Administrative Specialist

Position Title: Administrative Specialist

Department: WIT-Student Life

Advertised Pay: Base $15.02/hour potential for a higher entry rate commensurate with experience

Campus Location: Washburn Tech

The screening committee will review all eligible applications submitted by October 29, 2024

Position Summary: Washburn University is a student-centered public institution with a diverse population. Washburn is a 2024 best college to work for, according to the Great Colleges to Work For® program. Located in the heart of Topeka, we are proud to be a cornerstone of the community. Our mission is to provide opportunities for our students to realize their full potential; we can’t do it without our dedicated faculty and staff. Join us at Washburn, and you will be part of a long tradition of excellence.

Washburn employs more than one thousand faculty and staff on our campuses throughout Topeka. We strive to offer competitive wages, an excellent benefits program, a supportive culture and a healthy work/life balance. Washburn seeks to create an environment that reflects our core values for creating positive IMPACT: inclusion, modernization, partnership, achievement, community and transformation.

The Administrative Specialist for Student Life provides a wide range of administrative support for Student Life initiatives and operations across the technical campuses. The Administrative Specialist requires a commitment to delivering exceptional customer service through demonstrated effective communication, organizational and judgment skills in various situations to communicate and process information while maintaining the confidentiality of all student records as appropriate. The assigned location or tasks between Washburn University and Washburn University Institute of Technology are flexible and determined by location needs.

Essential Functions:
The Administrative Specialist is the central point of contact and is responsible for delivering professional office reception and excellent customer service by creating, demonstrating, and maintaining a welcoming working environment that is team-oriented, anticipatory, and supportive for all students, parents/guardians, faculty, staff or others who contact or work in the office.

The Administrative Specialist provides administrative support to assist departments and staff within Student Life (Associate Dean’s Office, Student Accessibility Services, Counseling Services, Recreation & Wellness, etc.) in fulfilling their goals, which include but are not limited to the following job functions:
• Will adeptly address visitors, requests, and inquiries and direct individuals to other staff or departments as appropriate. Provides accurate information regarding initiatives, programs, procedures, and policies when responding to questions and follows up when necessary. Ensures information for staff and other team members is communicated effectively and promptly as directed or as appropriate.
• Maintains office supplies, monitors the use of office equipment, assists users when needed and arranges for repairs and maintenance as necessary.
• Schedules meetings and events; locates and reserves meeting space; arranges for refreshments; contacts and invites participants and provides ongoing support for meetings and events as appropriate. Assists with developing agendas, prepares and distributes agendas, meeting materials, etc. Records, types, and distributes meeting notes, as requested.
• Responsible for the efficient and accurate completion of processing student conduct and well-being reports.
• Manages Student Life purchasing cards and reconciliation reports. Completes and submits purchase requisitions and payment requests, following University processes to initiate purchases and timely payment for materials and services received.
• Assists in developing information for the Student Life webpages and works with the Webmaster team to publish website revisions.
• Represents Student Life interests on university committees as assigned and actively promotes and upholds a professional workplace culture of mutual respect and collegiality for all members of the institution.
• Performs additional job-related duties as assigned or as appropriate.

Required Qualifications:
• High School diploma, GED, or equivalent.
• One year of full-time relevant work experience, post-secondary education, or a combination equal to one year.
• Demonstrated effective professional writing skills as evidenced by the candidate's application materials.
• Proven ability to prioritize and organize multiple projects with effective time management skills in a fast-paced office environment and work well under pressure, maintaining professional decorum while handling multiple, shifting, high, and competing priorities.
• Demonstrated ability to interact and work effectively and collaboratively with a broad range of individuals and stakeholders within a complex environment, with the capacity to maintain professionalism.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality.
• Demonstrated proficiency using Microsoft Excel, Outlook, Word, Zoom, and Teams.

Preferred Qualifications:
• Proficient user of Adobe and presentation software.
• Experience working in higher education/technical education.

Full-time, Hourly    
Background Check Required