Department Chair’s Assistant & Team Lead

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Overview

Reporting to the Department Manager of Administrative and Chair Support, the Department Chair’s Assistant & Team Lead provides advanced administrative leadership for the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) and the Chair’s Office. Operating with a high degree of independence, discretion, and professionalism, this role functions as a team lead for the department faculty support team, providing work direction, training, and coordination to 2.5 administrative staff to ensure consistent, high-quality administrative standards across the department.

Duties include but are not limited to:

Administrative Team Leadership

• Provides administrative leadership for the Chair’s Office by developing, implementing, and maintaining office procedures, workflows, and operational standards.
• Coordinates and guides the work of 2.5 faculty support staff, delegating and monitoring tasks to ensure consistency, accuracy, and adherence to departmental protocols. Tasks include, but are not limited to: organization of departmental events and seminars, expense reports, requisitions, supplier setup and travel coordination.
• Serves as the first point of escalation for operational and workflow issues within the support team.
• Acts as the department’s lead resource on administrative processes related to professional service agreements and other contractual needs; provides guidance, training, and workflow direction to team members as needed.
• Oversees daily operations of the Chair’s Office with minimal need for higher-level administrative intervention.

Chair & Department Support

• Coordinates faculty meetings, prepares agendas, records meeting minutes and tracks action items.
• Serves as a primary resource for department and University policies, providing guidance to faculty, staff, students, and visitors.
• Manages department-wide logistical processes, including key requests, room reservations, directories, and departmental communications.
• Plans and organizes annual prospective graduate student recruiting weekend, seminar speaker visits, and other high visibility departmental events, including overseeing departmental commencement planning.
• Provides comprehensive administrative support including purchasing supplies, arranging travel, organizing events, preparing expense reports and reimbursement requests.
• Provides administrative support to the Department Chair and their lab/students, including purchasing supplies, arranging travel, event support, preparing expense reports and reimbursement requests.
• May assist the Manager, Administrative and Chair Support with faculty and academic appointment/reappointment processes, coordination of visiting students, and handling of visa related documentation and requests.

Undergraduate Registrar

• Serves as the undergraduate registrar for ECE, supporting the Director of Undergraduate Studies.
• Coordinates faculty teaching assignments to ensure all core and mandatory courses are offered.

Other Duties

• May perform additional related duties as required or assigned to support the mission of the department.

Required Skills and Abilities
1. Organizational Skills: Ability to support multiple priorities in a fast-paced, high-volume setting. Proven experience providing functional guidance or workflow coordination to administrative staff.

2. Communication Skills: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook).
3. Administrative Proficiency: Proven record of resourcefulness, problem-solving, and ability to work independently, without continuous direction
4. Customer Service: Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to provide exceptional customer service and interact professionally with diverse groups.
5. Confidentiality and Judgment: Ability to handle sensitive information with discretion and exercise sound independent judgment.

Preferred Skills and Abilities
1. Advanced Technology Skills: Familiarity with systems such as Workday, Epic, and other administrative or financial software.
2. Event Planning: Experience in organizing and coordinating events, including logistics, catering, and travel arrangements.
3. Higher Education Experience: Prior experience working in an academic or medical environment, supporting faculty or research staff.
4. Financial Management: Proven ability to manage financial transactions, including expense reimbursements and budgeting.
5. Adaptability and Initiative: Ability to learn new technologies quickly, adapt to changing work environments, and take initiative in a highly dynamic setting.

Principal Responsibilities

Required Education and Experience

Eight years of related work experience, six of them in the same job family at the next lower level and a high school level education; or six years of related work experience and an Associate's Degree; or two years of related work experience and a Bachelor's Degree; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

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Background Check Requirements

All candidates for employment will be subject to pre-employment background screening for this position, which may include motor vehicle, DOT certification, drug testing and credit checks based on the position description and job requirements. All offers are contingent upon the successful completion of the background check. For additional information on the background check requirements and process visit "Learn about background checks" under the Applicant Support Resources section of Careers on the It's Your Yale website.

Health Requirements

Certain positions have associated health requirements based on specific job responsibilities. These may include vaccinations, tests, or examinations, as required by law, regulation, or university policy.

Posting Disclaimer

The hiring rate of a role is determined in accordance with the provisions outlined in the respective collective bargaining agreement.

The intent of this job description is to provide a representative summary of the essential functions that will be required of the position and should not be construed as a declaration of specific duties and responsibilities of the position. Employees will be assigned specific job-related duties through  their hiring department.

The University is committed to basing judgments concerning the admission, education, and employment of individuals upon their qualifications and abilities and seeks to attract to its faculty, staff, and student body qualified persons from a broad range of backgrounds and perspectives. In accordance with this policy and as delineated by federal and Connecticut law, Yale does not discriminate in admissions, educational programs, or employment against any individual on account of that individual’s sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, age, disability, status as a special disabled veteran, veteran of the Vietnam era or other covered veteran.

Inquiries concerning Yale's Policy Against Discrimination and Harassment may be referred to the Office of Institutional Equity and Accessibility (OIEA).

Note

Yale University is a tobacco-free campus.