Chair’s Assistant, Information Science

Cornell University; Town of Ithaca (NY); Hybrid; USD 61,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work arrangement

Tuition benefits

Vacation & holidays

Job summary

Cornell University seeks a highly organized Chair’s Assistant for the BCIS department. You will provide executive administrative support to the Department Chair, coordinate academic recruitment, handle promotions processes, and lead staff development initiatives.

The role involves collaboration with faculty, HR, and university leaders to advance departmental excellence. The position offers a hybrid work arrangement, requires a Bachelor's/Associate’s level education with 4–6 years of relevant

Qualifications

• Associate's Degree with 4–6 years of relevant work experience, or an equivalent combination.
• Ability to cultivate inclusive working relationships with students, faculty, staff, and community.
• Demonstrated effective written communication.
• Excellent customer service and teamwork skills, plus ability to work independently.
• Strong written/verbal communication to draft various Chair communications and reports.
• Proficiency in Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
• Sound judgment to interpret and apply university policies.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate and manage communications on behalf of departmental leadership.
• Draft and edit complex, confidential correspondence (offers, promotions, nominations).
• Organize faculty meetings, retreats, committees, and events.
• Prepare reports, presentations, and documentation requiring initiative and attention to detail.
• Coordinate faculty candidate visits across Ithaca and Cornell Tech campuses.
• Manage travel arrangements and reimbursements for the Chair.
• Support faculty search processes, candidate visits, and logistics in Academic Jobs Online (AJO).
• Maintain records and workflows with HR and committees for candidate experience.
• Support relocation activities for newly hired faculty; coordinate tenure/promotion processes.
• Provide coaching, training, and professional development for staff; manage workload and payroll approvals.
• Assist with department-wide operations and special projects; serve as a resource in the Director’s absence.

Skills

Written communication

Customer service

Team collaboration

Judgment and policy interpretation

Education

Associate's Degree

Bachelor’s degree (bonus)

Tools

Excel

Word

PowerPoint

Outlook

Academic Jobs Online (AJO)

Workday

KFS

Concur

Job description

Chair’s Assistant, BCIS

About The Department Of Information Science

The Department of Information Science, within The Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science, examines the interactions between people and technology, how technology is shaping individual lives and social groups, and how the ways that people use new technology can shape new developments. Information Science currently has around 700 students enrolled among the three colleges for our undergraduate program and approximately 200 students in the graduate programs, split between the professional master’s (MPS) and PhD programs.

The Opportunity

Are you a highly organized professional who enjoys supporting leaders, coordinating complex projects, and helping talented teams succeed? The Department of Business Computing and Information Science (BCIS) is seeking a collaborative and proactive Chair's Assistant to serve as a trusted partner to the Department Chair and a key contributor to the department's administrative operations. In this highly visible role, you will work closely with faculty, staff, university leaders, and prospective faculty candidates to support departmental excellence. From executive-level communications and faculty recruitment to academic promotion processes and team leadership, you will play a vital role in advancing the department's mission and fostering an exceptional experience for faculty, students, and colleagues.

If you are energized by variety, enjoy managing multiple priorities, and excel at building strong working relationships.

What You'll Do

Executive Administrative Support & Department Coordination

• Coordinate and manage communications and correspondence on behalf of departmental leadership.
• Draft and edit complex and confidential correspondence, including faculty offers, promotion letters, award nominations, and other sensitive communications.
• Organize faculty meetings, retreats, committee activities, and special departmental events.
• Prepare reports, presentations, meeting materials, and documentation requiring initiative, judgment, and attention to detail.
• Coordinate complex faculty candidate visits across Cornell's Ithaca and Cornell Tech campuses.
• Manage travel arrangements and reimbursements for the Chair.

Academic Recruitment

• Managing faculty search processes from posting through completion.
• Serving as a key resource to faculty search committees.
• Coordinating candidate visits, travel, and interview logistics.
• Managing records and workflows within Academic Jobs Online (AJO).
• Partnering with HR and faculty committees to ensure a seamless and welcoming candidate experience.
• Supporting relocation activities for newly hired faculty members.

Academic Promotions, Tenure & Faculty Leave Administration

• Coordinate faculty reappointment, tenure, and promotion review processes.
• Compile and organize complex dossier materials and supporting documentation.
• Schedule and support promotion and tenure meetings.
• Manage sabbatical and faculty leave requests and maintain related records.
• Ensure accurate recordkeeping and compliance with university procedures.

Team Leadership & Staff Development

• Providing coaching, training, and professional development opportunities.
• Managing performance, workload allocation, scheduling, and payroll approvals.
• Establishing best practices and standard operating procedures.
• Coordinating the hiring and oversight of student administrative employees.

Strategic Administrative Support

• Assist with department-wide administrative operations and special projects.
• Serve as a resource for faculty and staff in the Director's absence.
• Contribute to initiatives that strengthen departmental effectiveness and service excellence.

What We Need

• Associate's Degree and 4 years to 6 years of relevant work experience, or combined equivalent of education and experience.
• Ability to cultivate and develop inclusive working relationships with students, faculty, staff, and community members.
• Demonstrated effective written communication.
• Excellent customer service skills and the ability to work in a team environment, as well as independently.
• Excellent written/verbal communication skills to independently compile data for and draft a variety of communications for Chair. Position requires the ability to organize, retrieve, format, and export data from multiple sources to develop adhoc and standard reports.
• Proficiency in Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook is required.
• Demonstrates sound judgment. Must be able to understand, interpret, and apply relevant policies to position requirements.

It Would Be a Bonus if You Have Any of the Following

• Experience with systems, including AJO, Workday, KFS, and Concur
• Bachelor’s degree and executive level administrative experience with demonstrated success working in a complex, demanding and diverse environment.

Important Notes About Applying

• A cover letter and resume outlining your interest and how your experience and goals align with the potential for mutual success in the role are required for consideration.
• This position is eligible for a hybrid work arrangement. For the first 90 days, the successful candidate will be expected to work fully on-site for onboarding and initial training. After that, employees typically perform this role on-campus 3 days per week and remotely 2 day per week.
• There is no relocation assistance available for this position.
• There is no visa sponsorship available for this position.

Rewards And Benefits

• This position is eligible for a hybrid work arrangement. For the first 90 days, the successful candidate will be expected to work fully on-site for onboarding and initial training. After that, employees typically perform this role on-campus 3 days per week and remotely 2 day per week.
• Cornell receives national recognition as an award-winning workplace for our health, wellbeing, and sustainability.
• 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 your 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:

Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

Relocation assistance is not available for this position.

University Job Title

Administrative Asst V

Job Family

Administration

Level

E

Pay Rate Type

Hourly

Pay Range

$29.45 - $33.82

Remote Option Availability

Hybrid

Company

Endowed

Contact Name

Brad Stock

Contact Email

[e-mail]

Job Titles And Pay Ranges

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.

Union Positions

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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Employment Assistance

For general questions about the position or the application process, please contact the Recruiter listed in the job posting or email [e-mail]. If you require an accommodation for a disability in order to complete an employment application or to participate in the recruiting process, you are encouraged to contact Cornell Office of Civil Rights at voice [phone], or email at [e-mail]. Applicants that do not have internet access are encouraged to visit your local library, or local Department of Labor. You may also request an appointment to use a dedicated workstation in the Office of Talent Attraction and Recruitment, at the Ithaca campus, by emailing [e-mail].

Notice To Applicants

Please read the required Notice to Applicants statement. 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

Cornell welcomes students, faculty, and staff with diverse backgrounds from across the globe to pursue world-class education and career opportunities, to further the founding principle of “... any person ... any study.” No person shall be denied employment on the basis of any legally protected status or subjected to prohibited discrimination involving, but not limited to, such factors as race, ethnic or national origin, citizenship and immigration status, color, sex, 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.

Cornell University embraces diversity in its workforce and seeks job candidates who will contribute to a climate that supports students, faculty, and staff of all identities and backgrounds. We hire based on merit, and encourage people from historically underrepresented and/or marginalized identities to apply. Consistent with federal law, Cornell engages in affirmative action in employment for qualified protected veterans as defined in the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA) and qualified individuals with disabilities under Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act. We also recognize a lawful preference in employment practices for Native Americans living on or near Indian reservations in accordance with applicable law.

2026-10-13