Office Assistant Lead
About the University
Western Washington University, with over 16,000 students in seven colleges and the graduate school, is nationally recognized for its educational programs, students and faculty. The campus is located in Bellingham, Washington, a coastal community of 83,000 overlooking Bellingham Bay, the San Juan Islands and the North Cascades Mountain range. The city lies 90 miles north of Seattle and 60 miles south of Vancouver, British Columbia. Western is the highest-ranking public, master's-granting university in the Pacific Northwest, according to the 2019 U.S. News & World Report rankings.
About the Department, The President and Provost Office supports Western's mission, which states that together with our students, staff, and faculty, we are committed to making a positive impact in the state and the world with a shared focus on academic excellence and inclusive achievement. We encourage applications from women, people of color, people with disabilities, veterans, and other candidates from underrepresented backgrounds and with diverse experiences interested in this opportunity.
About the Position
As our Office Assistant Lead you are an integral member of the President and Provost's Office team, responsible for managing the front office reception desk for the President/Provost's Office which is the central office of the University. In this position, you will be expected to be able to communicate professionally and effectively with a variety of constituents in sometimes stressful situations. He/she/they must employ excellent organizational skills, be able to self-direct and appropriately prioritize multiple tasks and projects despite frequent interruptions. The Office Assistant Lead should have strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work successfully both independently and in a team environment. This position works with sensitive and confidential information.
Typical duties include:
* Function as a first point of contact between the President/Provost's Office and multiple WWU organizational levels, staff, faculty, external constituents, students and their families
* Communicate with university staff, faculty and administration and public to schedule meetings for and on behalf of the Associate Vice President
* Develop and implement efficient systems and procedures to ensure smooth office operation: maximize the use of technology for file management, communications and record keeping
* Triage issues, complaints and general questions
* Use Microsoft Office Suite for word processing, mail merges, record-keeping, graphics, spreadsheets, etc.
* Maintain databases, shared files, and other resources
* Participate in planning and organization for meetings and events including catering orders, purchase forms, room reservations, parking, travel, etc.
* Manage inventory of office supplies and purchasing for 20+ staff
* Complete, process, and track forms and documents including purchase orders, contracts, and reimbursement requests
* Serve as a supervisor for student employees
* Other duties and projects as assigned
Required Qualifications
* High School graduate or equivalent
* Three years of high-level clerical experience
* Demonstrated ability to provide excellent customer service and to maintain professional demeanor in stressful situations
* Demonstrated ability to manage multiple tasks and priorities with frequent interruptions
* Commitment to supporting diversity, inclusion and equity including the ability to work with individuals from a wide array of backgrounds
* MS Office proficiency
* Strong writing and interpersonal communication skills, including experience handling sensitive and confidential matters
* Ability and experience operating and directing multi-line phone
* Inventory management, purchasing, and reconciliation
* Supervisory experience
Preferred Qualifications
* Website management (Dreamweaver, Drupal, Wordpress)
* Experience with archives and record management
* Knowledge of Western Marketplace or equivalent purchasing system
* Experience in higher education