Swarthmore College is a highly selective liberal arts college located in the suburbs of Philadelphia, whose mission combines academic rigor with social responsibility. Swarthmore has a strong institutional commitment to inclusive excellence and nondiscrimination in its educational program and employment practices and encourages candidates who will further advance the goal of fostering a diverse and inclusive community. As one of the nation’s finest institutions of higher learning, Swarthmore College is global in outlook and draws students from around the nation and world. The 425‐acre campus is a designated arboretum, complete with gardens, rolling lawns, a creek, wooded hills, and hiking trails in the Crum Woods.

Who We Are:

The Provost and Dean of the Faculty (i.e. Provost) is the chief academic officer of the College, providing administrative leadership, direction, and evaluation for all academic activities and faculty affairs of the college. In addition to overseeing the faculty and academic departments, the Provost provides leadership to administrative entities at the college, including athletics, ITS, the Libraries, the Lang Center for Civic and Social Change, Off-Campus Study and various teaching and learning centers including the Writing Center. She chairs the Council on Educational Policy, and co-chairs the Curriculum Committee, and the Committee for Faculty Procedures. The Provost guides the agenda of the Committee on Promotion and Tenure, providing strategic direction for these governing bodies. The Provost is responsible for all aspects of faculty personnel policy, including appointments, reappointments, tenure and promotion, and provides oversight to all academic budgets. The Provost’s Office is the point of contact for matters of general academic policy and faculty personnel policy, and serves the academic community on behalf of the President when the President is unavailable.

The opportunity:

The Office of the Provost and Dean of the Faculty seeks a 6-month temporary Academic Programs and Faculty Operations Assistant for 25 hours per week. This role joins a strong team of professional staff within the provost’s office who support faculty, two associate deans of the faculty, and the provost and dean of the faculty in executing the academic mission of the College. The person will assist with a wide range of academic programming activities  spearheaded by the associate deans and the provost and related events that support the overall professional development and academic and research life of the faculty. 

The Assistant will oversee the event planning, scheduling, execution, and staffing for academic programs and related faculty events, including but not limited to new chairs orientation, new faculty orientation, writing and research groups, distinguished faculty events, faculty meetings, and faculty lecture and lunch series. In addition, this role will provide administrative and logistical support for the successful execution of academic programs, including scheduling assessment lunches and meetings, and supporting the curriculum committee and assessment committee, and will liaise with the office of the registrar and honors coordinator to successfully execute the honors program and weekend.  In addition, the position will be provided the opportunity to take on additional operational responsibilities critical to the successful functioning of the provost’s office.

This role involves interaction with faculty, staff, students, and senior administrators up to and including the president.  The ideal candidate will have a background in customer service and/or administrative support and will have the ability to balance multiple projects and demands.

Essential Responsibilities

In coordination with the Associate Dean of the Faculty for Academic Programs and Research, and the Associate Dean of the Faculty for Diversity, Recruitment and Rentention executes central academic program activities and special projects, including departmental and program external reviews and assessment activities, faculty lunches and lecture series, calls for research support and other ongoing and new academic initiatives connected to the Office of the Provost, such as the TriCo Philly Program, the Mellon Interdisciplinary Programs, Embedded Study Programs, among others, and provides administrative support for the Academic Assessment Committee and the Curriculum Committee of the faculty.  More specifically:

• Provides administrative support to the associate deans.
• Provides logistical support for the faculty lecture and lunch series; new faculty lunches and ad hoc committee meetings and gatherings.
• Schedules, on behalf of the associate dean of academic programs, the curriculum and assessment committees.
• For external reviews, works with the department chairs & AA/ACs on the scheduling; booking meeting rooms; booking lodging.
• Provides logistical support for the faculty lecture and lunch series; new faculty lunches and ad hoc committee meetings and gatherings.
• At the direction of the associate dean for academic programs, manages multiple communications with the external review teams; manages numerous scheduling communications with faculty, staff & students; & proactively assists with the review team during on-site visits.
• Under the direction of the associate dean of academic programs, provides related administrative support for faculty academic and research awards, including the bi-annual call for faculty research support, Mellon Interdisciplinary funding, embedded study programs, and Hungerford faculty research funding, among others.

Who you are:

As the Office of the Provost and Dean of the Faculty continues to serve an ever growing and complex academic community, the position is expected to engage in administration and support tasks related to the overall smooth operations of the office and academic portfolio. These additional responsibilities may include operational tasks related to budget, event management and logistics, assessment support, and the implementation of new business processes and/or software solutions, in addition to the overall broad support of faculty affairs and academic business operations. The ability to engage with senior administrators, faculty administrators and faculty chairs, as well as individual faculty with a collegial and professional demeanor at all times is critical, as is a willingness and ability to regularly transition from complex projects to office administrative tasks as necessary. It is also expected that flexibility and enthusiasm will be a key component of engagement in these *additional duties as assigned*.

What you bring:

Required Qualifications

• High School Diploma or equivalent with five years of job-related experience working in an office environment, or an equivalent combination of education and/or experience.
• Proficiency in using Microsoft Suite and Google Workspace applications and using spreadsheets to track budgets, spending, and student counts correctly.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree is strongly preferred.
• Experience with College platforms, including Acalog, Drupal, SwatCentral, eMarket Portal, Argos, AppGarden, the Major/Minor Portal, JobX, and Chrome River.
• Experience working in an academic department.

We want to hear from you if you are excited about this role! For priority consideration, please submit your application with an uploaded resume by Monday, November 17, 2025. Applications received after this date may be reviewed on a rolling basis until the job has been filled. A cover letter indicating how your qualifications and experience have prepared you for this position. If you have experience that meets any of the preferred qualifications, please include a detailed explanation of any such experience in your cover letter and how it meets the preferred qualification(s).

The pay for this position is $32.00 per hour, which represents the College’s good faith and reasonable estimate of the range at the time of posting.

PA Criminal Clearance Required

Swarthmore College requires a PA Criminal background check for all staff positions prior to the start of employment.

Swarthmore College is committed to creating a culture of respect and inclusion so that every member of our community feels a sense of belonging. We actively seek and welcome candidates with diverse perspectives and experiences, exceptional qualifications, and a demonstrable commitment to a more inclusive society and world. Swarthmore College is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate based on any identity or characteristic protected by law or College Policy.