Office Lead, Student Disability Services; Onsite

Administrative Asst IV

Student Disability Services (SDS) is seeking an experienced and highly organized Office Lead to serve as the operational hub of our office. As the face of SDS and a trusted resource for students, families, faculty, and staff, you will play a critical role in ensuring our services are responsive, compliant, accessible, and student-centered.

SDS partners with students, faculty, and staff across Cornell to create an equitable and accessible educational experience for students with disabilities. This position supports a high-volume, fast-paced office that serves more than 6,000 students and collaborates with campus partners across the university.

If you are a process-minded administrator who excels at managing multiple priorities, building structure, supporting teams, and delivering exceptional customer service, we encourage you to apply.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary point of contact for students, families, faculty, staff, and external partners, maintaining a welcoming, professional, and student-focused office environment
• Manage a high-volume communication environment: responding to inquiries regarding disability services, accommodation processes, and office procedures while ensuring compliance with established guidelines.
• Help students and campus partners navigate inquiries, ensuring we provide accurate and consistent information each time
• Exercise sound judgment when determining appropriate escalation pathways for complex situations
• Partner with SDS leadership to improve processes, reduce administrative burden, and increase operational efficiency
• Create and manage tracking tools, calendars, templates, and documentation (SOPs) that support department-wide operations.
• Design and implement a structured student employee program, including the onboarding processes, expectations, procedures, student schedule and timecard management, and training materials.
• Recruit, train, supervise, and mentor student employees, delegating responsibilities effectively to students while providing ongoing coaching and support.
• Participate in professional development opportunities focused on accessibility, disability services, inclusion, and higher education best practices.

Please note:

Submission of both a cover letter and resume is required for consideration for this position.

About the Unit

Student Disability Services (SDS) works in partnership with Cornell faculty, staff, and students to ensure that all aspects of student life are accessible, equitable, and inclusive of individuals with disabilities. SDS establishes and disseminates criteria for disability services, meets with students to discuss access needs, receives and stores confidential disability documentation to support a student's eligibility for disability services and accommodations, collaborates with faculty and staff regarding essential course and/or program requirements and appropriate reasonable accommodations.

SDS provides campus leadership of diversity efforts that promote disability equity and inclusion.

What We Need

• Associate's degree and 2 to 4 years relevant experience or equivalent combination
• Experience coordinating multiple priorities while maintaining accuracy, professionalism, and attention to detail
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, strong interpersonal skills, and the ability to build relationships with a wide variety of individuals from various socioeconomic backgrounds
• Ability to learn new software systems quickly;
  High level skill with Microsoft Office software such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Bookings
• Superb organizational skills with the ability to prioritize work and manage numerous tasks at a time; adjusting to changing time demands while maintaining high productivity, accuracy, and tact
• Strong sensitivity, judgment, independent decision-making and problem-solving, including a heightened appreciation for confidentiality
• Ability to work with and represent the department professionally and ethically with tact, diplomacy, and advocacy, while creating a high quality and respectful work environment

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.

• Bachelor's degree or other formal 4-year training in disability studies, or a related field.
• Experience working with a college-age population and in a university setting.
• Experience working with individuals with disabilities.
• Knowledge of Cornell systems and programs.
• Knowledge of requirements for retention and…