The Assistant Registrar position is assigned specific primary functional responsibilities and serves as a back up resource for other specific functional areas. This position is primarily responsible for managing the degree audit process for degree candidates, coordinating the approval of major and minor completion with academic department chairs, managing the academic progress reporting for all degree-seeking students and diploma services. The Assistant Registrar manages specific components of the registration process (for example, cross-registration with Babson, Olin and Brandeis) and specific components of the self-scheduled exams (at Wellesley faculty members can opt to offer self-scheduled exams as an option whereby a student can choose when to schedule and take their exam rather than predefined times for final exams) each fall and spring.
The Assistant Registrar participates in process change initiatives and serves as functional lead in projects. Assesses operational outcomes and makes practical recommendations for process improvements. Delivers customer service for assigned periods on a weekly basis. Develops and maintains detailed knowledge of the department's constituent service functions. Effective in explaining specific process details to constituents, answering questions and applying department procedures and academic policy to individual situations.
Position Responsibilities:
Oversight of assigned functional processes within the office. Ensures that transactional work is accomplished in an accurate and timely manner (at times by other professional and student staff members that are not directly supervised by this position) and that quality assurance steps are completed at appropriate points in the process. Reviews and monitors information at regular intervals and ensures that accurate and timely information is available for both functional operations and management reporting needs. Serves as subject-matter expert to colleagues within the department and across departments.
Develops expertise in the administrative software applications used within the department. Develops and maintains documentation for one’s own use and also by any member of the department who is assigned to provide supplemental and backup support; Manages operations calendar dates for functional areas of responsibility and works with others to ensure that processes are well-coordinated within the department and across departments.
Works closely with the Registrar, Associate Registrar, LTS technical staff and others to define and implement service delivery improvements, often through implementation of technological changes and solutions.
Participates and contributes to departmental projects and initiatives; Serves as functional lead in projects when appropriate; May lead projects of limited scale and scope.
Delivers service to constituents (including students, faculty, staff, alumnae and the general public) both one-on-one and in group settings in alignment with the department’s service delivery model;
Handles specific service requests as a subject-matter expertise as needed.
Provides service as ‘staff member of the day’ - responding to general inquiries independently and assigning inquiries to the office’s subject-matter expert as needed.
Oversees student employees on specific projects; Acts as a resource to student employees.
Formulates and delivers effective group information sessions to constituents to introduce new services and ensure that constituents can take best advantage of Registrar’s Office academic support services to the community.
Performance Profile:
Monitors and manages information and ensures that high quality information is maintained and continuously available to support operations, planning and reporting functions.
Demonstrates increasing levels of mastery and competence in administrative information systems used within the department through formal training and independent, self-scheduled learning. Demonstrates ability to use technology to increase personal and departmental accuracy, efficiency and effectiveness.
Demonstrates understanding of continuous process improvement concepts and applies these strategically in areas of functional responsibility. Makes actionable proposals for process changes to improve accuracy, efficiency and effectiveness of department processes; Skilled in communicating needs to technical staff; Develops and executes comprehensive test plans.
Maintains accurate and current documentation on administrative operations of the department; performs functional responsibilities according to department standards for accuracy, timeliness and completeness and in accordance with department and college policies.
Develops and delivers high-quality training and informational programming which are responsive to the current needs of department staff and constituents in other departments; Effective in spoken and written communication and in public speaking.
Maintains project task lists and timelines; is accountable for delivering assigned project-based work on-time and on-budget; regularly reports progress (formally and informally) to project team and to the Associate Registrar and Registrar as appropriate.
Education Required:
Bachelor’s degree is required.
Experience Required:
1-2 years of relevant work experience, preferably within higher education or non-profit setting. Demonstrated success with project management and process improvement initiatives.
Effective both as an individual contributor and as a team member within the department.
Skills and Abilities Required:
Excellent critical thinking skills and demonstrated ability to trouble-shoot issues on one’s own and in coordination with others.
Excellent customer service skills.
Excellent written and oral communication skills.
Ability to communicate technical information to a non-technical audience and to give effective group presentations.
Excellent time management skills.
Project management skills including ability to develop project task lists and timelines, monitor progress against plan, run effective meetings and escalate issues to manager, project lead and others as appropriate.
Ability to influence people and processes that are not directly supervised by this position.
Ability to continuously acquire new technical skills that contribute to the automation initiatives and service improvement goals of the department.
Ability to monitor and manage complex and detailed processes and information, continuously scanning to ensure timely delivery of service and that high-quality information is maintained and available for operations and management reporting; successfully escalates issues as needed to meet schedules and budgets.
Conducts oneself with integrity in all matters; maintains privacy in accord with FERPA and college policies; work complies with all applicable college, state and federal laws and regulations. Ensures these are incorporated appropriately in all transactions (written and oral).
Wellesley is known for the excellence of its education, the beauty of its setting, its gifted faculty, and the uniqueness of its campus culture. But most of all, Wellesley is known for the thousands of accomplished, thoughtful women it has sent out into the world for over 100 years women who are committed to making a difference. Every year, some 2,400 of the world's top undergraduate women are challenged to exceed their own highest personal and intellectual expectations. The mastery Wellesley graduates demonstrate across the professional and vocational spectrum, and the influence they wield, whether in their own communities or on the world stage is testament to a singularly empowering undergraduate experience. Wellesley's lively academic community places a high value on rigorous, probing inquiry, and creative, cross-discipline thinking. Its collaborative approach to scholarship encourages students to question, debate, and refine their points of view, not only with each other, but with our world-class faculty, often by working directly with them on groundbreaking projects. A Wellesley education fosters the highest standard of readiness for the real world in its graduates, in terms... of ability to think, act, and contribute meaningfully and effectively in their chosen areas of interest.