Graduate and Postdoctoral Programs Operations and Events Assistant Manager

Position Summary

Applications are welcome from all qualified candidates. In line with UAE regulations, Emirati candidates are encouraged to apply.

New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) seeks to appoint a Graduate and Postdoctoral Programs Operations and Events Assistant Manager reporting to the Associate Director, Graduate and Post-Doctoral Support.

This position is responsible for providing events and office support for the Graduate and Postdoctoral Programs Office, including managing a complex calendar of events in a highly dynamic and pressured environment; creating and staffing committee meetings chaired by the VP and Executive Director, managing communications with diplomacy and discretion, making travel arrangements, overseeing budget transactions and office purchases, and coordinating events of varying magnitude.

The position is responsible for strategic organization and management of the GPPO and its activities, including overseeing primary budget responsibility, calendaring, business operations, coordination of constituent contracts and onboarding in cooperation with HR and related units; event management; event reporting and documentation; the hiring and supervision of graduate and undergraduate Student Assistants that support office functions, and similar duties. This position will also assist in creating disseminating important communications about GPPO events and initiatives.

Key Responsibilities:

• Plans and executes high-profile events, including retreats, roundtables, and ceremonies, ensuring seamless coordination with university leadership and external stakeholders. Manages logistics related to program scheduling, catering, materials, RSVPs, and similar duties. Provides events support to the Associate Director and other office staff for numerous professional development, recruitment and community social events throughout the year.
• Contributes to resource prioritization and long-term planning aligned with departmental goals. Provides support to the Executive Director in the annual APR budget request process. Implements the office budget, processes transactions, tracks and analyzes spending to keep within spending limits, creates and presents financial reports, ensuring compliance with institutional policies. Coordinates with Provost Finance, vendors, etc. as needed. Oversees procurement processes, including contract negotiation, vendor registration, and SOW management.
• Performs Executive Assistant functions on behalf of the Vice Provost and Executive Director. Schedules meetings across multiple participants and time zones; schedules committee or other governance meetings chaired by the VP or Associate VP, creating agendas, managing documents, and taking minutes; communicates with diplomacy and discretion; arranges travel; manages the VP’s budget transactions; coordinates events of varying magnitude; provides other types of support as needed.
• Manages records and strategic communications. Provides oversight of GPPO and GSC spaces, works to design, furnish, and technologically such spaces to meet the user needs. Supervises student assistants, delegates tasks, and provides performance oversight. Allocates and monitors student assistant budgets to ensure cost-effectiveness.
• Support the GPPO business side of hiring for Postdoc and graduate student academic support positions, as well as student employees that support GPPO functions, including recruitment and onboarding. Prepares hiring forms; proofs employment offers; and routes graduate employee one-off payment requests. Works with procurement on contracts for individual external vendors providing services to the GPPO.

Qualifications

Required Education:

• Bachelor’s Degree in any related field

Required Experience:

• More than 5 years working in a university setting, or similar business environment
• Familiarity with financial essentials and budget management, event planning, and high-level customer service
• Excellent communication skills in English
• High level of proficiency with standard computer software, and capacity to learn new programs
• Strong service-oriented demeanor, exercising discretion where needed

Preferred Education:

• Master’s Degree in any related field

Preferred Experience:

• Ability to prioritize and adapt in a fast-changing environment

Additional Information

About NYUAD

NYU Abu Dhabi is a degree-granting research university with a fully integrated liberal arts and science undergraduate program in the Arts, Sciences, Social Sciences, Humanities, and Engineering. NYU Abu Dhabi, NYU New York, and NYU Shanghai, form the backbone of NYU’s global network university, an interconnected network of portal campuses and academic centers across six continents that enable seamless international mobility of students and faculty in their pursuit of academic and scholarly activity. This global university represents a transformative shift in higher education, one in which the intellectual and creative endeavors of academia are shaped and examined through an international and multicultural perspective. As a major intellectual hub at the crossroads of the Arab world, NYUAD serves as a center for scholarly thought, advanced research, knowledge creation, and sharing, through its academic, research, and creative activities.