Program Assistant - Gies College of Business

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Urbana (IL); On-site; USD 31,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Gies College of Business, seeks a Program Assistant to manage the Finance Department course scheduling and registration needs. The role serves as the primary contact for prospective and current Finance students, faculty and staff, handling scheduling details and policy implementation.

The position supports faculty with exams, manages room and proctoring arrangements, and analyzes data to suggest scheduling improvements while coordinating with campus

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• Experience in project management is preferred.
• Experience in higher education scheduling is an asset.
• Two+ years in a large institution support roles is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Develop and manage the Finance course schedule and enter data in Banner.
• Assist senior staff with scheduling policies and cross-department coordination.
• Provide exam coordination and proctoring support for faculty and students.
• Monitor enrollment, registrations, and related registrar activities.

Skills

Customer service

Communication

Teamwork

Organization

Independent work

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Banner

Mobius

Scheduling software

Job description

Program Assistant -- Gies College of Business

Department of Finance

The Department of Finance at the University of Illinois' Gies College of Business seeks applicants for a Program Assistant position. This position is responsible for managing the department's course scheduling and registration needs.

Job Summary

Under administrative direction, perform professional level duties that are devoted to managing the Finance course schedule. Serve as the primary contact for prospective and current Finance students, department administration, faculty and staff in all facets of course scheduling and registration. Responsibilities involve applying academic policies and procedures, exercising initiative and discretion, and maintaining extensive contact with faculty, staff, and students. The position also involves analyzing data and providing recommendations

Duties & Responsibilities

1. Course Scheduling and Administration

• Provide support to the Finance Department Chair, MSF program director, Assistant Head of Administration and other senior staff, to develop the Finance course schedule each semester; enter course schedule information into Banner and revise information, as necessary.
• Assess the needs of Finance students, Gies Business students, Business minor students and other students on campus to determine whether more or fewer sections of a course should be offered, note any pain points from students and faculty and recommend suggestions on how to modify the schedule to alleviate issues.
• Provide FIN program knowledge and expertise in multi-department and Gies College of Business committee meetings.
• Assist senior staff in formulating scheduling policies, based on CMSS policies and procedures.
• Act as a liaison to campus and serve as a resource person for faculty and department staff.
• Collect textbook orders from faculty and coordinate with UI bookstore.
• Request FLEX forms and monitor FLEX scores for FIN faculty.
• Submit course proposals for FIN; closely monitor progress from inception to end and respond to inquiries as necessary.
• Provide administrative support to Finance program staff (opening/closing office, answering phones, scheduling appointments/meetings, etc.)

2. Course Registration and Student Services

• Facilitate student registration and manage issues that arise during student registration.
• Monitor course enrollment and identify courses that may need to be cancelled due to low enrollment.
• Monitor online reporting of student grades to the Office of Admission and Records. Approve online grade changes.
• Maintain advising guides and cross-campus agreements for Finance courses.
• Process audit requests for visiting scholars.
• Process independent study applications and authorize students for internship credit.

3. Faculty and Student Support

• Serve as primary support for faculty. Format, proofs, copies, and prepares exams and other materials.
• Coordinate combined exams, conflict exams, makeup exams and ensure rooms and proctors are available for all exams. Provide proctoring services for students with accommodations.
• Assists Sr. Associate Director of Finance Graduate Programs with maintenance of student files; follows up on missing requirements. Maintain routine correspondence with students in the program inboxes.

4. Reporting

• Develop spreadsheets and reports
• Compiles and analyzes prior semester schedules, enrollment data and information, evaluate and summarize findings.
• Other duties as assigned.

Specialty Factors

• Bachelor's degree
• Demonstrated experience in project management.

Preferred Qualifications

• At least two years' experience in higher education or similar large institution
• At least two years' experience scheduling courses in an academic department

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Knowledge of principles and processes for providing excellent customer service to faculty and students. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Ability to communicate effectively with others through multiple communication methods.
• Ability to work effectively with faculty, staff and campus constituency groups
• Ability to organize and multi-task
• Ability to utilize various computer software packages (Banner, Mobius, internal scheduling software)
• Ability to work independently and exercise judgment in order to be able to analyze and investigate a variety of questions or problems

Appointment Information

This is a 100% full-time Civil Service 5001 - Program Assistant position, appointed on a 12-month basis. The expected start date is as soon as possible after the search closes. The collective bargaining agreement sets a range of $22.39-32.64/hr ($43,660-$63,648/yr) for this classification. The budgeted salary range for the position is $24.62-$25.64/hr ($48,000-$50,000/yr).

For more information about Gies Business, visit https://inside.giesbusiness.illinois.edu/work-at-gies.

For more information on Civil Service classifications, please visit the SUCSS web site at https://www.sucss.illinois.gov/pages/classspec/default.aspx.

This position is not eligible for any type of sponsorship for work authorization.

Application Procedures & Deadline Information

Applications must be received by 6:00 pm (Central Time) on November 20, 2026.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools may be used in some portions of the candidate review process for this position; however, all employment decisions will be made by a person.

This position is intended to be eligible for benefits. This includes Health, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, a Retirement Plan, Paid time Off, and Tuition waivers for employees and dependents.

Champaign-Urbana

The University of Illinois System is an equal opportunity employer, including but not limited to disability and/or veteran status, and complies with all applicable state and federal employment mandates. Please visit Required Employment Notices and Posters to view our non-discrimination statement and find additional information about required background checks, sexual harassment/misconduct disclosures, and employment eligibility review through E-Verify.

Applicants with disabilities are encouraged to apply and may request a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (2008) to complete the application and/or interview process. Accommodations may also be requested on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth, and related conditions, or religion. Requests may be submitted through the reasonable accommodation portal, or by contacting the Office for Access & Equity at 217-333-0885, option #1, or [e-mail].

Requisition ID: 1039001

Job Category: Administrative Support