Job Abstract

The University of Southern California (USC), founded in 1880, is located in the heart of downtown L.A. and is the largest private employer in the City of Los Angeles. As an employee of USC, you will be a part of a world-class research university and a member of the “Trojan Family,” which is comprised of the faculty, students and staff that make the university a great place to work.  

As a community of Dornsife College “we are committed to the creation, preservation, and communication of fundamental knowledge in all its forms…as well as a lifelong passion for learning and a commitment to the betterment of society.”  The academic mission of Dornsife College can only be realized to its fullest potential when we build and protect a representative, equitable, inclusive culture of scholarship for students, faculty, and staff.  This is not done through initiatives but by embedding these values into the everyday interactions, relationships, policies, and practices of the College.  What is required is a seamless integration of the tenets of equity and inclusivity into every facet of academic life.  If we want our scholars, staff, and students to be able to give their very best, we must create an academic environment that portends success.  

Success is possible when every member of the Dornsife community owns their role as a steward of the culture in which we learn, research, and work; when we believe that it is because of who we are that we are able to do what we do: achieve excellence, together. 

Achieving a robust and inclusive academic culture requires more than just the completion of a task, but includes that person’s capacity to contribute positively to the relationships and culture of their office or department.  Therefore, any applicant seeking to advance the mission of Dornsife College should also be assessed on their capacities beyond the technical elements of their work, and demonstrate an understanding of their impact on others, and to articulate how they contribute positively to those around them.

The Office of the Dean at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, seeks a full-time Receptionist to join its team. The largest and oldest of the USC schools, USC Dornsife functions as the academic core of the university, offering courses and advancing knowledge across the humanities, social sciences, life sciences, and physical sciences and mathematics.

We are seeking an experienced receptionist to assist with daily operations in our fast-paced executive office on the University Park Campus. The receptionist will manage front desk responsibilities including greeting and directing incoming guests, answering and directing phone calls, managing conference room, kitchen and maintenance requests, and other duties as assigned. The receptionist will help support the administrative team that provides high-level administrative support to college’s executive leaders.

Position Requirements:

• Willingness to work on the University Park Campus in Los Angeles, CA. This position is not eligible for remote work.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, attention to detail, and ability to multi-task
• One year receptionist experience, preferably general office experience in an academic environment, with responsibilities that include but are not limited to answering the telephone, communicating with others to gather information, maintaining logs, researching information, managing calendars and general suite maintenance.

Essential Responsibilities:

• Greets visitors and ascertains name and other pertinent information. Determines nature of visit. Directs or escorts visitor to specified destination, as needed. Notifies appropriate employee of visitor’s arrival.
• Answers telephone. Screens and forwards calls. Responds to questions as appropriate. May discern appropriate information through computer or hard copy files, university or department publications and guidelines and/or personal knowledge. Route calls for employees, as appropriate. Accurately takes and delivers messages. Maintains log of all calls requiring further action.
• Accepts and signs for packages addressed to department. Delivers package(s) to addressee or notifies addressee of package arrival. Receives and sends out messenger or courier items.
• Performs a variety of routine clerical tasks (may include processing of incoming and outgoing mail, sending and delivering fax messages, arranging for and maintaining log for package pickup and delivery, transmitting information or documents to employee using computer, mail or fax, photocopying, scanning and collating, filing, etc.), as time permits.
• Provides support to the administrative services team in the office.
• Assures that reception and general suite areas are clean and orderly.
• Performs other related duties as assigned or requested.

Hourly range: The hourly rate range for this position is $18.65 - $20.31. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

Preferred Qualifications and Skills:

• Associate degree
• Combined experience/education as substitute for minimum education
• At least 1 year of experience in an office setting
• Experience in higher education/academic unit preferred
• Must be dependable, capable of working in a high paced environment and have strong communication and interpersonal skills

Required Documents and Additional Information:

• Resume and cover letter required (may be uploaded as one file). Please do not submit your application without these documents.
• Job openings are posted for a minimum of (5) five business days. This job may be removed from posting boards and filled any time after the minimum posting period has ended, so please apply on the same business day if interested.
• USC has excellent benefits, including health benefits for staff and their family with access to the renowned university medical network; eligibility for retirement plans with employer contributions after six months of employment; tuition benefits for staff and their family; free Professional Development classes; central Los Angeles location with easy access to commuter trains, buses and free tram pick up services; discounts to sporting and other campus events.

Performs other related duties as assigned or requested. The university reserves the right to add or change duties at any time.

The University of Southern California is an Equal Opportunity Employer that Values Diversity.

USC is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law or USC policy. USC will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring ordinance. We provide reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. Applicants with questions about access or requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process should contact USC Human Resources by phone at (213) 821-8100, or by email at uschr@usc.edu.  Inquiries will be treated as confidential to the extent permitted by law.

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