Administrative Assistant

NU USA Northeastern University; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 32,000 - 44,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Vision

Dental

Paid time off

Tuition assistance

Wellness & life

Retirement

Commuting & transportation

Job summary

Northeastern University is seeking an Administrative Assistant to support the Office of Student Academic Affairs and serve as the front-line contact for undergraduate inquiries. You will assist with information requests, appointments with advisors, and liaison activities across college and university offices.

The role involves data gathering, event planning, budget tracking, and general administrative duties to maintain a welcoming, efficient office for students and families.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent with 1-3 years’ experience, preferably in higher education.
• Proficiency with MS Office products (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills for top-tier customer service.

Responsibilities

• Serves as a key point of contact for inquiries about programs, policies, and processes.
• Acquires and applies department knowledge to provide information for routine matters and escalates more serious matters.
• Provides front desk coverage and coordinates work study student schedules.
• Organizes and schedules meetings.
• Tracks and maintains unit budgets.
• Maintains office equipment and handles purchases and mail.
• Gathers data for reporting and program management.
• Assists with event planning and coordination of workshops and seminars.

Skills

Customer service

Communication

Time management

Organization

Interpersonal skills

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent

1-3 years higher education experience

Tools

MS Office

Microsoft Word

Excel

PowerPoint

Outlook

Job description

About the Opportunity

Reporting to the College Executive Assistant, the Administrative Assistant will join an administrative team and provide administrative support to one or more units.This role will primarily be assigned to support the Office of Student Academic Affairs and will be the front-line contact for the College regarding undergraduate inquiries, requests for information, and appointments with advisors.

The Administrative Assistant serves as a liaison between students and University offices to provide accurate information and excellent customer service in helping students navigate their way through processes and procedures across the College and University.

This role will work with students and parents on the phone, via e-mail, and in person.

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities

Customer Service

• Serves as a key point of contact for inquiries about programs, policies, and processes in one or more department/program
• Acquires and applies department knowledge to provide information for routine matters and escalates more serious matters
• Provides front desk coverage and coordinates work study student schedules to ensure appropriate coverage, customer service, and support are always available during needed hours (typically Monday-Friday, 9am – 5pm)

Administrative and Operational Support

• Organizes and schedules meetings
• Tracks and maintains unit budgets
• Maintains office equipment, generates purchase orders, reconciles corporate credit cards, files documents, sorts mail, answers department telephones and e-mail, and orders office supplies

Data Gathering, Analysis & Reporting

• Gathers, organizes, and reviews data from a variety of sources for recordkeeping, reporting, and program management

Events

• Assists with the planning of events and coordination of activities needed to hold workshops, conferences, and seminars

Duties

• Maintaining a welcoming office atmosphere
• Providing immediate response to student needs
• Managing work study students
• Ensuring appropriate front desk coverage
• Organizing and scheduling appointments and meetings
• Answering phones, email communications
• Maintaining office operations
• Ensuring accurate and confidential recordkeeping
• Inputting data into central systems
• Troubleshooting meeting technology

Minimum Qualifications

Skills and knowledge for this position are typically acquired through the completion of a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent and 1-3 years’ relevant experience, preferably in a higher education setting. Knowledge of office administration practices and processes; basic level of proficiency with MS Office products, including Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook. Excellent computer skills with flexibility to adapt to new technology and various computer/software applications are essential. Ability to plan, organize, and set priorities; time management; attention to detail; conflict resolution. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills to provide the highest level of customer service. Ability to navigate high volume periods and challenging student situations while maintaining a calm, patient, and professional demeanor. Ability to carry out special assignments by completing activities, monitoring progress, and ensuring work is completed accurately and on time.

Position Type

General Administration

Additional Information

Northeastern University considers factors such as candidate work experience, education and skills when extending an offer. Northeastern has a comprehensive benefits package for benefit eligible employees. This includes medical, vision, dental, paid time off, tuition assistance, wellness & life, retirement- as well as commuting & transportation.

• Medical
• Vision
• Dental
• Paid time off
• Tuition assistance
• Wellness & life
• Retirement
• Commuting & transportation

Visit https://hr.northeastern.edu/benefits/ for more information.

All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Compensation

• Grade/Pay Type: 106H
• Expected Hiring Range: $23.37 - $32.14

With the pay range(s) shown above, the starting salary will depend on several factors, which may include your education, experience, location, knowledge and expertise, and skills as well as a pay comparison to similarly-situated employees already in the role. Salary ranges are reviewed regularly and are subject to change.

About Northeastern University

Founded in 1898, Northeastern is a global research university and the recognized leader in experiential lifelong learning. Our approach of integrating real-world experience with education, research, and innovation empowers our students, faculty, alumni, and partners to create worldwide impact. Our global university system provides our community and academic, government, and industry partners with unique opportunities to think locally and act globally. The system—which includes 14 campuses across the U.S., U.K., and Canada, 300,000-plus alumni, and 3,000 partners worldwide—serves as a platform for scaling ideas, talent, and solutions. The university’s residential campuses for undergraduate and graduate degrees are located in Boston, London, and Oakland, California. Our research and graduate campuses are in the Massachusetts communities of Burlington and Nahant; Arlington, Virginia; Charlotte, North Carolina; Miami; Portland, Maine; Seattle; Silicon Valley, California; Toronto; and Vancouver. Northeastern’s personalized, experiential undergraduate and graduate programs lead to degrees through the doctorate in 10 colleges and schools across our campuses. Learning emphasizes the intersection of data, technology, and human literacies, uniquely preparing graduates for careers of the future and lives of fulfillment and accomplishment. Our research enterprise, with an R1 Carnegie classification, is solutions oriented and spans the world. Our faculty scholars and students work in teams that cross not just disciplines, but also sectors—aligned around solving today’s highly interconnected global challenges and focused on transformative impact for humankind.