Assistant to the Directors, Materials Science and Engineering

About The Department of Materials Science and Engineering

The Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) at Cornell is a global leader in educating new generations of materials scientists and engineers. Cornell MSE draws upon its world-class faculty, innovative researchers, state-of-the-art facilities, and highly collaborative research environment to respond to challenging technological and societal demands both in the present and the future. Our vision is to be a vibrant, supportive community of materials scientists and engineers developing fundamental understanding, enabling advanced technologies, and providing world leadership through education and innovative research.

The Opportunity

Are you an organized and proactive professional who thrives in a dynamic environment? Do you excel at balancing executive support with strategic coordination? If so, the Department of Materials Science and Engineering invites you to apply for the role of Assistant to the Directors!

As a key partner to the Chair and Director of Administration (DA), you will provide high-level executive support, oversee faculty recruitment and academic HR processes, and play a central role in supporting the department's strategic initiatives and operations. You will be entrusted with coordinating complex schedules, preparing critical materials, and ensuring seamless coordination across a diverse network of faculty, researchers, students, and staff.

Your ability to exercise sound judgment, maintain confidentiality, and anticipate needs will be essential in ensuring the department's success. You will also take on event planning, faculty search coordination, and key administrative processes, helping to advance the department's teaching and research mission.

Executive-Level Support:

• Serve as a trusted proactive advisor and liaison, helping to execute departmental priorities.
• Coordinate high-profile calendars (Department Chair and Director of Administration), travel, and communications, ensuring seamless coordination.
• Research for and preparation of presentations, reports, and data visualizations to help inform strategic decision-making.
• Organize and oversee departmental meetings, faculty searches, and retreats with professionalism and efficiency. Represent the Chair and Director in meetings and engagements.
• Develop, implement, and maintain systems to streamline departmental operations, ensuring alignment with institutional policies.

Academic HR & Faculty Support:

• Coordinate faculty recruitment and onboarding processes, including search committee meetings and faculty candidate visits, ensuring compliance with institutional policies.
• Handle faculty promotion and tenure documentation, as well as tracking/maintaining sabbatical leave eligibility and activity records, with discretion and accuracy.
• Support faculty awards and recognition programs by preparing nominations and tracking submissions.

Departmental Operations & Event Coordination:

• Plan and execute department-wide events, including seminars, alumni gatherings, and advisory council meetings.
• Maintain department records and handle internal communications.
• Work closely with the communications team to enhance departmental visibility.

Other Responsibilities:

• Engage in professional development to support career growth.
• Participate in projects or other duties as assigned with occasional work responsibility falling above or below current classification.
• Provide occasional evening or weekend support for special events.

At the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, we value innovation, collaboration, and excellence. This role offers a front-row seat to exciting research and academic initiatives while providing opportunities for growth, learning, and meaningful contributions to a world-class engineering program. If you are an experienced, organized, and self-motivated administrative professional with a propensity to collaborate effectively with a diversity of stakeholders, we encourage you to apply with your resume and cover letter!

What We Need

All applications must include a resume and cover letter for full consideration.

• Associate's degree and 4 to 6 years relevant experience, or an equivalent combination of relevant education and experience.
• Demonstrated ability to handle sensitive and confidential situations with discretion.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills with meticulous attention to detail.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to draft and proofread professional correspondence and reports.
• Proactive problem-solving skills and the ability to juggle multiple priorities in a high-pressure environment.
• Ability to cultivate and develop inclusive and equitable working relationships with students, faculty, staff, and community members.

If you have all those things, great! We have a few more things that we would prefer you to have, but it's ok if you don't.

• Bachelor's degree
• Experience coordinating complex projects or events.
• Familiarity with academic HR processes such as tenure and promotion reviews.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook), communication tools like Teams or Slack, and Canva.

Rewards and Benefits

• This position is based in Ithaca, New York, and is fully on-site.
• Cornell receives national recognition as an award-winning workplace for our health, wellbeing, sustainability, and diversity initiatives.
• Our benefits programs include comprehensive health care options, generous retirement contributions, access to wellness programs, and employee discounts with local and national retail brands. We invite you to follow this link to get more information about our benefits: Understand Your Benefits | Working at Cornell.
• Our leave provisions include health and personal leave, three weeks of vacation and 13 holidays: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and the day after, and an end of the year winter break from December 25-January 1. To offer greater flexibility for observing faiths and traditions we also offer two additional floating holidays. Learn more about our generous leave provisions: Holiday and Accrued Time Off | Working at Cornell
• Cornell's impressive educational benefits include tuition-free Extramural Study and Employee Degree Program, tuition aid for external education, and Cornell Children's Tuition Assistance Program. Learn more about our extensive educational benefits: Education Benefits | Working at Cornell
• Follow this link to learn more about the Total Rewards of Working at Cornell: Total Rewards | Working at Cornell.

Visa sponsorship and/or relocation assistance is not available for this position.

Diversity and Inclusion are a part of Cornell University's heritage. We are a recognized employer and educator valuing AA/EEO, and we do not tolerate discrimination based on any protected characteristic, including race, ethnic or national origin, citizenship and immigration status, color, sex/gender, pregnancy or pregnancy-related conditions, age, creed, religion, actual or perceived disability (including persons associated with such a person), arrest and/or conviction record, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender expression and/or identity, an individual's genetic information, domestic violence victim status, familial status, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. We also recognize a lawful preference in employment practices for Native Americans living on or near Indian reservations in accordance with applicable law.

Cornell University embraces diversity and seeks candidates who will contribute to a climate that supports students, faculty, and staff to all identities and backgrounds. We strongly encourage individuals from underrepresented and/or marginalized identities to apply.

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EEO Statement:

Diversity and Inclusion are a part of Cornell University's heritage. We are a recognized employer and educator valuing AA/EEO, and we do not tolerate discrimination based on any protected characteristic, including race, ethnic or national origin, citizenship and immigration status, color, sex/gender, pregnancy or pregnancy-related conditions, age, creed, religion, actual or perceived disability (including persons associated with such a person), arrest and/or conviction record, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender expression and/or identity, an individual's genetic information, domestic violence victim status, familial status, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. We also recognize a lawful preference in employment practices for Native Americans living on or near Indian reservations in accordance with applicable law.

Cornell University embraces diversity and seeks candidates who will contribute to a climate that supports students, faculty, and staff to all identities and backgrounds. We encourage individuals from underrepresented and/or marginalized identities to apply.