About UMass Amherst
UMass Amherst, the Commonwealth's flagship campus, is a nationally ranked public research university offering a full range of undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University sits on nearly 1,450-acres in the scenic Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, and offers a rich cultural environment in a bucolic setting close to major urban centers. In addition, the University is part of the Five Colleges (including Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, and Smith College), which adds to the intellectual energy of the region.
About CICS
Celebrating almost 60 years of pioneering contributions to computing, the College of Information and Computer Sciences (CICS) at UMass Amherst is home to graduate and undergraduate programs that are ranked among the top twenty-five in the nation by U.S. News & World Report and among the top twenty by CS Rankings. Following a decade of tremendous growth, CICS currently has 88 core faculty, including 20 ACM Fellows, 11 IEEE Fellows, and 36 NSF CAREER Award winners. CICS research encompasses all major technical specializations across the profession and serves as the focal point for interdisciplinary computing research at UMass Amherst, with affiliated research centers such as the Center for Intelligent Information Retrieval, the Center for Data Science, the Center for Smart and Connected Society, the Computational Social Science Institute, and the Cybersecurity Institute, as well as the new NIH-funded Massachusetts AI and Technology Center for Connected Care in Aging and Alzheimer's Disease.
The college currently enrolls approximately 300 doctoral students, 400 master's students, and 2,000 undergraduate students in its computer science and informatics programs and continues to build on its history of innovative teaching with new programs in public interest technology and a growing online master's program. The college's new building, slated to open in the spring of 2025, is being designed to accommodate its growth and serve as a hub for community, collaboration, and research. The CICS community is united by a revolutionary vision for computing research, education, and outreach--Computing for the Common Good--and is committed to inspiring and educating students from all backgrounds and experiences, while conducting research that improves the lives of the people of the Commonwealth and the world. More information about the college can be found at cics.umass.edu.
Job Summary
Provide administrative support for the Office of Diversity and Inclusion within the Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences (CICS). This includes supporting and attending programs and events, managing various calendars, assisting with budget management for the office and its student organizations, data entry, and other general administrative tasks.
Essential Functions
- Assists the Office of Diversity and Inclusion with the preparation and execution of events that support the College’s diversity and inclusion efforts such as diversity panels, workshops, guest speakers, and community discussions. Coordinates with the College’s communications team to ensure events are announced through proper channels with appropriate notice. Makes all logistical arrangements (i.e. event space reservations, catering, IT, other supply needs, etc.).
- Maintains a calendar for all events hosted by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. Coordinates with the College’s Events Manager to ensure rooms are available and properly set for all events.
- Prepares and proofreads materials for presentations and meetings; copies and organizes printed materials and creates professional PowerPoint presentations.
- Accurately maintains electronic calendars. Prioritizes meeting requests based on the urgency of the meeting topic.
- Collaborates with the Director of Diversity to develop a budget for each program planned for the year. Monitors expenses and discusses any variances from the budget with the Director of Diversity so they can make adjustments or discuss further with the College’s finance team.
- Enters and maintains data related to the College’s diversity initiatives.
- Answers, screens, and responds to phone calls, email, and postal mail using personal judgement to determine appropriate urgency and distribution channels.
- Plans and prepares travel arrangements (flight, hotel, transportation) and itineraries. Processes subsequent expense reports in a timely manner.
Other Functions
- Performs related duties as assigned or required to meet College or University goals and objectives.
- Understands responsibilities with respect to conflicts of interest and behaves in ways consistent both with law and with University policy. Contributes toward creating a positive and respectful workplace defined by personal and professional competence, integrity, and collaboration. Understands and contributes to implementation of departmental and institutional goals for achieving non-discrimination and creating a respectful, inclusive environment that is supportive of diversity. Uses access to sensitive and/or not yet public university related information only in the performance of the responsibilities of position and exercises care to prevent unnecessary disclosure to others.
Minimum Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, Education, Experience, Certifications, Licensure)
- High School diploma or equivalent.
- At least one (1) year of experience providing excellent customer service in an office setting.
- Ability to successfully complete and pass a background check and CORI and the ability to maintain clearance throughout the entirety of employment.
- Strong commitment to, and understanding of, inclusive excellence. Ability and willingness to work with a diverse student, faculty, and staff population and contribute to their success.
- Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to interact effectively, and create and maintain harmonious relationships within the academic programs team, the College, and across the University with a diverse population of staff, faculty, students, and off-campus constituents. Ability and willingness to work empathetically with a diverse student population and contribute to their success.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills. Ability to write concisely, express thoughts clearly, and develop ideas in a logical sequence.
- Independent initiative. Must have the ability to stay on task and work productively with a minimum amount of supervision or guidance. Willingness to take on a variety of tasks related to the successful operation of the academic programs. The ability to adapt and work effectively as the College and academic programs team grows.
- Strong organizational skills and attention to detail with the ability to complete assignments in a timely manner, balancing the demands of concurrent and potentially competing projects.
- Ability to exercise sound judgment and maintain confidentiality. The ability to think through problems, organize and seek out data/information, identify key factors and underlying causes, and generate solutions.
- Strong computer skills including at least intermediate expertise with:
- Email.
- Calendar systems such as iCal, Outlook, or Google.
- Word processing software such as Microsoft Word or Google Docs.
- Spreadsheets such as Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets.
- Databases such as Microsoft Access or FileMaker.
Preferred Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, Education, Experience, Certifications, Licensure)
- Experience working in an office environment within higher education.
Physical Demands/Working Conditions
Typical office environment.
Work Schedule
- Monday - Friday, 8:30am - 5:00pm.
- This position has the opportunity for a hybrid work schedule, which is defined by the University as an arrangement where an employee's work is regularly performed at a location other than the campus workspace for a portion of the week. As this position falls within the University Staff Association, it is subject to the terms and conditions of the University Staff Association collective bargaining agreement, therefore.
Salary Information
USA/MTA Grade 13
Special Instructions to Applicants
Applicants must complete online application, submit a resume, cover letter, and provide names and contact information for three (3) professional references. Each applicant’s cover letter should explain why diversity and inclusion matters to them.
UMass Amherst is committed to a policy of equal opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, caste, creed, sex, age, marital status, national origin, disability, political belief or affiliation, pregnancy and pregnancy-related condition(s), veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, genetic information, natural and protective hairstyle and any other class of individuals protected from discrimination in employment, admission to and participation in academic programs, activities, and services, and the selection of vendors who provide services or products to the University. To fulfill that policy, UMass Amherst is further committed to a program of affirmative action to eliminate or mitigate artificial barriers and to increase opportunities for the recruitment and advancement of qualified minorities, women, persons with disabilities, and covered veterans. It is the policy of UMass Amherst to comply with the applicable federal and state statutes, rules, and regulations concerning equal opportunity and affirmative action.