Academic Administrative Assistant, Humanities and Social Sciences

University of Global Health Equity (UGHE)  Butaro, Rwanda

Job Title: Academic Administrative Assistant, Humanities and Social Sciences

Reports to: Head, Humanities and Social Sciences

Group/Department: School of Medicine, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences

Location: Butaro & Kigali, Rwanda

 Position Overview

The Research and Academic Assistant will provide administrative and academic support to the School of Medicine, specifically the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences.

They will provide high level support to the Humanities and Social Sciences Department, including academic tasks such as scheduling, course/faculty evaluation and e-learning support, and other administrative duties. They will also be involved in research projects relevant to the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences.

The ideal candidate for this position is someone who is highly self-motivated and passionate about higher education, global health and medical education, with superior attention to detail and organizational skills. The Academic Administrative Assistant should possess previous experience in a wide range of academic and administrative tasks, the ability to work independently as well as part of a team, and effective communication. They will work closely with students, faculty and staff at all levels and across departments at UGHE, as well as important external partners. They must be exceedingly well organized, diplomatic, flexible, resourceful, and proactive. They must exhibit great discretion, handle confidential matters with the utmost care, and possess a high level of sophistication in managing complex issues.

 Responsibilities

 Academic

• Provide general academic and administrative support to faculty at the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences. This can include course scheduling, managing grades records, compiling and recording academic syllabi, tracking student progress and coordinating exams.
• Assist in the administration of essential e-learning platforms, for example Canvas, Populi, Turnitin and any other online platform, and provide technical support to faculty and students in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences using these resources.
• Aid in the coordination of faculty/course evaluations and reports alongside faculty in the Educational Development and Quality Centre.
• Serve as a key point of contact for anything related to academic program delivery in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences
• Work collaboratively alongside other academic assistants, staff and faculty in other Divisions and Departments of the School of Medicine

Research

• Provide general research support to various Department of Humanities and Social Sciences research projects and studies (i.e. data collection and entry, data analysis, background research, writing protocols/reports/publications etc.)

General support and resource mobilisation

• Support all Departmental logistics such as transportation, accommodation and meals for visiting faculty, procurement of necessary resources, and general event logistics.
• Support resource mobilization for the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, including preparing grant applications to external funding sources, coordinating reporting to external funders, and managing financial approval and other financial processes.
• Any additional tasks as directed by the Supervisor

Qualifications and competencies

• Bachelor’s degree in social science, humanities, education, health, business, or in another relevant field; Master’s degree preferred; a degree in history or anthropology would be an asset;
• Academic or professional experience in research writing and data collection
• Work experience in administrative, executive assistant, and/or personal assistant role(s) in an educational or relevant setting
• Fluency in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Google Drive
• Ability to manage and prioritize projects with high attention to detail
• Ability to work under pressure, meet tight deadlines, and manage competing priorities
• Health sciences and/or global health content knowledge preferred
• Experience working in a higher education environment is preferred
• Experience in multicultural working environments required; experience living and working in Sub Saharan Africa preferred
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English and Kinyarwanda required; French language skills desired

Candidates must submit 1) a up-to-date CV and 2) a cover letter