Assistant to the Dean - Design (71101)

Pratt; New York (NY); On-site; USD 60,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Pratt Institute’s School of Design seeks an Assistant to the Dean to serve as the operational anchor for the Dean’s Office. This role manages executive administration, digital communications, event planning, and facilities workflows across five design departments and associated labs.

The position reports to the Dean and collaborates with the Assistant Dean, Director of Finance & Operations, and department leaders to ensure discretion, excellence, and timely execution of institutional priorities.

Qualifications

• Associate’s Degree required; Bachelor’s Degree strongly preferred.
• Minimum of 3 years of progressive administrative or executive support experience.
• Proficiency with Google Workspace and Microsoft Office.
• Experience with CMS, digital communication tools, and social media platforms.
• Experience with enterprise higher education systems (Workday, Canvas).
• Strong written, editorial, and verbal communication; ability to handle confidential information.
• Cultural competence and ability to collaborate in a diverse community.

Responsibilities

• Manage the Dean’s executive calendar and briefing materials.
• Screen, triage, and route inbound correspondence, calls, and visitors; handle routine inquiries.
• Coordinate travel itineraries and host visiting guests and events.
• Support Faculty Affairs, search coordination, and labor relations tasks.
• Assist in governance, curriculum, assessment, and accreditation reporting.
• Plan and coordinate events, lectures, exhibitions, and public programming.
• Oversee fiscal processing and facilities coordination.
• Supervise student employees and assist workload management.
• Perform other duties as required.

Skills

Executive support

Calendar management

Travel coordination

Event planning

Communication

Discretion

Cultural competence

Education

Associate’s Degree

Bachelor’s Degree

Tools

Google Workspace

Microsoft Office Suite

CMS

Workday

Canvas

digital room-scheduling platforms

Job description

The School of Design at Pratt Institute educates curious makers in design practice to impact the world through the design of messages, objects, spaces, and systems. Spanning five academic departments (Undergraduate Communications Design, Graduate Communications Design, Fashion Design, Industrial Design, and Interior Design), four undergraduate programs, five graduate programs, interdisciplinary programs, and associated production labs, the School believes design is a transformative force that connects, enables, sustains, empowers, and humanizes.

Reporting directly to the Dean and working closely with the Assistant Dean, Director of Finance & Operations, as well as engaging and coordinating with Department Chairpeople, Department Managers, and staff around the Institute, the Assistant to the Dean serves as the operational anchor and primary liaison of the Office of the Dean. The position manages the Office of the Dean’s business functions, executive administration, digital communications, event planning, and facilities workflows across the School’s multidisciplinary departments.

The Assistant to the Dean represents the Dean’s Office to internal and external constituents—including the Office of the Provost, Vice Presidents, faculty, staff, students, alumni, visiting designers, and industry partners as a member of a team passionately dedicated to design education and students’ futures—while upholding the highest standards of discretion, cultural competence, and institutional integrity.

Executive Operations & Stakeholder Liaison (30%)

• Executive Calendar & Briefings: Direct and maintain the Dean’s executive calendar, managing complex scheduling, prioritizing appointment requests,
• resolving schedule conflicts, and assembling daily briefings, agendas, and necessary background materials in advance of events.
• Frontline Executive Triage & Reception: Serve as the primary point of contact, liaison, and gatekeeper for the Dean’s Office. Screen, triage, and route inbound correspondence, telephone calls, and visitors; independently resolve routine to moderately complex administrative inquiries from faculty, students, staff, and external partners.
• Interdepartmental & Institutional Coordination: Maintain regular communication on behalf of the Dean to the School’s five departments, the Office of the Provost, Vice Presidents, academic peers, and external partners.
• Travel & Guest Hospitality: Coordinate end-to-end domestic and international travel itineraries, accommodations, expense filings, and honoraria for the Dean and invited guests of the School (e.g., candidates, visiting critics, guest lecturers, external reviewers).

Faculty Affairs, Search Coordination & Labor Relations (10%)

• Academic Search Logistics: Coordinate operational workflows for full‑time faculty and administrative search committees. Manage candidate correspondence, schedule campus visit itineraries and public presentations, reserve rooms, arrange candidate travel, and maintain secure, confidential search records.
• Reappointment, Promotion & Tenure (RPT): Assist the Dean with coordination/organizing of documentation for the School’s annual faculty evaluations, appointments, reappointments, and tenure reviews. Also assist the Dean to ensure strict adherence to Pratt Institute policies and procedural deadlines.

Academic Governance, Curriculum, Assessment & Accreditation (20%)

• Governance Records & Meeting Administration: Coordinate logistical planning for all‑School faculty meetings, administrative retreats, and standing committee sessions. Draft, archive, and distribute official meeting notices, calls for proposals, agendas, and formal meeting minutes.
• Accreditation & Assessment Reporting: Support the Dean and Assistant Dean in generating and assembling academic reports, including cyclical assessment reports, program reviews, and documentation/exhibit staging for professional accreditation reviews (e.g., Middle States, CIDA).
• Academic Bulletins & Publications: In collaboration with the Assistant Dean and academic leadership, collect, audit, and edit School of Design curriculum content for the annual undergraduate and graduate Institute bulletins/catalogues.

Strategic Communications, Events & Public Programming (15%)

• Public Programming & Symposia: Plan and coordinate, where necessary, Dean’s Office events, design lectures, end‑of‑year exhibitions, symposia, and workshops. Manage venue scheduling, audiovisual technical requests, catering, outside speaker hospitality, event registration, attendee check‑in, and post‑event records/budgets.
• Digital Media & Content Production: Collect, curate, and edit content for School of Design digital channels, including community newsletters, web pages (via CMS), and social media platforms. Broadcast school milestones, student and faculty accomplishments, public lectures, and design exhibitions to internal and external audiences.
• Alumni & External Engagement: Support the Dean with outreach initiatives and events directed toward alumni, advisory boards, design industry partners, and global institutional collaborators.

Fiscal, Facilities & Records Management (15%)

• Fiscal Processing: Process purchase orders, check requests, invoice reconciliations, and expense reimbursements in compliance with Pratt’s financial policies.
• Facilities & Space Operations: Serve as the Dean’s Office operational liaison to Facilities and Space Planning. Monitor the physical conditions of the executive suite, production labs, studios, and shared facilities; log maintenance work orders; manage office equipment and supply inventories; and assist in compiling background materials for capital project proposals.

Student & Graduate Assistant Supervision (10%)

• Supervise, onboard, and train student employees, work‑study students, and Graduate Assistants (GAs) assigned to the Dean’s Office.
• Allocate daily tasks, manage reception desk coverage, monitor project workflows, approve electronic timecards, and conduct routine performance evaluations.

Perform all other duties as required.

Required Qualifications:

Education: Associate’s Degree required; Bachelor’s Degree strongly preferred.

Experience: Minimum of 3 years of progressive administrative, operational, or executive support experience (or an equivalent combination of education and experience).

• Technical Proficiencies:
  • Proficiency with Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, Drive, Calendar) and Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel).
  • Familiarity with website content management systems, digital communication tools, and social media platforms.
  • Experience with, or demonstrated ability to quickly master, enterprise higher education systems (e.g., Workday, Canvas, digital room‑scheduling platforms).
• Communication & Discretion: Exceptional written, editorial, and verbal communication skills; demonstrated ability to handle sensitive personnel, labor relations, budget, and student data with absolute confidentiality.
• Cultural Competence: Demonstrated commitment to an inclusive environment, and proven capacity to communicate and collaborate effectively within a diverse community of students, faculty, and staff.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Prior administrative experience within higher education administration (specifically an academic dean’s office or multi‑departmental division) or a creative non‑profit/arts organization.
• Direct experience working in an environment governed by a collective bargaining agreement (union contract), especially a teaching faculty.
• Background, academic degree, or demonstrable professional interest in design, architecture, visual arts, or creative production.
• Prior experience coordinating academic accreditation processes (e.g., NASAD, CIDA) and supporting institutional assessment reporting.

Key Performance Indicators (First 6–12 Months)

• Calendar & Workflow Precision: The Dean’s schedule operates without conflicts; daily briefing dossiers and background materials are prepared, vetted, and accessible at least 24 hours in advance.
• Operational Organization: Digital file archives, curricular change logs, meeting minutes, and accreditation materials are indexed, maintained securely, and readily accessible within Google Workspace.
• Stakeholder Integration: Productive, collaborative partnerships are established with Department Chairs, academic directors, production lab managers, administrative staff, and the Office of the Provost.

Working Conditions & Physical Demands

• Modality: On‑site 5 days per week on the Pratt Institute Brooklyn campus, flexibility for hybrid during periods where School is out of session with advanced agreement with the Dean.
• Schedule Flexibility: Standard business hours, with periodic evening and weekend hours required to support public lectures, exhibition openings, symposia, and School‑wide events.
• Physical Requirements: Standard office setting; prolonged periods of computer and desk work. Regular local campus mobility required to coordinate events and assess spaces across design studios, production labs, lecture halls, and galleries. Ability to occasionally lift and transport light event materials, signage, and office supplies up to 20 lbs.