POSITION OBJECTIVE

Working with minimum supervision, the Department Assistant 4 has administrative responsibility for the fiscal, academic and day-to-day functioning of the Department of Anthropology. The department assistant reports directly to the department chair and supervises the department¿s administrative staff and work-study students. The department assistant is expected to take initiative, make decisions and function with minimal supervision.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Financial-General: Administer and reconcile departmental operating, endowment, grant, contract, and discretionary accounts, and correct or make accounting adjustments as appropriate. Monitor monthly staff, faculty, and student salary information and effort distributions, and adjust as needed. Approve purchasing/expenditure transactions. Process transactions and budget journals for all accounts as necessary. Make deposits and record departmental income from donors and other sources. Track expenditures in key categories frequently to enable future strategic financial planning. Maintain records for audits. Work with faculty/staff and auditors to retrieve information for regular audits. Collaborate as needed with the department assistant 1 on matters related to: processing reimbursements, invoice payments for departmental expenditures, monitoring and reconciling p-card charges, and the department¿s inventory of space. (20%)
• Financial-Budget: In collaboration with the department chair, prepare and monitor the annual departmental operating budget. Monitor department, endowment, grant, faculty startup, and discretionary accounts monthly. Prepare College of Arts and Sciences monthly budget performance reports. Provide reports for longer term strategic planning. Communicate with the chair regarding all budgetary issues. (20%)
• Supervise staff and ensure accurate completion of work in: Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusive Engagement submissions for faculty searches; graduate student fellowship proposals including budgets and liaising with College of Arts and Sciences Research Office; adjunct appointments and reappointments each semester and on an as needed basis, including immigration paperwork; entering the schedule of classes in the Student Information System (SIS); completing tasks for the department¿s graduate programs and assist the Director of Graduate Programs as needed; maintain the department¿s website, following Utech and University Marketing and Communications guidelines. Oversee the production of the bi-annual departmental newsletter and oversee department alumni record database. Provide onboarding guidance for new students, staff and faculty, and facilitate connections to necessary campus resources. (20%)
• Sponsored Projects Support: Liaise with the research office at the College of Arts and Sciences and centrally support faculty sponsored projects. This includes but is not limited to:verify university and agency policies as needed; verify availability of faculty effort, cost sharing requirements, commitment and availability of department resources (space, equipment, personnel and students). Review current faculty and staff salaries/compensation and project future salaries/compensation across project years based on university-established guidelines. Review fringe benefits and indirect costs calculations as permitted by university and agency policies. Working in Sparta: Enter proposal information and attachments into and prepare the budget. Process and sign off on grant re-budgets and no-cost extensions. Coordinate with Procurement and the Office of Research Administration in set up of subcontracts per award agreements. Review effort certification at the end of each semester, checking for correctness and edit percentages as necessary to accurately reflect effort spent per project as well as for instructional time. Notify principal investigator's when certification information is correct and ask them to certify on a timely basis. Distribute expense statements and salary analysis reports to principal investigators. Ensure compliance with federal and non-federal guidelines for grants, reminding and assisting principal investigators with submitting annual and final reports. Coordinate with university offices on award account setup, augmentations, no-cost extensions, and close-out. Coordinate with university offices and non-university partners on subcontracts related to awards. (15%)
• Process all tuition, stipend and payroll paperwork for graduate students. Track tuition and stipend awards. Process undergraduate student awards. (10%)
• Process highly confidential faculty and student information. Maintain calendar of deadlines for both financial and student-related administrative needs and keep department chair advised. Maintain confidential files. Maintain department communications and correspondence. Support planning and organization of department meetings and events, including the annual Kassen Lecture Series and the Applying Anthropology to Real World Problems lecture series. Relay information on sensitive matters to constituents, external or within the university. Keep current on legislation and events, relative to the Department of Anthropology, the College of Arts and Sciences or the university. Assist the Graduate Program Director to coordinate documentation for graduate program degree progress. Serve as a resource for connection with various offices related to department operation. Coordinate planning of special projects and events. Ensure and oversee collection of data necessary for departmental reporting, strategic planning, and academic reviews. Assist faculty and principal investigators with other Case Western Reserve University programs they lead. Coordinate physical plant needs, including repair and maintenance of department facilities/spaces as needed. (10%)

NONESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Perform other duties as assigned. (5%)

CONTACTS

Department: Daily contacts with the department chair, faculty, staff to exchange information and maintain workflow.

University: Weekly contact with the dean¿s office, and the finance and research offices of the College of Arts and Sciences and various departments, including Accounts Payable, Payroll, Purchasing, Foreign Faculty, Office of Research Administration, Access Services, Printing Services, Library, University Registrar, Graduate Studies and Service departments to exchange information or address an issue.

External: Moderate contact with vendors, contractors, potential donors, members of the public to exchange information.

Students: Graduate and undergraduate students: occasionally to exchange information.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY

This position supervises one Department Assistant 1 and will oversee work study students.

QUALIFICATIONS

Experience: 6 or more years of experience.

Education: High school education required. College education preferred

REQUIRED SKILLS

• Excellent communication skills are required, both verbal and written. Ability to interact with internal and external colleagues, supervisor, students, potential donors, and the general public verbally, in writing, and face to face. Strong interpersonal, organization, and management skills are also needed.
• Must exhibit a high-level of initiative and possess the ability to work independently with minimum supervision and to be able to maintain a high degree of confidentiality, as well as the ability to ¿get along¿ and work with a highly diverse group of individuals daily.
• Ability to actively learn - understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
• Ability to operate copy machine, computers, and printers.
• Ability to meet consistent attendance.
• Ability to interact with colleagues, supervisors and customers face to face.
• Must be computer literate and familiar with standard Microsoft Office software, including Excel spreadsheets.
• Must have ability to use (or willingness to learn) university computer programs and systems such as those used for human resources, budgets and financials, grants submission and processing, effort reporting, academic activities, and producing webpages.

WORKING CONDITIONS

General office environment. The employee will perform repetitive motion using computer mouse and keyboard to type.

Hybrid Eligibility

This position is eligible for hybrid work arrangement up to two remote days per week at the discretion of the department. New employees may begin a hybrid schedule upon approval from the supervisor, successful completion of an orientation period and signing the remote work checklist certification form.

Diversity Statement

In employment, as in education, Case Western Reserve University is committed to Equal Opportunity and Diversity. Women, veterans, members of underrepresented minority groups, and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

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Reasonable Accommodations

Case Western Reserve University provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. Applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the Office of Equity at 216-368-3066 to request a reasonable accommodation. Determinations as to granting reasonable accommodations for any applicant will be made on a case-by-case basis.

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