Administrative Assistant, Information Technologies at Cornell University in Ithaca (Main Campus)

Job description

• Are you a highly organized professional who thrives in a fast-paced environment, enjoys supporting leaders and teams, and takes pride in creating exceptional experiences for others? Cornell University Information Technology organization is seeking an Administrative Assistant to join our collaborative administrative support team.
• In this role, you will provide high-level administrative support to senior leaders within the Office of the Chief Information Officer (CIO), helping advance strategic initiatives that support technology, innovation, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, customer experience, and enterprise services across the university. You will play a vital role in ensuring operations run smoothly by coordinating complex schedules, organizing events, managing communications, supporting recruitment efforts, and delivering outstanding service to a diverse community of stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate complex calendars, schedules, and meeting logistics for senior leadership.
• Coordinate and track meetings involving university leadership, internal teams, and external partners.
• Anticipate administrative needs by proactively preparing leaders for meetings, events, and projects.
• Direct communications and information flow, ensuring urgent and sensitive matters receive timely attention.
• Coordinate department meetings, special events, workshops, and conferences, including the biannual Emerging Tech Dialogues event.
• Provide exceptional customer service to employees, visitors, candidates, vendors, and stakeholders.
• Support onboarding and offboarding activities for employees.
• Handle confidential and sensitive information with professionalism and discretion.
• Serve as backup support for other administrative team members as needed.
• Arrange complex domestic and international travel for staff, candidates, visitors, and vendors.
• Develop detailed itineraries and campus visit schedules.
• Coordinate candidate visits and recruitment-related travel logistics.
• Process travel reimbursements and assist travelers with policy guidance.
• Purchase office supplies, equipment, software, and business-related resources.
• Coordinate conference registrations, training programs, and software license renewals.
• Maintain inventories and monitor purchasing activity.
• Work with vendors and university partners to resolve procurement-related issues.
• Support a welcoming, productive, and well-equipped workplace environment.
• Coordinate interview schedules and candidate communications.
• Partner with hiring managers to support recruitment activities.
• Create comprehensive candidate itineraries and oversee interview logistics.
• Serve as a point of contact for candidates throughout the hiring process.
• Ensure a positive, professional, and inclusive candidate experience.
• Provide backup support for building coordination activities.
• Receive and distribute deliveries and packages.
• Assist with building access, security, and emergency communication protocols.
• Help maintain safe and professional work environments.
• Participate in special projects and departmental initiatives.
• Complete required university compliance training.
• Contribute to a collaborative and service-oriented team culture.
• If you excel at managing competing priorities, handling confidential information with discretion, and building strong relationships, we encourage you to apply with your resume and cover letter. Join us and help support the people and technology initiatives that make a difference across Cornell University.

Requirements

• A cover letter and resume outlining your interest and how your experience and goals align with the potential for mutual success in the role are required for consideration.
• Associate degree and two to four years of relevant experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Minimum of two years of experience providing high-level administrative support to executive-level leaders, preferably involving the coordination and management of administrative office operations and activities.
• Demonstrated ability to interact effectively with a diverse range of individuals in a professional, diplomatic, and customer-focused manner.
• Proven ability to handle highly sensitive and confidential information with discretion, sound judgment, and professionalism.
• Excellent organizational, time management, and prioritization skills, with the ability to manage multiple competing priorities and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently with minimal supervision while also collaborating effectively as part of a team.
• Strong critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making skills, with the ability to exercise independent judgment and initiative.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including experience preparing professional correspondence, reports, presentations, and other written materials.
• Demonstrated proficiency with Microsoft 365 applications, including Word, Excel, Outlook (email and calendar), Teams, and Zoom.
• Experience using word processing, spreadsheet, database, presentation, and collaboration software.
• Ability and willingness to learn new technologies, software applications, and business systems as required.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to accuracy.
• Ability to develop and maintain a working knowledge of the IT organization to effectively respond to and appropriately direct inquiries.
• Must be professional, collaborative, positive, self-motivated, adaptable, and customer service oriented.
• Ability to work on-site at least three days per week.
• Ability to cultivate and develop inclusive working relationships with students, faculty, staff, and community members.
• Experience supporting senior leaders within a higher education, technology, or similarly complex organizational environment.
• Experience coordinating recruitment activities and supporting hiring processes.
• Proficiency with Cornell business systems, including Concur, eShop, and the PCard submission system.
• Experience coordinating complex travel arrangements, events, meetings, and special projects.
• Experience serving in a building coordinator, facilities liaison, or related administrative support role.

Skills

Required

• Verbal and written communication skills
• Attention to detail and accuracy

Benefits

• This position is eligible for a hybrid work arrangement. For the first two weeks, the successful candidate will be expected to work fully on-site for onboarding and initial training. After that, employees typically perform this role on-campus 3 days per week and remotely 2 days per week.
• Cornell receives national recognition as an award-winning workplace for our health, wellbeing, and sustainability.
• Our benefits programs include comprehensive health care options, generous retirement contributions, access to wellness programs, and employee discounts with local and national retail brands. We invite you to follow this link to get more information about our benefits: Understand Your Benefits | Working at Cornell.
• Our leave provisions include health and personal leave, three weeks of vacation and 13 holidays: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and the day after, and an end of the year winter break from December 25-January 1. To offer greater flexibility for observing faiths and traditions we also offer two additional floating holidays. Learn more about our generous leave provisions: Holiday and Accrued Time Off | Working at Cornell
• Cornell's impressive educational benefits include tuition-free Extramural Study and Employee Degree Program, tuition aid for external education, and Cornell Children's Tuition Assistance Program. Learn more about our extensive educational benefits: Education Benefits | Working at Cornell
• Follow this link to learn more about the Total Rewards of Working at Cornell:
• Total Rewards | Working at Cornell.
• Non-Union Positions
• Noted pay ranges reflect the potential pay opportunity for each job profile. The hiring rate of pay for the successful candidate will be determined considering the following criteria:
• Prior relevant work or industry experience
• Education level to the extent education is relevant to the position
• Unique applicable skills
• Academic Discipline
• To learn more about Cornell’s non-union staff job titles and pay ranges, see Career Navigator.
• Union Positions
• The hiring rate of pay for the successful candidate will be determined in accordance with the rates in the respective collective bargaining agreement. To learn more about Cornell’s union wages, see Union Pay Rates.