Executive Chair’s Assistant: Admin, Recruitment & Strategy

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

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