Temporary Senior Administrative Assistant

Cornell University; Ithaca (MI); Hybrid; USD 40,000 - 43,000; Full time

Job summary

Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Department of Communication, is seeking a Temporary Administrative Assistant, Senior to provide high-level support to the Department Chair. The role includes calendar management, meeting coordination, and preparation of documents for faculty processes, with duties spanning administrative and operational tasks.

The position is a temporary, hybrid role located in Ithaca, NY, offering exposure to diverse academic personnel activities

Qualifications

• Associate degree and at least 3 years of increasingly responsible administrative experience.
• Demonstrated experience providing administrative support in a fast-paced office environment.
• Excellent organizational skills; strong written and verbal communication.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines with minimal supervision.
• Ability to handle confidential and sensitive information with discretion.
• Strong customer service skills and ability to work with faculty, staff, students, and external stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Provide high-level administrative support to the Department Chair, including calendar management, meeting scheduling, agendas, minutes, and correspondence.
• Assist with faculty reappointments, promotions, and academic personnel activities; coordinate candidate interviews and related logistics.
• Coordinate departmental events, meetings, and special projects.
• Support advisory boards and stakeholder engagement activities; ensure smooth departmental operations, including occasional evenings/weekends for events.

Skills

Organizational skills

Communication skills

Customer service

Multitasking

Discretion

Independent work

Education

Associate degree

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

About the College

The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) is a pioneer of purpose-driven science and Cornell University’s second largest college. We work across disciplines to tackle the challenges of our time through world-renowned research, education, and outreach. The questions we probe and the answers we seek focus on three overlapping concerns: We believe that achieving next-generation scientific breakthroughs requires an understanding of the world’s complex, interlocking systems. We believe that access to nutritious food and a healthy environment is a fundamental human right. We believe that ensuring a prosperous global future depends on the ability to support local people and communities everywhere. By working in and across multiple scientific areas, CALS can address challenges and opportunities of the greatest relevance, here in New York, across the nation, and around the world.

In the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the Department of Communication is a national leader in the study of communication as a social science, ranked among the top five in a recent poll by the National Research Council. Our faculty and students are dedicated to understanding the role and enhancing the effectiveness of communication processes, systems, and infrastructure in society. We explore communication in its many forms and contexts as a fundamentally social phenomenon. Our faculty members are recognized for developing and applying novel theoretical perspectives to the most pressing social and policy issues of the day.

What We Need

As a member of the team, you will provide a full range of high-level support for the Department Chair. Duties include:

Administrative Support to the Chair

• Manage the Chair’s complex calendar, scheduling meetings, appointments, and events.
• Coordinate meeting logistics, prepare agendas, compile materials, and record meeting minutes.
• Draft and prepare correspondence, reports, and other documents on behalf of the Chair.
• Monitor and respond to routine inquiries, serving as a primary point of contact for faculty, staff, students, visitors, and university partners.
• Maintain departmental records and confidential files while exercising sound judgment and discretion.

Academic and Departmental Administrative Support

• Assist with coordination of faculty reappointments, promotions, and other academic personnel activities. Using Interfolio, compile materials and arrange for external reviews. Forward case as appropriate to Chair and faculty. Arrange meeting to discuss the case. Submit dossiers to Senior Associate Dean’s office.
• May assist with faculty search activities, including coordinating candidate interviews, assisting with travel and lodging arrangements, scheduling meetings and presentations, managing visits, and arranging reimbursements.
• Prepare and assemble materials for departmental reports and administrative processes.
• Coordinate departmental events, meetings, and special projects as assigned.

Communications and Operational Support

• Support advisory board and stakeholder engagement activities, including meeting coordination and communications.
• Work collaboratively with department administrative staff to ensure uninterrupted service and support for departmental operations. May require some evening and/or weekend hours to support department events.

Perform other related duties as assigned to support departmental priorities during the appointment period.

If you possess these experiences and skills, this may be the role for you! There are a few other qualifications that we would view as incredibly helpful in this role, including:

Required Qualifications

• Associate degree and at least 3 years of increasingly responsible administrative experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Demonstrated experience providing administrative support in a fast-paced office environment.
• Excellent organizational skills.
• Exceptional communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Proven ability to maintain a professional atmosphere in a busy office environment,
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, including Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, and work independently with minimal supervision as well as working as part of a team.
• Demonstrated ability to handle confidential and sensitive information with discretion and professionalism.
• Strong customer service skills and the ability to work effectively with faculty, staff, students, and external stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience providing executive-level administrative support.
• Experience working in higher education or a university setting.
• Familiarity with Cornell administrative systems and procedures.
• Knowledge of, or ability to learn, Academic Jobs Online, Interfolio, Smartsheet, Qualtrics, and Acrobat.
• Experience coordinating meetings, events, and academic personnel processes.

This is a temporary, hybrid position at 30 hours/week. This is a temporary seven-month appointment. This on-site position is located in Ithaca, New York.

Rewards and Benefits

• 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 our 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-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
• Follow this link to learn more about the Total Rewards of Working at Cornell: Total Rewards | Working at Cornell.

Compensation is $30.00/hour.

Cornell receives national recognition as an award-winning workplace for our health, well-being, and sustainability.

No relocation assistance is provided for this position. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

Cornell is an equal opportunity employer. For more information, visit hr.cornell.edu/eeo.

University Job Title:

Temporary Administrative Assistant, Senior

Job Family:

Temporary Administration

Level:

No Grade - Hourly

Pay Rate Type:

Hourly

Pay Range:

Refer to Posting Language

Remote Option Availability:

Hybrid

Company:

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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EEO Statement

Cornellwelcomes 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 seeksjob candidates who will contribute to a climate that supports students, faculty, and staff of all identities and backgrounds. Wehire based on merit, andencourage 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.

2026-09-11