Administrative Assistant

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Queen’s University is the Canadian research intensive university with a transformative student learning experience. Here the employment experience is as diverse as it is interesting. We have opportunities in multiple areas of globally recognized research, faculty administration, engineering & construction, athletics & recreation, power generation, corporate shared services, and many more.

We are committed to employment equity and diversity in the workplace and welcome applications from individuals from equity seeking groups such as women, racialized/visible minorities, Indigenous/Aboriginal peoples, persons with a disability, persons who identify in the LGBTQ+ community and others who reflect the diversity of Canadian society.

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Job Summary

Reporting to the Vice-Dean (Health Sciences) and Director, School of Nursing, the Administrative Assistant provides overall administrative, planning and operational support for the School and facilitates project work. The incumbent is responsible for direct administrative support for the Vice-Dean (Health Sciences) and Director, School of Nursing, including planning and maintaining their schedule and preparing them for meetings. Other administrative duties include meeting coordination for the School (Academic Council, Faculty & Staff meetings and Advisory Council) and coordinating special events. The incumbent provides support on various special projects and communicates and liaises with other members of the University community and outside agencies.

The schedule for this position requires the incumbent to work occasional evenings and weekends.

Job Description

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Provides administrative support to the Vice-Dean (Health Sciences) and Director, School of Nursing. Tasks include planning, organizing and maintaining their busy and complex schedule. This involves prioritizing, rearranging and deferring appointments and meetings to accommodate numerous commitments.
• Provide administrative assistance for the Director’s travel plans. Books trips and itineraries, prepares and submits travel and professional expense reimbursements.
• Prepares necessary background information required for meetings such as agendas, minutes, briefing notes and reference documents.
• Responds to inquiries on behalf of the Vice-Dean and Director, internally and externally.
• Drafts correspondence for the Vice-Dean and Director on a wide spectrum of matters, involving sensitive and confidential correspondence.
• Researches policies and procedures as needed to ensure the Vice-Dean and Director is kept aware and current, to allow them to make informed decisions about various aspects of work.
• Provides administrative support to the Academic Council, Faculty and Staff Meetings and Advisory Council including preparing draft agendas for meetings, taking meeting minutes, forwarding information to the Faculty of Health Sciences Board as necessary for approval, summarizing next steps and responsibilities for action and sending follow up messages.
• Audits follow-up requests made by the Vice-Dean and Director, which may include reports from various committees, annual faculty reports, task group reports, etc.
• Arranges and plans School-wide events such as Homecoming and guest lectures. This may include advertising, room reservations, arranging teleconferences, organizing catering, dinners and receptions, paying travel claims, and expenses of invited guests.
• Helps plan and implement the Director’s yearly calendar of events and responsibilities; creates and maintains related databases.
• Provides administrative support to the School of Nursing Nominating Committee, including tracking committee membership and monitoring the need for calls for nomination.
• Acts as contact and resource person to senior staff. Keeps the Director advised and aware of important matters requiring their attention.
• Liaises with others in the School, within the university and with outside agencies. Serves as contact for questions, comments or concerns regarding the School or its projects.
• Researches or synthesizes answers to solve problems where possible and answers questions as they arise; redirects highly unusual problems to more senior staff.
• Provides general administrative support for faculty members within the School.
• Acts as the back-up for School of Nursing reception to help cover sick days, vacation time, meetings, etc.
• Undertakes other duties as required in support of projects.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Two-year post-secondary education in business administration or related field of study.
• Previous (3 to 5 years minimum) relevant experience providing administrative support at a senior level in a demanding office environment.
• Comprehensive computing skills including advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office suite and the ability to adapt to emerging technology and systems.
• Comprehensive knowledge of university policies, procedures, and organizational structure.
• Consideration may be given to an equivalent combination of education and experience.

SPECIAL SKILLS:

• Respects diversity and promotes inclusion in the workplace.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skill (both verbal and written) to interact with a diverse variety of individuals in a professional manner and to provide clear and accurate information.
• Ability to work in a confidential, high-pressure environment and to independently make decisions and set priorities to juggle many conflicting tasks while maintaining an enthusiastic, positive attitude. Strong professional work ethic.
• Ability to respond diplomatically and sensitively using good judgment in difficult situations, and to interact professionally with all levels, internal and external to the University.
• Excellent organizational skills required to coordinate the activities of this position, as well as the activities of the Vice-Dean (Health Sciences) and Director, School of Nursing.
• Proven ability work with minimal supervision and as part of a team to complete the assigned tasks within timeframes and budget.
• Ability to take initiative and responsibility for projects from beginning to completion.
• Analytical and problem-solving skills with strong attention to detail.
• Resourcefulness and creativity.

DECISION MAKING:

• Prioritize work and time, and decide most important tasks among several to meet deadlines.
• Determine when the Vice-Dean and Director is able to meet commitments, both internally within Queen’s and externally.
• Resolve scheduling conflicts and determine when to schedule meetings under tight deadlines.
• Determine priorities within a broad range of responsibilities and manage to accommodate individuals who rely on you for prompt and accurate performance of several tasks, while facing frequent interruptions.
• Handle and/or refer incoming correspondence and phone calls to the appropriate individual for follow-up, particularly those, which are, time or content sensitive.
• Make daily operation decisions and resolve administrative problems within guidelines. Answer inquiries and produce and distribute informational material.
• Identify problems and determine when to direct them to the appropriate person.
• Determine a routine for dealing with and protecting confidential and sensitive information.
• Determine content and formatting for correspondence and reports prepared on behalf of the Vice-Dean and Director and the School.
• Determine the nature and content of briefing notes, reports and other information used by the Vice-Dean and Director.
• Determines the most effective design and set-up for databases and/or filing systems.
• Make recommendations regarding office administration procedures, suggest and help implement changes.

Employment Equity and Accessibility Statement

The University invites applications from all qualified individuals. Queen’s is committed to employment equity and diversity in the workplace and welcomes applications from women, visible minorities, Aboriginal Peoples, persons with disabilities, and persons of any sexual orientation or gender identity. In accordance with Canadian Immigration requirements, priority will be given to Canadian citizens and permanent residents.

The University provides support in its recruitment processes to applicants with disabilities, including accommodation that takes into account an applicant’s accessibility needs. Candidates requiring accommodation during the recruitment process are asked to contact Human Resources at [email protected] .