Administrative Assistant, PT (Communications) - Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

Position Title: Administrative Assistant

Department: Communications

Date Prepared: August 2024

FLSA Status: Hourly, Non-Exempt

Part-time

Standard of Christian Commitment

The candidate must be a professing Christ follower who possesses a strong commitment to the mission and core values of Southwestern Seminary and Texas Baptist College, possess a clear understanding of Southern Baptist heritage and culture, and agrees to serve in accordance with and not contrary to the current edition of the Baptist Faith and Message.

Southwestern Seminary, an entity of the Southern Baptist Convention, is a confessional institution. While the Seminary serves the larger evangelical Christian community, employees must embrace the values and standards the Seminary represents as it fulfills its mission of shaping Christian leaders within our denominational context.

Since duties of this position require the employee to represent the Seminary to prospective and current students, candidates must abide by the Seminary bylaws, the Employee Handbook, and the current edition of the Baptist Faith and Message as a condition of employment.

Job Summary:

The administrative assistant in the Office of Communications will provide administrative support to the Associate Vice President for Communications and rest of the Communications staff; manage Seminary Hill Press orders, inventory, and other SHP support functions; provide an accommodating first point of contact for the Office of Communications; and provide support to Project Manager.

Essential Job Functions / Responsibilities:

• Greet visitors as the first point of contact for the Office of Communications and determine access they should be given to other employees in the office.

• Answer Communications main phone extension and direct calls to appropriate parties within the department.

• Maintain office supplies.

• Provide administrative support to office staff.

• Open, sort, and distribute incoming mail and provide similar services for all outgoing correspondence and packages.

• Manage all administrative tasks related to orders and inventory for Seminary Hill Press.

• Provide backup assistance in the absence of the Project Manager.

• Perform other related duties as assigned and specific to area of responsibility

Skills / Requirements:

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

• Ability to organize work and manage customer orders and requests.

• Self-starter who anticipates and addresses needs before they are stated.

• Ability to work well with a team.

• Must be comfortable working with Microsoft Office software.

• Must be able to work in Mac or PC environments.

Key Characteristics / Traits:

• Exhibit exemplary social skills and ensure considerate interactions with all fellow staff and customers.

• Exhibit a humble, patient and collaborative spirit in order to create a healthy and vibrant work culture for the staff team.

• Possess a strong work ethic and initiative.

• Ability to multi-task, pays attention to detail, and be a team player.

• Expectation to strive for personal and professional growth in leadership and general ministry effectiveness.

Qualifications / Education:

• Knowledge of and experience in administrative support roles and functions.

• Bachelor’s degree preferred, although not required. A degree in communications, journalism, or English would be ideal.

• Ability to provide proof identity and Work Authorization in the U.S.

• Successful completion of background check is a requirement of all position, additional education verification, employment verification and credit check may be required.

Supervision:

• Reports to Creative Director.

Decision-Making Responsibilities:

• Routine tasks will be at the employee’s initiative, while expenditure of funds and other tasks will be with approval of supervisor.

Exposure to Confidential Information:

• Given the nature of the work of the Office of Communications, the employee will occasionally become aware of information not generally known to the rest of the seminary or beyond. Confidentiality is essential.

Physical Requirements:

• Frequently required to sit and reach with hands and arms.

• Must be able to lift 5-20 pounds of materials, parts and equipment.

• Ability to traverse campus to attend meetings in various locations.

• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and ability to adjust focus.

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to communicate back and forth via computer, phone and in person