Operations Administrative Assistant, Office of Student Services & Admissions

About the Office of Student Services & Admissions (College of Arts & Sciences)

The Arts & Sciences Student Services and Admissions Office is a large and dynamic unit dedicated to delivering excellent service to students, faculty, and staff. The office staff support a one-stop student services model for the college's 4,700 undergraduate students from time of admission to graduation. Our staff help guide each student on their path to success, however they define it, building a foundation for lifelong growth, opportunity, and discovery.

The Opportunity

Are you a detail-oriented, organized, and service-driven professional who thrives in a fast-paced, collaborative environment? Do you enjoy working with diverse stakeholders, coordinating complex administrative tasks, and ensuring smooth day-to-day operations? If so, we invite you to apply for the Operations Administrative Assistant role in the Arts & Sciences Student Services and Admissions Office.

The Operations Administrative Assistant is an integral part of our team, providing essential administrative, financial, and operational support. Reporting to the Assistant Director of Administration, this role also works closely with the Senior Associate Dean and Director of Administration to ensure smooth financial processes, procurement, event coordination, and student services support.

Key Responsibilities:

Financial and Budget Support

• Monitor, track, and document financial transactions across 100+ accounts with over $1M in expenditures per fiscal year.
• Assist with financial compliance, budget reconciliation, and reporting for leadership.
• Support staff with financial policies, travel reimbursements, and procurement processes.
• Oversee purchasing, telecom expenses, and facilities-related transactions (this includes utilizing Cornell's Access Control Program to grant access to designated physical spaces).

Special Program & Event Support

• Provide administrative and financial support for special programs such as Mellon Mays, Einhorn Discovery Grant, Posse, and Undergraduate Research Fund.
• Support the College Scholar major program, including course setup, student enrollment, and event planning.
• Assist with coordinating info sessions, receptions, and student research award disbursements.

Senior Associate Dean Support

• Coordinate the Senior Associate Dean's calendar, prioritize requests, and assist with reports.
• Keep Senior Associate Dean informed of issues related to the unit as a whole, and especially related to budget and compliance.
• Occasional unit email inbox oversight.

Course and Class Administration

• Assist with course entry, catalog updates, and curriculum coordination.
• Support Academic Integrity hearings and record-keeping.
• Process late grades and incomplete course makeup submissions.
• Demonstrate understanding and operate in compliance with federal, state and university data privacy and security regulations, policies, and best practices relating to the access and use of student records.

Student Reactivations

• Oversee the student return to study process, liaising with key university offices (Bursar, Financial Aid, Registrar, Cornell Health).
• Communicate with students and draft official return letters.

Additional Duties

• Contribute to team projects and initiatives that enhance student services and administrative efficiency.
• Participate in projects or other duties as assigned with occasional work responsibility falling above or below current classification.
• Stay up to date on compliance training and university policies.

If you are a proactive administrative professional with experience in financial functions, and an interest or experience in higher education, we encourage you to apply with your resume and cover letter. Join us in shaping a vibrant and student-focused environment at the College of Arts & Sciences!

What We Need

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

• Associate's degree and 2 to 4 years of relevant experience, or an equivalent combination of relevant education and experience.
• Must be able to multi-task in a fast-paced, customer-oriented environment.
• Professional demeanor, strong organizational skills and attention to detail are required.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills are necessary.
• Proficient in or ability to quickly learn required software programs (Microsoft Word, Excel, FileMaker, etc.).
• Experience in, or ability to quickly learn, database management and university information systems.
• Must be able to maintain strict confidentiality.
• 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 with Salesforce or PeopleSoft. Knowledge of Cornell accounting processes is a bonus.
• Experience working in an academic unit.

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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Non-Union Positions

Noted pay ranges reflect the potential pay opportunity for each job profile. The hiring rate of pay for the successful candidate will be determined considering the following criteria:

• Prior relevant work or industry experience

• Education level to the extent education is relevant to the position

• Unique applicable skills

• Academic Discipline

To learn more about Cornell's non-union staff job titles and pay ranges, see Career Navigator.

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The hiring rate of pay for the successful candidate will be determined in accordance with the rates in the respective collective bargaining agreement. To learn more about Cornell's union wages, see Union Pay Rates.

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Please read the required Notice to Applicants statement by clicking here. This notice contains important information about applying for a position at Cornell as well as some of your rights and responsibilities as an applicant.

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.