Academic Assistant Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

JOB POSTING
The Economics Academic Assistant position modality is fundamentally in-person, on-campus to serve the constituents. We anticipate the incumbent may have a single designated day/week for remote work in most weeks after successfully completing training.
Application Instructions
We are seeking and reviewing for human expertise. To ensure full consideration, applicants must include an informative cover letter and resume to supplement the standard UC Santa Cruz application, demonstrating the applicant's own writing, computer and creative skills, and not their AI skills (such as ChatGPT, Gemini, etc). A reference list (of 3-4 referees) will be requested upon invitation to interview and required of all interview candidates.
Reference lists need to include supervisors and the following for each referee: their full name, title/organization, phone and email contact information and relation to you--i.e., current supervisor, former supervisor, current indirect supervisor, colleague, etc. We respect your confidentiality, and will NOT contact referees prior to informing the final candidate(s) of our plans to do so. We look forward to reviewing your application.
HOW TO APPLY
For full consideration, applicants should attach their resume and cover letter when applying for a job opening. For guidance related to the application process or if you are experiencing difficulties when applying, please review the Applicant Resources on our website.

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INITIAL REVIEW DATE (IRD)
UC Santa Cruz jobs are posted until filled. All application materials submitted by 11:59 pm on the IRD will be routed to the hiring team for consideration. NOTE: Applicants who miss the IRD are still encouraged to apply; their materials will still be forwarded for consideration if requested by the hiring team. Application materials cannot be accepted outside of the jobs portal. Applications cannot be edited on an applicant's behalf. For more information about the IRD and the applicant review process, view this link .
The IRD for this job is: 09/14/2026
ABOUT UC SANTA CRUZ
UC Santa Cruz is a public university like no other in California, combining the experience of a small, liberal arts college with the depth and rigor of a major research university. It's known as an unconventional place where innovation and experimentation is part of the campus's DNA. That playful, bold spirit still thrives today, all on a campus renowned as among the most beautiful in the world.
DEPARTMENT OVERVIEW
The Department of Economics is an inclusive, ambitious, innovative and large department within the Social Sciences Division. The department has approximately 40 senate and non-senate faculty, offers a Ph.D. program and professional master's degree program, and several options for undergraduate study including multiple bachelor's degrees, combined majors with mathematics and environmental studies, one undergraduate minor and a concentration making it home to approximately 1600 declared and prospective undergraduate majors and graduate students. Members of the department come from a diverse background with many from international locations as well as from California and the greater U.S. The department hosts weekly colloquia and several student-facing events across the year. Faculty, staff and students work well together. This position offers professionals interested in the higher education environment an opportunity to work with a broad level of constituents across the university in an intellectually stimulating environment while making important contributions to the department and UC mission.
More information can be found at: https://economics.ucsc.edu/
JOB SUMMARY
Under the supervision of the economics department manager, and working in close collaboration with the economics assistant department manager for mentoring and training, the economics academic assistant incumbent works to provide support to faculty, academic and department affairs in a high-paced environment.
APPOINTMENT INFORMATION
Budgeted Salary: $29.38 - $33.74 / Hourly. Salary commensurate with skills, qualifications and experience.
Under California law, the University of California, Santa Cruz is required to post a reasonable estimate of the compensation for this role. The salary shown above is the budgeted amount the University reasonably expects to pay and the salary extended should not exceed this posted amount.
Benefits Level Eligibility: Full benefits
Schedule Information:

• Full-time, Fixed
• Percentage of Time: 100%, 40 Hours per Week
• Days of the Week: Mon-Fri
• Shift Includes: Day

Employee Classification: Career appointment
Job End Date: None
Work Location: UC Santa Cruz Main Campus
Union Representation: 004722 (BLANK AST 3)
Job Code Classification: CX - Clerical & Allied Services
Travel: Never or Rarely
JOB DUTIES
30% - Administrative Support

• Serve as the primary contact for general public and department member inquiries on-site, by email and phone using pleasant and professional communication.
• Respond to inquiries and provide general information, refer to appropriate resources, personnel and units for resolution, exercising a thorough understanding of the organization and administrative procedures.
• Serve as the department's primary purchasing and reimbursement agent using appropriate campus forms, (CruzFly) reimbursement and (CruzBuy) requisition and purchase order systems, in compliance with department and procurement and reimbursement policy and processes.
• Monitor supply inventories for replenishment.
• Verify deliveries match orders and follow up with vendor, the accounting team, and/or department management as necessary to reconcile discrepancies.
• Assist and train faculty how to use procurement system.
• Provide correspondence assistance for donor relations.
• Manage mail, deliveries and after-hours drobox materials retrieval.
• Manage and update department web pages to support events, announcements, new personnel and activities and to remove or archive outdated information, following campus web and style and editorial guidelines.
• Attend website management trainings as necessary.
• Mentor student workers.
• Update signage and bulletin boards for administrative and academic employees, students and events.

30% - Academic Visitor and Event Support

• Coordinate travel, entertainment reimbursement and honoraria in support of department visitors-i.e., guest speakers and faculty candidates.
• Serve as primary event coordinator for larger department events.
• Promote events through signage, email and website, following campus style and editorial guidelines.
• Set up the seminar schedule and budgets for tracking and orient faculty hosts how to use the tools.
• Inform faculty on roles and expectations of hosting visitors and reimbursement policy and processes.
• Assist with tracking and reconciling the seminar and special event budgets.
• Maintain accurate records following department and university policy.

20% - Instructional Support

• Coordinate quarterly student surveys on teaching (aka "SETS") for faculty and instructional support.
• Coordinate reader and tutor support.
• Provide administrative and backup support for student affairs and advising projects.
• Convey timely instructional support communications to faculty and students.
• Create teaching tables for department management as needed.

20% - Facility Support/Coordination

• Manage key issuance and return from department members and visitors.
• Ensure office space is clean and ready for new occupants.
• Inform temporary and long-term occupants of space use protocols, and support their ability to follow them.
• Coordinate repairs for and cleanings of department space.
• Ensure mailroom, office, kitchens, and copiers have adequate supplies and remain organized.
• Ensure first-aid and emergency kits are up-to-date.
• Coordinate equipment loans, returns and repair.
• Oversee conference room reservations and access, and appropriate use thereof.
• Train department members on conference room equipment and update instructions as needed.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• High school diploma or equivalent experience.
• Interpersonal and customer service skills with the ability to communicate information clearly, concisely, and accurately with visitors and campus members alike from a diverse background.
• Effective listening and reliable notetaking skills sufficient to resolve communication problems.
• Excellent writing skills to craft emails that communicate complex procedures in a polite, concise and sensitive manner.
• Accurate and consistent record keeping across multiple systems.
• Ability to make sound judgments and decisions.
• Demonstrated analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to research, interpret, explain and apply policy.
• Ability to perform math sufficient to calculate fractions and percentages to perform complex reimbursements and track budgets.
• Excellent organizational and time management skills to set priorities, anticipate needs of faculty, students and staff while completing projects on time.
• Experience and ability to use MS Office and Google Suite of Applications to create user-friendly spreadsheets, and documents.
• Ability to follow written instructions and apply strict attention to detail to support accurate work and a strong level of independence in work.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality requirements pertaining to sensitive data and information.
• Ability to work under the pressure of deadlines with frequent interruptions.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively as a collaborative team member and independently.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience working in a higher education or continuing education setting.
• Familiarity with campus-used systems such as AIS, CruzBuy, CruzFly and WordPress.

SPECIAL CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

• Selected candidate will be required to pass a pre-employment criminal history background check.
• Selected candidate must pass the employment misconduct disclosure process.
• Ability to work long periods of time at a computer with or without accommodation.
• The selected candidate will be required to work primarily on campus, with periods of remote work possible based on operational needs. If a hybrid work schedule is confirmed, the selected candidate must be able to work successfully from a home/remote office and be able to fulfill the requirements of the UCSC telecommuting agreement.
• Ability to maintain appearance and conduct suitable for working in a professional setting.
• Ability to work occasional evenings and weekends as directed.
• Selected candidate will be required to complete training within established time frames as directed including UC compliance training.
• The University of California has implemented a Vaccination Policy covering all employees. Employees, including new hires, are required to comply with any applicable policies relating to the University of California vaccine program.
• Per the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act (CANRA), this position has been identified as a Mandated Reporter. The selected candidate will be required to report known or suspected child abuse or neglect as defined by CANRA and will be required to sign a Statement Acknowledging Requirement to Report Child Abuse prior to commencing employment. CANRA Penal Codes, and related definitions, requirements, and responsibilities may be obtained here .

MISCONDUCT DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENT
As a condition of employment, the final candidate who accepts a conditional offer of employment will be required to disclose if they have been subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct; received notice of any allegations or are currently the subject of any administrative or disciplinary proceedings involving misconduct; have left a position after receiving notice of allegations or while under investigation in an administrative or disciplinary proceeding involving misconduct; or have filed an appeal of a finding of misconduct with a previous employer.

• "Misconduct" means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant's previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, discrimination, dishonesty, or unethical conduct, as defined by the employer. For reference, below are UC's policies addressing some forms of misconduct:
  • UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy
  • UC Anti-Discrimination Policy
  • Abusive Conduct in the Workplace

SAFETY STATEMENT
All UCSC employees must understand and follow job safety procedures, attend required health and safety training, proactively promote safety at work, and promptly report actual and potential accidents and injuries.
NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY
In compliance with the Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act, the Annual Security and Fire Safety Report (ASFSR) is available at: https://chancellor.ucsc.edu/annual-security-reports/ .
This report is published by October 1st of each year and includes current institutional policies and procedures concerning campus safety and security; fire safety and evacuation policies; sexual misconduct and relationship viole