with Disabilities Act and will consider reasonable accommodations to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position.  This listing of essential duties is not all-inclusive, but representative; other duties may be assigned.

• Manage a portfolio of one or more enrollment operations projects, including but not limited to coordinating the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid’s building management initiatives, work order and supply procurements, document processing and verifications, and international student I-20 processing and issuance
• Assist in the collection, preparation, reporting, and distribution of key data and documents for internal and external partners
• Provide operational support to a group of admissions and financial aid officers, assisting with calendar and travel management, meeting and event coordination, travel receipt and expense report reconciliation, invoice processing, and communication with external stakeholders
• Perform a variety of administrative duties including significant admissions and financial aid data entry, document scanning and uploads, real-time record keeping, mail merging, filing, and regular updating of prospect and applicant information
• Ensure timely, professional, and informative communication with admissions and financial aid constituents in person, via email, and by phone
• Provide support for major events, including but not limited to participating in pre-event day setup, execution, tear down, and post-event clean-up and processing.
• Prepare, proofread, and print letters, emails, and other communications for a variety of project leaders and constituents
• Assist in mailroom operations, sorting, receiving, and posting a wide range of mailings
• Provide coverage at the registration desk as needed, greeting visitors, responding to inquiries, and coordinating campus tours

Position Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

• High school diploma or equivalent required; additional coursework or post-secondary education preferred
• Previous administrative professional experience involving data entry, word processing, and computer system operations, with significant experience with the Microsoft Office Suite and Google Workspace preferred
• Ability to quickly become proficient in the admissions and financial aid database programs, as well as an interest and ability to learn other programs
• Ability to handle confidential information with discretion
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, and organizational skills with a high level of motivation
• Outstanding oral and written communication skills
• Strong, self-motivated work ethic, high energy, and competitive spirit
• Attention to detail and accuracy are critical
• Working knowledge of business English, proofreading, and spelling skills
• Must be able to work independently, exercise judgment, and manage projects with minimal supervision, as well as to adjust as new projects are assigned
• Appreciation for the value of a liberal arts education and of diverse cultures, backgrounds, and experiences
• Must possess creative initiative, flexibility, and ability to exercise discretion
• Proven ability to work both independently and collaboratively as a member of a diverse community

Physical/Mental Demands

The physical demands and work environment characteristics described herein are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform essential functions of this position and/or may be encountered while performing essential functions.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• To successfully perform the essential functions of this position, an employee must be able to maintain appropriate confidentiality with regard to employee, applicant and student data, documents, issues, etc., and respect privacy needs of current and past employees, applicants and students.
• The ability to comply with highly inflexible deadlines is required to successfully perform the essential functions of this position; there will be multiple occurrences of sudden, urgent task completion required.
• There may be occurrences of employees, past employees, members of the general public, and others who express opinions, may exhibit strong emotions, which will require the employee to interact professionally, diplomatically, and appropriately in such situations.
• While performing the essential duties of this position, an employee would frequently be required to move around the office space as well as within hallways, meeting rooms, and other parts of the campus facilities. 
• There may be multiple/daily instances of prolonged personal computer use which would include keyboard and/or mouse usage as well as viewing a computer monitor.
• An employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 35 pounds to perform essential position functions.
• Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, and ability to adjust focus.
• The overall work environment requires the mental ability to shift focus quickly due to interruptions; an employee must be able to mentally track multiple projects and tasks as well.
• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate; however, there may be unexpected instances of somewhat loud sounds.