Admin Asst II, Smith Institute

Johnson C Smith University Inc; Charlotte (NC); On-site; USD 42,000 - 62,000; Full time

Job summary

Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, NC seeks an Administrative Assistant II to provide comprehensive administrative, operational, financial, and program support for The Smith Institute.

The role coordinates with students, faculty, staff, employers, alumni, and community partners, ensuring professional and timely service. This fully in-person position supports Title III-funded activities, maintains records, manages budgets and purchases, and assists with reporting and compliance across

Qualifications

• Demonstrated commitment to student success, career readiness, experiential learning, leadership development, and high-quality constituent service.

Responsibilities

• Provide high-level administrative support to the Director of The Smith Institute and manage day-to-day operations and programs.
• Serve as the first point of contact for students, employers, alumni, faculty, staff, and partners.
• Coordinate the Director’s calendar and assist with scheduling meetings and events.
• Support planning and execution of career readiness, experiential learning, and student development activities.
• Assist with grant administration, including documentation, expenditure tracking, and reporting.

Skills

Organizational skills

Time management

Project coordination

Communication skills

Discretion & confidentiality

Adaptability

Interpersonal skills

Tools

Microsoft 365 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams)

Handshake

CRM systems

Job description

This position is fully in-person (not remote orhybrid).

GENERAL STATEMENT OF JOB

Reporting to the Director of The Smith Institute, theAdministrative Assistant II provides comprehensive administrative,operational, financial, and program support for the Institute’sstudent success, career readiness, experiential learning,leadership development, employer engagement, and postgraduatereadiness initiatives. The position serves as a central point ofcoordination for students, faculty, staff, employers, alumni,community partners, and other external constituents and helpsensure that Institute programs and services are delivered with ahigh level of professionalism, responsiveness, accuracy, andstudent-centered service.

The Administrative Assistant II supports the Institute’s evolvingmodel of connecting students to purposeful career exploration,leadership development, internships and other experiential learningopportunities, professional development, employer engagement, andpathways to employment and graduate or professional education. Theposition also provides administrative support for Title III-fundedactivities and is responsible for maintaining appropriatedocumentation, records, purchasing materials, and other evidencenecessary to support institutional and grant-relatedaccountability. This position is fully supported by Title IIIgrant funds and is contingent upon the availability andcontinuation of grant funding. Duties may include grant-relatedadministrative support, expenditure tracking, documentation, datacollection, activity records, and assistance with requiredreporting consistent with University and applicable grantrequirements.

SPECIFIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provides high-level administrative support to the Director ofThe Smith Institute and supports the day-to-day operations,priorities, programs, and initiatives of the Institute.
• Serves as a welcoming first point of contact for students,employers, alumni, faculty, staff, community partners, andvisitors; responds to routine inquiries and appropriately routesmatters requiring professional or leadership attention.
• Coordinates the Director’s calendar and assists with schedulingmeetings, appointments, partner engagements, student programs,employer visits, and Institute events.
• Supports the planning and execution of career readiness,experiential learning, leadership development, employer engagement,internship, postgraduate readiness, and student professionaldevelopment activities.
• Provides logistical and administrative support for signatureInstitute initiatives, including Career and Leadership Expo,Leadership Institute, Undergraduate Research Institute,employer-facing events, workshops, student engagement activities,and other special programs.
• Supports student engagement and follow-up by assisting withcommunications, appointment coordination, event registration,attendance records, participant rosters, surveys, and relateddocumentation.
• Assists with the administration and routine use of career andstudent-success technology platforms, including Handshake and otherUniversity-approved systems, to support appointments, events,employer engagement, student participation, and programrecords.
• Maintains accurate electronic and physical records forInstitute operations, student participation, employer and partnerengagement, experiential learning activities, events, expenditures,and grant-supported activities in accordance with Universitypolicies.
• Supports data collection and routine reporting by compilingparticipation, engagement, program, event, and service-deliveryinformation for the Director and other authorizedstakeholders.
• Assists with Title III grant administration by organizingsupporting documentation, maintaining activity and expenditurerecords, monitoring deadlines, and preparing materials needed forinternal and external reporting.
• Supports departmental budget administration; tracksexpenditures and commitments, prepares and processes purchaserequisitions, invoices, reimbursements, and related documentation,and assists the Director in monitoring budget activity.
• Coordinates travel arrangements, meeting logistics, catering,facilities, supplies, technology, and other resources needed forInstitute operations and programs.
• Maintains employer, alumni, community, and campus partnercontact information and supports professional correspondence,invitations, follow-up communications, and stewardshipactivities.
• Assists with communications and promotional coordination forInstitute programs, opportunities, deadlines, events, and studentresources in collaboration with appropriate Universityoffices.
• Supports the coordination of internship, experiential learning,leadership, and career-readiness opportunities by maintainingrecords, tracking participation, and helping connect students withthe appropriate institute staff member or campus resource.
• Handles student and institutional information with discretionand maintains confidentiality in accordance with FERPA, Universitypolicy, and applicable grant requirements.
• Provides administrative support for assessment and continuousimprovement efforts, including survey administration, collection ofparticipation data, documentation of outcomes, and maintenance ofevidence files.
• Coordinates multiple concurrent projects and deadlines in a fast-paced, student-facing environment and proactively identifiesadministrative needs that support the effectiveness of theInstitute.
• Provides administrative coverage and operational support forthe Institute as needed, including coordination with studentemployees and front-desk coverage.
• Participates in University and divisional meetings, trainings, events, and professional development as assigned.
• Performs other duties as assigned to support the mission,goals, and evolving priorities of The Smith Institute and JohnsonC. Smith University.
• Maintain accurate and secure records of all Title IX reports,investigations, and outcomes.
• Prepare reports and documentation for internal leadership,audits, and accreditation purposes.
• Support institutional readiness for external reviews, including compliance audits and accreditation processes.
• Collaborate with campus partners, including Human Resources,Campus Safety, Athletics, Academic Affairs, and other relevantUniversity units.
• Provide regular updates and escalation high-risk matters to the Senior Vice President for Strategic Enrollment and Retention Management and other senior leadership, as appropriate.
• Promote a campus environment that supports equity, safety, and compliance.

MINIMUM TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE

Demonstrated commitment to student success, career readiness,experiential learning, leadership development, and high-qualityconstituent service. Must possess excellent organizational,time-management, and project-coordination skills, with the abilityto manage multiple priorities and deadlines effectively. Strongwritten, oral, interpersonal, and professional communication skillsare required, along with the ability to interact effectively withstudents, faculty, staff, senior leaders, employers, alumni, andcommunity partners. Requires a high level of accuracy, attention todetail, follow-through, discretion, and sound judgment, includingthe ability to maintain confidential student, personnel, financial,and grant-related information. Proficiency with Microsoft 365applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, andTeams, as well as Canva or similar graphic design platforms, isrequired, along with the ability to learn and effectively utilizeUniversity technology systems. Must be able to work withspreadsheets, rosters, budgets, participation data, and routinereports. Familiarity with Handshake, student success platforms, CRMsystems, event-management tools, or similar technologies ispreferred, as is knowledge of purchasing, budget tracking, grantdocumentation, and higher education administrative processes. Mustdemonstrate the ability to work independently, exercise initiative,collaborate effectively as part of a team, adapt to changingpriorities, and support occasional evening or special-eventresponsibilities as program needs require.