Executive Staff Assistant to the Dean of AAP / Chief of Staff

About the College of Architecture, Art, and Planning

The College of Architecture, Art, and Planning at Cornell University (Cornell AAP) includes the departments of Architecture, Art, City and Regional Planning, the Paul Rubacha Department of Real Estate, jointly led by AAP and the SC Johnson College of Business, the multicollege Department of Design Tech, and the Cornell Mui Ho Center for Cities. The college spans three locations in Ithaca, New York City, and Rome, Italy, each with world-class facilities and cutting-edge technologies.

Cornell AAP is about acts of transformation. We are committed to reimagining and reshaping the world in new ways, every day. A vital college at one of the nation's foremost research universities, Cornell AAP brings faculty, staff, and students together from around the world to take up some of today's most urgent challenges and advance research, inquiry, and collaborative approaches to designing, making, and doing that make a more just and resilient future.

The Opportunity

Are you an organized, collaborative, and proactive professional who thrives in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment? The College of Architecture, Art, and Planning (AAP) at Cornell University invites applications for an Executive Administrative Assistant to join our dynamic community and support the work of the Dean.

This is an exciting opportunity for a strategic, service-oriented leader to provide direct executive support to the Dean, manage the day-to-day operations of the Dean's Office, and supervise the other assistants in the office. This position plays a pivotal role in advancing the priorities of the college by ensuring operational excellence, supporting academic leadership, and fostering meaningful connections across the university and beyond.

In this highly visible and impactful role, your responsibilities will include:

• Executive Support of the Dean: Independently manage the Dean's complex calendar, organize frequent domestic and international travel, coordinate meetings and strategic initiatives, and serve as a trusted advisor-anticipating needs, solving problems, and ensuring priorities are met. Act as the principal liaison on behalf of the Dean, partner closely and build effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders to strengthen the Dean's engagements, and oversee adherence to university and college policies. Provide administrative support to the Dean's standing committees; prepare meeting minutes and distribute, track meeting action items, and ensure action has been completed. Facilitate the Dean's participation on major university committees, national boards, and associations. Lead special projects, including managing high profile events, major meetings, programs, and special functions on behalf of the Dean.
• Chief of Staff Duties: Serve as a primary point of contact and liaison to facilitate communication and collaboration among multiple units and constituents, including faculty, students, staff, alumni, and constituents throughout Cornell and externally. This includes a close partnership with AAP Communications, Alumni Affairs & Development, AAP Operations teams, academic departments, and the Provost's Office. Supervise and mentor administrative staff within the Dean's Office, directing administrative support for the Senior Associate and Associate Deans. People leadership duties include scheduling, addressing performance, fostering growth and development, orchestrating training, and coordinating work responsibilities. Lead executive-level communications, committee coordination, and college-wide engagement efforts. Champion best practices and promote a culture of excellence, teamwork, and continuous improvement. Co-supervise (with the Assistant Dean for Communications) the AAP Events & Exhibitions Coordinator.
• Manage Academic Personnel Processes: Partner with HR and academic leadership to coordinate academic appointments, promotions, reviews, retirements, and leaves-ensuring timely, policy-aligned actions. This requires thorough understanding of the processes, policies, and relationships involved, while capturing all relevant details to ensure timely and accurate approval and documentation.
• Exceptional Internal and External Communications: On behalf of the Dean, read and analyze internal and external information (e.g., memos, mail, and reports) to determine significance; perform additional research and analysis as needed; draft responses for Dean or redirect to appropriate individuals; and track progress on responses. Compose correspondence, reports, and presentations on behalf of the Dean; use independent judgment to determine content and presentation by assessing purpose, goals, audience and potential impact. Manage communications related to special events. Handle confidential materials with discretion while building relationships across the university and with external partners, alumni, and donors. Exhibit exceptional professionalism and customer service skills, ensuring that the office is consistently represented in a positive manner.
• Steward Resources: Partner with the AAP Office of Finance and Budget to monitor, review, and approve relevant expenditures as appropriate. Participate in projects with occasional work responsibility falling above or below current classification.

Success Factors Include:

• Exceptional organizational and time-management skills, with the ability to navigate competing priorities with grace and clarity.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with a customer service mindset and the ability to build trusted relationships across a diverse set of stakeholders.
• Demonstrated leadership experience, particularly in managing staff and coordinating complex administrative functions.
• Sound judgment, discretion with confidential information, and the ability to anticipate and solve problems proactively. Ability and confidence to work independently on behalf of the Dean.
• A commitment to excellence and the mission of higher education and creative scholarship.
• An understanding that the responsibilities in this role may require occasional additional and/or after hours and weekends.

At AAP, we believe administrative professionals are critical partners in creating a thriving academic community. You'll have the opportunity to work with visionary leaders, engaged students, and committed faculty and staff-all while supporting a college that values creativity and collaboration. In return, we offer a supportive work environment, access to Cornell's outstanding benefits, opportunities for professional development and growth, and the chance to make a meaningful impact in the daily and long-term success of the College.

If you are a seasoned administrative professional and strong communicator who thrives in a rigorous, collaborative environment, we encourage you to take the next step in your career by applying with your resume and cover letter.

What We Need

• All applications require a cover letter and resume for full consideration.
• Associate's degree with 5-7 years of related experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office suite, particularly Outlook, and Google Workspace.
• Ability to learn and adapt to multiple scheduling platforms.
• Leadership Skills for Success
• Staff Skills for Success
• Demonstrated ability to anticipate and diplomatically resolve issues, using creative problem-solving skills and consistently employing exceptional customer service skills to ensure positive experiences with the Dean's office for all constituents.
• The highest standards of attention to detail, often creating/developing and reviewing communications and formal documents others have drafted.
• Ability to communicate clearly and tactfully, projecting a helpful, positive impression even when under pressure or stress.
• Ability to work independently with a high degree of initiative, establish and accomplish priorities, manage projects and handle multiple tasks simultaneously. In an ever-changing workplace environment, the ability to evaluate work practices to find improvements and efficiencies, while standardizing work is critical.
• Experience using judgment in dealing with wide variety of issues, often of a sensitive, confidential and complex nature.
  

If you have all those things, great! We have a few more things that we would prefer you to have, but it's ok if you don't.

• Additional years of experience, particularly within higher education and/or a similar highly-complex environments.
• Experience with any of the following would be a significant plus: Cornell-wide tools (e.g., Kuali Financial System and OBIEE, Workday, Concur, etc.) and/or tools used in AAP (e.g., Slab, Airtable), and/or other database, project management, or organizational software.

Rewards and Benefits

• This position is based in Ithaca, New York, and is fully onsite.
• 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.

Visa sponsorship and relocation assistance is not available for this position.

Cornell is an equal opportunity employer. For more information click here.

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