Assistant to the Dean 999227

Job description

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:


A review of applications will begin immediately.

This position will remain open until filled.




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 (https://www.drake.edu/media/departmentsoffices/humanresources/documents/2025%20Benefits%20Guide11.13.2024.pdf) .

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 Benefits (https://www.drake.edu/hr/benefitsoverview/tuitionbenefits/)

Required Skill Profession

Other General