Assistant to the Dean - 999227
- Dean's Office Zimpleman College of Business
- Staff, full-time (32+ hours per week)
Title: Assistant to the Dean - 999227
Position Number: 999227
Unit/Department: Dean's Office Zimpleman College of Business
Salary: Commensurate with qualifications and experience
Department Summary:
Drake University's Zimpleman College of Business is committed to nurturing a high-performance work culture that provides meaningful career opportunities for faculty and staff, and is focused on creating an authentically diverse, inclusive, and equitable environment for all. The College's North Star is centered on equipping students to do well by doing good - empowering them to contribute to the global economy and society. With 64 full-time faculty and staff members, we work as a team to ensure Zimpleman students are equipped with the technical skills, business acumen, empathy, and experience to prepare them for immediate and lasting success.
To learn more about the College, visit: https://www.drake.edu/zimpleman/
Job Summary:
Drake's Zimpleman College of Business is looking for a detail-oriented Assistant to the Dean staff member to work with our team and the students we serve. This is a fulltime, 12-month position. A core function of this role is to make sure that the Dean has the needed administrative support to realize their leadership functions. This position serves as the front lines of communications among offices within the college and the larger university as well as external constituents and partners in the community. It also serves as a hub for college committees including the Promotion & Tenure Committee. We are looking for someone who has an agile mindset and is highly organized to address a variety of important tasks in collaboration with leaders, staff, and faculty. Given this role interacts with a range of people from students and families to alumni and supporters, the person needs to possess strong communication skills and a customer service orientation. This person also needs to be technically proficient so they can manage a range of digital platforms that support key digital assets of the college.
Minimum Qualifications:
• High school degree or equivalent.
• Demonstrated history of strong interpersonal communication skills, organizational skills, customer service mindset.
• Desire and ability to successfully work as part of a team.
• A working knowledge of desktop hardware and software, including Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams , and Adobe Acrobat.
Preferred Qualifications:
• Associate degree or higher and/or 3–7 years of relevant experience.
• Experience working in higher education.
• Experience in administrative support role.
• Experience planning events.
Job Duties:
- 40% - Executive support. • Provide administrative support to the Dean on college-wide initiatives, project execution, and internal and external communications. • Independently manage complex meeting coordination, including in-person, virtual (Teams/Zoom), and hybrid modalities. • Manage key academic cycle processes for the Dean, including annual review, promotion, tenure, and sabbatical submissions. • Provide project management assistance, track and report status of projects, support case statement submissions, and support Zimpleman scorecard initiatives. • Manage internal and external communications on behalf of the Dean’s Office; draft emails, newsletters, and other correspondence; review material for typographical accuracy, format, and internal consistency, and ensure alignment with Zimpleman brand and policy standards. • Serve as the primary contact for the Zimpleman Dean’s Office and visitors, handling sensitive information, managing correspondence and requests with confidentiality, tact, and discretion. - (Essential)
- 35% - Office and digital management. • Plan and coordinate key governance and administrative meetings (Cabinet, Faculty, NAC), including agenda development, stakeholder communication, minute recording, and material dissemination. • Manage the faculty promotion and tenure process and sabbatical applications in collaboration with relevant committees; ensure accuracy, timeliness, compliance, and records maintenance. • Update, organize, approve permissions, and maintain online Teams channels and folders. • Lead administration of Zimpleman’s digital infrastructure, including email distribution lists, digital signage, and the College website—maintaining up-to-date, branded content and developing content as needed. • Serve as front-line representative delivering a welcoming and professional environment reflective of the Zimpleman brand support for key stakeholders and guests, including executive speakers, prospective donors, and academic collaborators. Coordinating parking, materials, food/beverage, agendas, etc. • Perform general clerical duties, including but not limited to maintaining files, photocopying, faxing, mailing, and other forms of communication. - (Essential)
- 10% - Event Management. • Organize and host events and experiences (receptions, speaker dinners, lunches, etc.) on and off campus in alignment with the Dean’s priorities—managing end-to-end logistics, including vendor relations, venue coordination, and stakeholder communications. • Lead the Events Management System (EMS) scheduling operations for Zimpleman, train and support administrative staff, and serve as its primary liaison to the university-wide system. • Oversee scheduling for Aliber 204 (Noble Foundation Hybrid Meeting Space), coordinate maintenance needs with the building manager and Information Technology Support (ITS), and provide training to faculty and staff on the room’s technology system. - (Essential)
- 10% - Faculty and personnel management. • Manage HR functions related to faculty processes, including special appointments and course release tracking, appointment letters, system entries (e.g., Banner), rank/title updates, sabbaticals, faculty leaves, etc. • Maintain organized, accessible, and secure official Zimpleman faculty personnel records in compliance with university and Zimpleman requirements. • Provide operational support and guidance to faculty search chairs, including correspondence, travel, scheduling, reservations, reimbursements, etc. • Own the onboarding of all new Zimpleman faculty and staff new hires and offboarding of departing faculty and staff—working with Zimpleman and campus partners to ensure checklist items are complete, and the necessary systems have access requested or terminated. • Possess knowledge of university policies and procedures. - (Essential)
- 5% - Other duties as assigned. - (Essential)
Special Instructions to Applicants:
For consideration, you must apply online. Please include a resume and cover letter.
Review of Applications Begins:
Salary and Benefits:
At Drake, we are proud to offer our employees, their spouses, and eligible dependents a comprehensive benefits package, which includes a wide range of core benefits, perks, and discounts. If you are exploring a job with Drake University, we invite you to spend a little time with our Drake Benefits Guide 2025. One of our popular policies provides a tuition waiver for Drake employees, their spouses, and eligible dependents. Drake also participates in not one, but two tuition exchange programs available to dependent children. Tuition BenefitsFor faculty positions, selection will depend on the receipt of recommendation confirming the candidate's scholarly achievements and teaching abilities and/or on the candidate's satisfactory passing of a teaching demonstration if selected for an on-campus interview. For staff positions, selection will depend upon careful review of each applicant’s references, education, and, if applicable, experience.
ABOUT DRAKE
Drake University is recognized as a top private university in the Midwest. Drake is a midsize university in Des Moines, Iowa, with an increasingly diverse student body. We are deeply committed to equity and inclusion and creating a sense of belonging for all members of the campus community—faculty, staff, and students alike. More than 900 faculty and staff are part of the Bulldog pack, a close-knit group of colleagues enthusiastic about preparing students to be global citizens and leaders, challenging assumptions. Drake University is not only an outstanding institution of higher learning, it is also a wonderful place to work. We are enthusiastically committed to welcoming new ideas and people into the fold, and to retaining and rewarding stellar employees.
All positions at Drake provide opportunities to contribute to Drake University’s core mission of creating an exceptional learning environment that prepares students of all backgrounds for meaningful lives and professional accomplishments.
STRONG COMMITMENT TO A DIVERSE AND INCLUSIVE COMMUNITY
At Drake University, we don’t just accept differences—we celebrate them, we support them, and we thrive on them for the benefit of our students, our employees, and our community. As reflected in our Core Values, we embrace a diverse and inclusive community.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY
Drake University is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to creating an inclusive and diverse workplace. We provide equal employment opportunities to all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law. Drake University is committed to providing access and reasonable accommodations in its services, programs, activities, education, and employment for individuals with disabilities. If you would benefit from an accommodation at any point in the recruitment process (including using our online application process), please contact Drake Human Resources (p: 515.271.3133; e: jobs@drake.edu) and let us know how we can assist you.
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