Assistant Director of Projects and Operations

USC University of Southern California; Los Angeles (CA); Hybrid; USD 41,000 - 47,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Southern California’s Dornsife Office of Advancement seeks an Assistant Director of Projects and Operations to lead key projects, manage processes, and support a diverse team in a hybrid Los Angeles setting. The role reports to the Assistant Dean of Stewardship and Operations and entails cross‑department collaboration.

The position emphasizes program management, event support, communications design, and newsletter content, with opportunities to shape strategic initiatives and drive

Qualifications

• Minimum Education: Bachelor's degree
• Additional Education Requirements: Combined experience/education as substitute for minimum education
• Minimum Experience: 2 years
• Minimum Skills: Directly related project or administrative experience
• Preferred Education: Master's degree
• Preferred Experience: 3 years

Responsibilities

• Provides administrative support to advancement personnel
• Manages the Dornsife Advancement website pages and updates
• Supervises student interns (recruiting, hiring, scheduling, performance)
• Provides event planning and management support for internal and donor-facing events
• Assists with creation and design of internal/external communications (flyers, invitations)
• Designs content for bi-monthly newsletters and office-wide communications
• Composes business correspondence, reports, and forms
• Works with multiple departments on various projects
• Provides campaign support for USC Dornsife initiatives
• Acts as a project manager for priority projects as needed
• Contributes to the Operations team's strategic plan
• Assists the Operations team with other duties

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Communication skills

Project management

Event coordination

Initiative & collaboration

Attention to detail

Time management

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite (Excel)

WordPress

Job description

Assistant Director of Projects and Operations

Assistant Director of Projects and Operations The USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences Office of Advancement is hiring an Assistant Director of Projects and Operations.

Join a team of professionals who take pride in supporting the efforts of all teams in the Dornsife Office of Advancement.

The Assistant Director of Projects and Operations, reporting to the Assistant Dean of Stewardship and Operations, is responsible for managing key projects and processes integral to the continued success of the team.

• provides administrative support as needed to advancement personnel manages the Dornsife Advancement website, including assessment of current pages, facilitation of new pages and updates to existing pages.
• supervises the Dornsife advancement student interns, including the day-to-day activities, schedules, recruitment, hiring and performance.
• provides event planning and management support for internal departmental events as well as external donor-facing events.
• assists with the creation and design of internal and external communication pieces, such as flyers, invitations and other supporting documents.
• designs, coordinates and provides content for the bi-monthly Dornsife Advancement newsletter and resource newsletters/office wide communications.
• composes and prepares business correspondence, reports, documents and forms.
• works with multiple departments and offices on a variety of projects.
• provides campaign support for the current initiatives and priorities of USC Dornsife.
• acts as a project manager for other priority projects, as needed.
• contributes to the overall strategic plan for the Operations team.
• Assists the Operations team with other duties.

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills (verbal and written).
• Must be able to work independently and collaboratively to collect information, execute tasks and produce high-quality deliverables within scope, timeline and budget.
• The ability to anticipate the business needs of the team, seek clarification, organize work, and use critical thinking to efficiently solve problems on a daily basis is key to success in this role.
• Must possess an exceptional ability to manage complex projects and consistently produce work with strong attention to detail, accuracy, and completeness.
• Must have the ability to maintain a high degree of professionalism and discretion with sensitive and/or confidential information.
• Project management experience is a plus.
• Event coordination experience is a plus.
• Must be skilled in the use of the Microsoft Office Suite (especially Excel), other internet applications (search engines, other online portals), and similar software.
• Must take initiative to communicate and collaborate with multiple teams to manage projects and events.
• Wordpress or other website platform experience a plus.

This is a hybrid position and reports to the Downtown Los Angeles Office when in-person.

The hourly rate range for this position is $30 - $34.

When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer alignment, federal, state and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

To support the well-being of our faculty and staff, USC provides benefits-eligible employees with a broad range of perks to help protect their and their dependents’ health, wealth, and future. These benefits are available as part of the overall compensation and total rewards package. You can learn more about USC’s comprehensive benefits here.

Performs other related duties as assigned or requested.

The university reserves the right to add or change duties at any time.

The team values a broad range of perspectives and is committed to fostering a culture of belonging through respectful dialogue, inclusion, collaboration, and the cultivation of meaningful, long-term relationships with faculty, staff, alumni, and donors.

• Minimum Education: Bachelor's degree
• Addtional Education Requirements Combined experience/education as substitute for minimum education
• Minimum Experience: 2 years
• Minimum Skills: Directly related project or administrative experience.

• Preferred Education: Master's degree
• Preferred Experience: 3 years

USC is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law or USC policy. USC observes affirmative action obligations consistent with state and federal law. USC will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal records in a manner consistent with applicable laws and regulations, including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for employers and the Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, and with due consideration for patient and student safety.

Please refer to the Background Screening Policy Appendix D for specific employment screen implications for the position for which you are applying.

We provide reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. Applicants with questions about access or requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process should contact USC Human Resources by phone at [phone], or by email at [e-mail]. Inquiries will be treated as confidential to the extent permitted by law.

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USC is a leading private research university located in the heart of downtown Los Angeles – a global center for arts, technology and international business.

As the largest private employer in the city – responsible for more than $5 billion annually in economic activity in the region – we offer the opportunity to work in a dynamic and diverse environment, in careers that span a broad spectrum of talents and skills.

As a USC employee, you will enjoy excellent benefits and perks, and you will be a member of the Trojan Family - the faculty, staff, students and alumni who make USC a great place to work.