Office Manager at The University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas

Job Description:

Position OverviewAs the number one program in its field, the Department of Special Education's constituencies and programs have a national focus. The department's scholars are among the most productive in the nation. Their grants, publications, and international stature attest to this.


Primary responsibilities include needed executive support to the chair of the department, oversight and management of a student services office, supervision of front office staff, coordination of departmental activities, course scheduling, and implementation of departmental processes and policies as directed by the department chair. Coordinates unit programs or the collection, compilation, and analysis of unit activity data; provides unit activity reports and evaluations. Creates, produces, and delivers a range of promotional and informational resource materials related to unit activities and initiatives. Provides support to individuals within a unit; provides daily problem-solving as necessary. Produces programmatic materials to support the unit, projects, and/or activities to foster the engagement of students, community, faculty, and staff in the research, instruction, and/or services of the unit. Coordinate internal and external reviews. Works closely with all unit committee chairs, program coordinators, the graduate student organization, and other student organizations. Additional responsibilities address marketing, social media, and outreach. Other duties assigned as needed including project oversight, distribution of departmental duties, event planning, data compilation, extraction and report production.
Job DescriptionCoordination - 50%

• Provides and coordinates executive support to Department chair, calendaring, correspondence, report generation and other support


• Support department committees, program coordinators, and individual faculty


• Planning and execution of multiple departmental events annually, including organizing Department reception at the International Council for Exceptional Children conference, organizing various local and state conferences, and organizing events hosted by the Department, such as site visits, faculty retreats, Advisory Board meetings, receptions, staff events, special recognitions, and doctoral student events


• Ongoing collaboration with the Chair and faculty to ensure that the Department's contributions to local, state and federal initiatives are being communicated effectively with various constituent groups (e.g., families, community, school, Kansas Congressional Representatives)


• Collect data and prepare Department reports for the Chairperson and Dean of the School Education and Human Sciences (e.g., NCATE, US News and World Report, student data reporting, course scheduling, admissions, progress towards degree forms, annual departmental reports)


• Maintain networked, digital archives for administrative, research, and grant purposes


• Responsible for ongoing maintenance and expansion of the Department's website with technology staff in the School of Education and Human Sciences

Administration - 50%

• Coordinate and manage department staff and student employees to complete department projects, including reports to the Chair/Dean, U.S. News and World Report.


• Organize department staff meetings


• Supervision of department student services personnel


• Hiring and supervision of student assistants, departmental graduate assistants, and office employees


• Coordinate annual on-campus and off-campus meetings with Kansas Congressional Representatives, advocacy groups, U.S. Dept. of Education personnel, and other constituents


• Serve as Department scheduling officer, coordinate Department's ongoing course sequencing, course rotation, staffing, and scheduling with Department Chairperson and Program Area Coordinators to identify instructors and ensure information is shared with relevant parties


• Coordinate with all campus personnel regarding scheduling and space needs; and maintain facilities


• Responsible for ongoing maintenance and expansion of the department's website with technology staff in School of Education and Human Sciences, create and maintain department electronic document system

Required Qualifications

1. Bachelor's degree and at least five years office experience.


2. Experience with data management and expert user in Microsoft Office as evidenced by application materials.


3. Three years' of experience supporting departmental or research unit faculty, administrative and office staff, and student employees.


4. Departmental or research unit office management experience, including coordinating and completing multiple projects simultaneously in the areas of daily operations, event planning, and project management as evidenced in application materials.


5. At least two years supervisory experience: coaching, mentoring, and supporting other staff and department student employees.

Preferred Qualifications

1. Advanced technology skills with the ability to master new programs as needed


2. Experience managing and supporting external partnerships


3. Knowledge and experience working with KU and/or School of Education and Human Sciences academic, fiscal, and other regulatory policies and procedures


4. Experience working independently and in team-based environments


5. Demonstrated leadership and initiative


6. Strong verbal and written communication skills, interpersonal skills, and organizational skills as evidenced in application materials

Additional Candidate InstructionsA complete application includes cover letter, resume, and three professional references.


To ensure consideration, please apply by August 1st, 2024.Contact Information to ApplicantsJennifer Kurth
ph. 785-864-0537
jkurth@ku.eduAdvertised Salary Range$40,380-$58,551 ($19.41 - $28.15/hour)Work ScheduleM-F, 8-5Application Review BeginsFriday August 2, 2024Anticipated Start DateMonday August 12, 2024Apply to Job

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