Northern Illinois University Looking for Office Administrator Full Time

Classification Title

Office Administrator

Business Unit Description

Civil Service

Full/Part Time

F

Position Status

R

Union Representation

Union

Division

Academic Division

College/Unit

College of LA&S Dean

Unit/Department

Public Administration

Location

IA 215

Link to Department Website or Custom Search Page

https://www.niu.edu/clas/public-administration/

Position Summary

The primary role of this position is to serve as staff assistant to the Chair of the Department (Chair), provide administrative support for the operational and organizational staff, and to serve as secretary to the faculty of the Department of Public Administration (Department).

Much of the work is technical and requires high sensitivity and confidentiality. The office administrator must have excellent technical skills, be able to determine work assignments, create new methods of systems, be creative, be attentive to details, have high communication ability; must also have knowledge of the many programs and activities of the Department.

This individual must help prioritize tasks of the office staff and the Chair and be able to develop relationships with individuals of different cultural, economic, and physical backgrounds. The office administrator should have highly proficient knowledge of word processing and data management software, including spreadsheets, online surveys, and databases. This individual should also be able to draw upon organizational skills to help the Chair organize the faculty and staff to accomplish its goals and objectives. This position requires advanced skills in independent decision making.

The office administrator has the freedom to determine work methods and set priorities for completing tasks. This individual must make sure all reports, budgets, deadlines, and events are on schedule and done on time. The office administrator sets daily, weekly, monthly and yearly goals for themselves in consultation with the Chair and office staff. Requires occasional offsite work with a modified schedule to support student, faculty, and alumni events.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The office administrator will work with the Chair and Assistant to the Chair to coordinate hiring for faculty, staff, and graduate assistants including generating customer invoices for external graduate assistants appointments.

They will process payroll and benefits for all employees in the department.

The office administrator is also responsible for managing departmental financial accounts, including monitoring budget, and record keeping, purchasing and processing all financial forms for both NIU and foundation funds.

The office administrator enters and maintains course schedules in NIU’s academic software system. They will also collect and file grade rosters and direct the course evaluation process.

The office administrator will prepare annual merit review documents, file merit review letters and prepare reports for evaluation meeting and distributes to faculty.

The office administrator will manage meeting calendars, as well as space and equipment requests for the department. Greet visitors to the department as well as answer phone calls and direct the caller to the appropriate parties.

Minimum Required Qualifications (Civil Service)

CREDENTIALS TO BE VERIFIED BY PLACEMENT OFFICER

High school graduation or equivalent 
Any one or any combination totaling 1.0 unit of the following:

Four (4) years (48 months) of work experience comparable to the third level of this series = 1.0 unit

Two (2) years (24 months) of work experience comparable to the fourth level of this series = 1.0 unit

Note: Amounts of experience or training less than those listed above should be converted to decimal equivalents of 1.0 unit and added together when computing combinations of the different types of preparation.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs)

1. Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems. 
2. Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, leadership technique, and coordination of people and resources. 
3. Knowledge of administrative and administrative procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, and other office procedures and terminology. 
4. Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction. 
5. Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar. 
6. Knowledge of computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to enter data, or process information. 
7. Skill in material resources management through obtaining and seeing to the appropriate use of equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do certain work. 
8. Skill in communicating effectively, both verbally and in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience. 
9. Skill in decision making by considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one. 
10. Ability to understand written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents. 
11. Ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations). 
12. Ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense. 
13. Ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events). 
14. Ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem. 
15. Ability to provide guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance.

Additional Requirements (Civil Service)

1. High school graduation or equivalent

2. Any one or any combination totaling 1.0 unit of the following:

• Four (4) years (48 months) of work experience comparable to the third level of this series = 1.0 unit

* OR –

• Two (2) years (24 months) of work experience comparable to the fourth level of this series = 1.0 unit

Note: Amounts of experience or training less than those listed above should be converted to decimal equivalents of 1.0 unit and added together when computing combinations of the different types of preparation.

Preferred Qualifications (Civil Service)

Experience with MyNIU student system, accounts receivable, and financial systems.

Percent of Staff Year

1.00

Standard hours

37.50

Hiring Rate/Range: $14.26-$15.50/hour

Earn Type

H

Quick Link to Applicant

https://employment.niu.edu/postings/63927

Is Background Check Required?

Yes

EEO Statement Summary

In accordance with applicable statutes and regulations, NIU is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, religion, age, physical and mental disability, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, political affiliation, or any other factor unrelated to professional qualifications, and will comply with all applicable federal and state statutes, regulations and orders pertaining to nondiscrimination, equal opportunity and affirmative action.

The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies:

Ethics and Compliance Officer, Title IX Coordinator
Health Services 230
[email protected]
815-753-5560

Visa Policy

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification document form upon hire.

ADA Accommodation

NIU remains committed to ensuring that its recruitment and application procedures include full opportunities for applicants with disabilities. Employment opportunities will not be denied to anyone because of the need to make accommodations for a person’s disability during either the application or interview process. An applicant who believes they require an accommodation to participate in the employment process due to a disability may request that accommodation through the Accommodation Request Form. For further assistance, please contact the office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity (AAEO) at [email protected].

Position Number: 00002666