Administrative Assistant to the Dean (School of Social Work)

Located in Boston’s historic Fenway area, Simmons University has a strong tradition of empowering women and challenging traditional gender roles. Simmons was founded for equality 125 years ago as one of the first higher education institutions dedicated to helping women become leaders. Today, our university continues to grow and evolve and now offers Boston’s only women’s undergraduate program and graduate programs open to all. 

You’re joining our community at an especially exciting time as we continue to innovate for the future. Simmons recently launched a six-school academic structure that leverages our expert faculty and longstanding expertise in professions that make our communities stronger. In addition, we continue to highlight our high-value education proposition that is delivering greater ROI to students and putting them on the fast track to career growth and success. You’ll find that people who work here truly believe in our mission of preparing students to become social justice-oriented leaders who excel in their professions and their communities. This commitment and pride make for a dynamic workplace.

As a university that values diversity, equity, and inclusion, Simmons encourages applications from all under-represented groups. Simmons is committed to creating, developing, promoting, and enhancing inclusive hiring practices–at all levels, for all positions–ensuring diverse talent pools and the delivery of a consistent positive candidate experience. Simmons is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to continuing to develop a more diverse faculty, staff, student body, and curriculum.

JOB SUMMARY

The Administrative Assistant to the Dean will provide organizational and administrative support of a confidential nature to the Office of the Dean of the School of Social Work. The Administrative Assistant will anticipate needs of the Dean (SSW), Program Directors, and the Director of Operations, and proactively solve problems and/or independently handle issues.

This highly visible role is critical to the function and success of SSW. The Administrative Assistant will serve as the first point of contact for all inquiries and will support both academic and individual calendar coordination, event and meeting preparation, data maintenance, and routine day-to-day operations. The ideal candidate will: maintain a strong customer focus, foster mutual respect, support Simmons University’s commitment to diversity, practice and promote teamwork, perform independently, maintain confidentiality, adhere to high standards of personal conduct and maintain and enhance professional job competency.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS
 

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.

• Coordinate both academic and individual calendars for the Dean and Program Directors, using judgment to prioritize and commit leadership time for meetings, appointments and travel based on an in-depth understanding of the Office’s priorities and needs;

• Schedule meetings and arrange conference calls for the Office as well as School faculty meetings; including meeting logistics including location reservations, catering and equipment;

• Prepare meeting materials and presentations; draft and distribute meeting agendas; and attend meetings and take minutes as directed by the Dean; Organize and maintain the innerworkings of the Office of the Dean, including but not limited to processing of invoices, expense reports and credit card statements; ordering supplies, record and database maintenance requests, and basic bookkeeping;

• Prepare purchase orders as needed for orders, programs, projects and other School commitments, including faculty, visitor, and speaker reimbursements and honorarium payments and trainings;

• Provide administrative support for faculty searches and for the annual faulty review processes;

• Serve as the primary point of contact for the Dean for internal and external constituencies, via email, telephone, and in-person, and coordinate communications from the Dean to internal and external constituents;

• Open, sort, and distribute incoming correspondence, including mail, faxes, and email; and respond to phone, email, and in-person inquiries in a timely and professional manner.

• Make autonomous, accurate, and swift judgements, including forwarding questions and requests to other senior staff;

• Coordinate events for the School, including in-person on campus, in-person off campus, and virtual, including the lecture series for the Center for Behavioral Health Education and Research.

OTHER DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Serve as administrative point of contact for vendors and external partner organizations;

• Manage creation and distribution of CEU certificates;

• Prepare materials for publications and grants, including providing support for the online journal Applied Learning in Social Work Education;

• Draft and/or proofread emails, letters, reports, or other documents;

• Support other academic operational activities, which may include support of analysis and/or reporting of faculty and student data; assisting in reporting to external entities, including accreditation, licensure, and certification; and others;

• Assist the Director with faculty workload coordination and School operations;

• Assist the with the course evaluation process each term;

• Hire and manage the onboarding process for Dean’s fellows and graduate assistants;

• Assist with coordinating simulations and objective structured clinical examinations;

• Enter data for various systems, including Workday;

• Work on discrete projects, providing project coordination, documentation, and support and other duties as assigned.

• Identify issues in operational processes and ensure they are resolved;

• Other duties as assigned

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience required;

• One to three years of experience in an administrative support position with a focus on customer service required;

• Proficiency in the Microsoft suite (e.g. Lookup formulas, pivot tables) required;

• Proficiency in the Google suite required;

• Proficiency in the Adobe suite required;

• Proficiency with virtual meeting platforms required;

• Clear and effective written and oral communication skills required;

• Exceptional planning and organizational skills;

• Ability to take initiative and ownership of projects;

• Proven ability to perform duties with a high level of professionalism, flexibility; discretion, judgment, diplomacy and tact.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• One to three years of experience working in a higher education setting preferred;

• Calendar management experience preferred;

• Advanced proficiency in the Microsoft suite (e.g. Lookup formulas, pivot tables) preferred;

• Advanced proficiency in the Google suite preferred

• Advanced proficiency in the Adobe suite preferred;

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills preferred

• Workday experience preferred;

• Learning Management System experience preferred.

COMPETENCIES

• Communication

• Time Management

• Collaboration

• Personal Effectiveness/Credibility

• Flexibility/Adaptability

WORK ENVIRONMENT & CONDITIONS/PHYSICAL DEMANDS

• This is a full-time, 40-hour/week non-exempt position;

• In-person on-campus;

• Typical office or home office environment, with moderate noise;

• Sedentary work with walking or standing required occasionally;

• Essential physical requirements include sitting, standing, and typing;

• Physical effort/lifting is sedentary to light - up to 20 pounds;

• The standard work schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:30am – 5:00pm. On very rare occasions, this position (e.g. Commencement week) is required to work in the evening as a part of the job.

In accordance with applicable pay transparency laws effective October 29, 2025, Simmons University is committed to pay equity, transparency and clear communication throughout the hiring process. The hourly or annual salary range for this position is:

This is a benefits-eligible position.

Actual compensation will be based on factors such as experience, education, skills, equity, and external market benchmarks that help guide compensation decisions. Our compensation philosophy is centered around a comprehensive package that includes pay, health benefits, and retirement savings offerings that can be seen here, as well as work-life balance initiatives such as flexible hours and remote work opportunities. We are committed to offering a package that empowers individuals to thrive in their roles, contribute meaningfully, and lead with confidence.

Instructions to Applicants: Please upload all applicable application materials (e.g. resume/cv, cover letter, writing sample, teaching philosophy, etc.) in the Application Materials box on page 2 ("My Experience") of this application. Documents can be uploaded individually or as a combined document (e.g. PDF).

Simmons University is committed to inclusive excellence in all aspects of an individual’s community experience. As a university committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, Simmons encourages applications from all under-represented groups. Simmons is committed to creating, developing, promoting, and enhancing inclusive hiring practices–at all levels, for all positions–ensuring diverse talent pools and the delivery of a consistent positive candidate experience. Simmons is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to continuing to develop a more diverse faculty, staff, student body, and curriculum.