Graduate Field Coordinator - Government, College of Arts and Sciences

The Opportunity

Cornell's Department of Government is seeking a highly organized and student-centered Graduate Field Coordinator to support our graduate program and serve as a key partner to faculty, students, and department leadership. This role combines program administration, student support, academic operations, admissions coordination, and faculty service within a dynamic and intellectually engaging environment.

The Graduate Field Coordinator oversees complex processes that support approximately 80 graduate students throughout their academic journey, from admissions through placement. Success in this role requires exceptional attention to detail, strong relationship-building skills, sound judgment, empathy, and the ability to manage numerous deadlines, stakeholders, and competing priorities simultaneously.

This position is ideal for someone who enjoys bringing order to complexity, values customer service, and takes pride in supporting both student success and faculty excellence.

A cover letter is required for consideration.

Primary Responsibilities

• Serve as a primary resource for graduate students regarding funding, deadlines, policies, procedures, and academic requirements. Provide guidance on program processes, respond to sensitive and confidential matters with discretion, and support students with professionalism, empathy, and sound judgment
• Coordinate administrative operations for the department's graduate program including job postings, placement materials, candidate records, reporting, and interview-related activities,
• Recommend process improvements that enhance efficiency and service delivery
• Maintain confidential student records and ensure compliance with graduate school policies and procedures
• Track academic milestones, examinations, funding, and degree progress
• Prepare reports, analyses, and program data for department leadership and university stakeholders
• Partner with faculty and university offices to help students access appropriate resources
• Coordinate all aspects of the graduate admissions process, which includes managing a high-volume applicant pool and supporting faculty review and admissions decision workflows
• Coordinate admitted student visits, recruitment events, orientation activities, and onboarding communications
• Coordinate doctoral examinations, fellowship nominations, teaching assistant assignments, and student appointments
• Support faculty by managing timelines, communications, documentation, and academic program logistics

About the Department

The Department of Government offers students a variety of opportunities to engage with politics and political science, beginning in the classroom, with the chance to work one-on-one with faculty; by participating in internships, and by drawing on the department's ties with programs across the College of Arts and Sciences.

What We Need

• Associate's degree and 2 to 4 years relevant experience or equivalent combination
• Strong administrative, project coordination, or program support experience
• Excellent organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines
• High level of attention to detail and accuracy
• Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills
• Ability to handle confidential information with professionalism and discretion
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, including Word and Excel

If you have all those things, great! We have a few more things that we would prefer you to have, but it’s ok if you don’t.

• Experience working in an academic environment.
• Experience with CollegeNet, PeopleSoft, and Workday
• Experience coordinating large projects

Rewards and Benefits

• This position begins with an onsite onboarding and training period. Following successful onboarding, the role is eligible for a hybrid work arrangement. Employees typically perform this role remotely 2 days per week and on-campus 3 days per week. The university reserves the right to modify, suspend, revoke, or terminate the hybrid work arrangement at any time.

Cornell receives national recognition as an award-winning workplace for our health, wellbeing, and sustainability.

• Our benefits programs include comprehensive health care options, generous retirement contributions, access to wellness programs, and employee discounts with local and national retail brands. We invite you to follow this link to get more information about our benefits: Understand Your Benefits | Working at Cornell .
• Our leave provisions include health and personal leave, three weeks of vacation and 13 holidays: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and the day after, and an end of the year winter break from December 25-January 1. To offer greater flexibility for observing faiths and traditions we also offer two additional floating holidays. Learn more about our generous leave provisions: Holiday and Accrued Time Off | Working at Cornell
• Cornell's impressive educational benefits include tuition-free Extramural Study and Employee Degree Program, tuition aid for external education, and Cornell Children's Tuition Assistance Program. Learn more about our extensive educational benefits: Education Benefits | Working at Cornell
• Follow this link to learn more about the Total Rewards of Working at Cornell: Total Rewards | Working at Cornell .

Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

University Job Title

Student Services Asst IV

Job Family

Student Services

Level

D

Pay Rate Type

Hourly

Pay Range

$26.09 - $30.32

Remote Option Availability

Hybrid

Company

Endowed

Contact Name

Freddie Salley

Contact Email

fls55@cornell.edu

Job Titles and Pay Ranges

Non-Union Positions

Noted pay ranges reflect the potential pay opportunity for each job profile. The hiring rate of pay for the successful candidate will be determined considering the following criteria:

• Prior relevant work or industry experience
• Education level to the extent education is relevant to the position
• Unique applicable skills
• Academic Discipline

To learn more about Cornell’s non-union staff job titles and pay ranges, see Career Navigator .

Union Positions

The hiring rate of pay for the successful candidate will be determined in accordance with the rates in the respective collective bargaining agreement . To learn more about Cornell’s union wages, see Union Pay Rates .

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Notice to Applicants