Location: Fitchburg, MA
Category: Staff
Job Type: Full Time
Posted On: Tue Aug 4 2026
Job Description:
General Statement of Duties and Responsibilities:
The Administrative Assistant is a key member of the School of Graduate, Online and Continuing Education (SGOCE), providing administrative support to the Dean, team leaders, and staff while helping to ensure the efficient day-to-day operations of the School. The position serves as a primary point of contact for students, faculty, staff, and visitors; provides executive support to the Dean; manages calendars, meetings, and communications; and delivers responsive customer service to support the School's academic and operational activities.
The position also coordinates a variety of administrative, operational, and academic processes that support graduate, online, and continuing education programs. Responsibilities include coordinating student and faculty-related processes, supporting Graduate Council operations, maintaining enrollment and recruitment materials, assisting with event planning and recruitment initiatives, and managing projects and communications that help ensure the effective delivery of services and the successful operation of the School.
Detailed Duties and Responsibilities:
- Answers phones and provides customer service to students, faculty, staff and community members that contact or visit the SGOCE office.
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Provides administrative assistant functions for the Dean of Graduate and Continuing Education including maintenance of the dean's calendar, messages, supervising communication, maintenance of correspondence and files, schedules meetings and events with college-wide staff, secures rooms, orders food, etc.
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Coordinates the Graduate Council process for note taking, meeting coordination, organization and tracking of proposals, requesting website update.
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Coordinates the student petition process by receiving petitions, collecting signatures as needed, tracking the petitions and communicating the outcomes of the petition to students.
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Processes stipends for special projects such as course development or thesis completion as needed.
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Coordinates the student scholarship communication in collaboration with the SGOCE director of operations.
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Maintains a current list of all SGOCE program chairs and SGOCE staff and distributes to the team and other University offices each semester or as changes are made.
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Responsible for maintaining and tracking current enrollment materials such as program flyers and promotional materials for the office.
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Coordinates and tracks registration for conferences and events for the team and assists with processing employee reimbursement requests in alignment with university policies.
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Oversees the graduate assistant hiring and communication processes in collaboration with the SGOCE director of operations.
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Coordinates the planning of SGOCE events such as the graduate fair, on-campus information sessions, chairs meetings, SGOCE commencement receptions or faculty development events in collaboration with the SGOCE team.
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Coordinates the faculty evaluation process by tracking when the evaluations are required to take place, sending out reminders to the evaluators to make sure they are completed on-time and processing the payment for all completed evaluations.
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Coordinates the ordering and maintenance of office supplies for the team and serves as the primary department liaison to related external vendors.
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Manages the student advisor assignment process for the SGOCE team in collaboration with the IT department.
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Assists the Director of Operations in collection and tracking of SGOCE course syllabi.
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Responsible for reconciling all credit card charges through JP Morgan.
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Ensuring all invoices are paid in a timely manner by creating requisitions/purchase orders.
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Organizes and maintains the shared drive and electronic files for the school.
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May supervise student work study.
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Perform other duties as assigned by the Dean of Graduate and Continuing Education within the job specification of the Administrative Assistant series
This AFSCME union position is part of the Commonwealth Human Resources Division Classification Specifications. Follow the URL https://www.mass.edu/forfacstaff/classificationspecs/ for a full description of the classification specifications.
Duties and Responsibilities common to all Administrative Assistant II positions:
- Provides comprehensive administrative support to assigned staff by managing calendars, drafting and editing correspondence, organizing and maintaining files and records, and monitoring departmental processes to ensure efficient workflow and communication.
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Confers with internal staff and institutional personnel to exchange information, coordinate efforts, and gather details concerning programs, services, and operations.
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Prepares and disseminates communications through email and other electronic systems to share information regarding university activities, resources, and announcements.
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Assists in the planning and coordination of department sponsored events or meetings, including responding to inquiries, scheduling spaces, preparing materials, ordering supplies or refreshments, and arranging logistical details.
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Serves as a first point of contact by greeting visitors, answering phones, and assisting students and others with general inquiries or referrals.
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Maintains office systems and databases, ensuring organization, accuracy, and adherence to confidentiality and data management standards.
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Monitors and orders office supplies and materials, initiates purchase requests and ensures compliance with procurement policies.
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Assists in tracking departmental budgets and expenditures, compiling financial data, processing invoices and purchase orders, and preparing standard reports for review by supervisors or fiscal staff.
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Demonstrates professionalism, organization, and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced setting while supporting a positive environment
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Supervises and trains student workers by assigning tasks, providing clear instructions and guidance, monitoring performance, and offering ongoing support and feedback. Ensures student workers adhere to safety protocols, maintain professionalism, and contribute effectively to daily operations as well as fostering a positive learning environment to enhance student development and operational efficiency.
Job Requirements:
Qualifications Required at Time of Hire (List of knowledge, skills, and abilities):
- Applicants must have a minimum of three years of full-time, or equivalent part-time experience in office management, office administration, business administration or business management, the major duties of which included one or more of the following functions: purchasing, personnel management, budgeting, accounting, records management, work simplification, grants management, contract administration or program management, or any equivalent combination of the required experience and the substitutions below. Educational degrees may be substituted for work experience.
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Excellent computer and internet skills; working knowledge of Google Suite, Microsoft Office with emphasis on Word, Excel preferred.
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Familiarity with student records system with knowledge of Banner or similar systems preferred.
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Ability to maintain and use discretion in handling confidential information.
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Experience working collaboratively with diverse populations.
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Experience managing budgets.
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Ability to work efficiently with minimal supervision.
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Ability to work on several tasks simultaneously.
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Ability to maintain compatible and complementary electronic and hard copy filing systems.
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Ability to establish and maintain harmonious and collaborative working relationships within the department and with the university community and the general public.
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Must be able to satisfactorily pass a check conducted by the Criminal History Systems Board (CORI) as well as a completed background check satisfactory to the university.
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Ability to perform above duties with or without reasonable accommodation.
Qualifications Acquired On Job:
- Ability to utilize the university's student record system Banner for information and maintenance. Ability to identify appropriate university personnel for problem solving and resolution of issues. Ability to articulate university policy and communicate to students, faculty and staff.
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Knowledge and adherence to department procedures and deadlines.
Additional Information:
This is a full-time, non-exempt, benefits-eligible position in the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) bargaining unit with a title Administrative Assistant II. The bi-weekly pay rate is $2,405.69, grade 17, Step 01, which equates to an annual salary of $62,547.94.
Fitchburg State University conducts criminal history and sexual offenders record checks on recommended finalists prior to final employment for all positions.
Fitchburg State University offers a competitive benefits package that includes:
- Nine different pre-taxed, health insurance plan options.
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Competitive retirement plan.
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Life insurance up to 8x the annual salary.
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Long-term disability coverage.
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Dental insurance.
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Accrued vacation and sick days.
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Personal days.
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Paid holidays.
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Tuition remission for self, spouse, and dependent children.
