Area Support Specialist

About the Job

Title: Area Support Specialist

Job code: 1885

Employee Group: Unit 6 AFSCME Clerical & Office

Full/Part Time (FTE): 100%

Regular/Temporary: Regular

Location and Work environment: Position allows for hybrid work.

Work Schedule: 40 hours per week, Monday through Friday

Bargaining unit consideration begins on 2/11/2026 post date and will be posted until filled.

The Department of Psychology seeks an Area Support Specialist (Executive Office and Administrative Specialist, job code 1885) to serve as staff support for two graduate areas:
Clinical Science and Psychopathology Research (CSPR) and Personality, Individual Differences, and Behavior Genetics (PIB). This position collaborates with the directors of each area in support of the doctoral program. Position is responsible for the daily administrative needs of these graduate areas, including in support of CSPR's external accreditation, and provides high quality service to prospective and current students, faculty and alumni from a variety of different backgrounds.

• Administrative coordination (50%):
  • Assist in the daily operations of the Clinical Science and Psychopathology Research (CSPR) and Personality, Individual Differences, and Behavior Genetics (PIB) Psychology Programs.
  • Provide administrative support to the area directors and assist area faculty, as necessary.
  • Assist in coordinating program admissions.
  • Coordinate and manage processes for oral examinations.
  • Manage fellowship process for CSPR's and PIB's foundation accounts, including soliciting applications, awarding fellowships, preparing payroll documentation for accounting, and facilitating thank you letters for donors.
  • Recommend, draft/update, and/or communicate to program faculty and students policy and procedural changes related to the department, college, and/or graduate school.
  • Serve as a first point of contact for practicum sites and supervisors throughout the Twin Cities and Greater Metropolitan Area. Assist the Associate Director of Practicum and Internship Placement (ADPIP) with administrative tasks for the educational component.
  • Provide administrative support for a T32 Training Grant, including coordinating and collecting admissions, faculty, Predoctoral, and postdoctoral data required of the department of Psychology and other associated departments within the Training Grant.
  • Create, maintain, and review program files and documentation.
  • Serve as a first point of contact for internal and external stakeholders regarding the programs.
  • Schedule, attend, and ensure proper record keeping of program faculty meetings.
  • Contribute to orientation for new faculty and instructors; facilitate office set-up for new faculty.
  • Provide instructional support including purchasing course materials, distributing permission numbers for graduate courses, submitting online course listing updates, facilitating course copying, and arranging parking for guest speakers.
  • Develop and maintain program faculty/graduate student rosters and alumni database.
  • Review and maintain program internet and intranet pages.
  • Assist with managing programs' offices and classroom spaces.
• Student Services Support (25%):
  • Serve as liaison for prospective, incoming, and current students, and alumni in CSPR and PIB psychology programs. Serve as an administrative liaison to the Institute of Child Development Program for CSPR's joint student body. Serve as a liaison for programs graduate students to the Director of Graduate Studies and Graduate School.
  • Advise graduate students on requirements, registration, progression, paperwork, and policies and procedures.
  • Assist graduate students with master's, preliminary, and final oral examinations.
  • Coordinate, organize, and execute area and department events, including New Student Orientation, Welcome Program, the Demystifying Graduate Admissions in Psychology (De‑GAP), and the Practicum Fair.
  • Maintain and post program graduate student handbooks online.
  • Coordinate annual graduate student progress reviews.
• American Psychological Accreditation (APA) and Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System (PCSAS) (20%):
  • Assist with coordinating APA and PCSAS accreditation renewal, which includes self-study reports and site visits. Survey, track, and report alumni and student proximal and distal data to be used in re-accreditation self-studies and site visits, as well as program annual evaluation and best practices in graduate education.
  • Assist with coordinating annual reports, which includes data on admissions; degree clearance; student attrition; and student, faculty, and alumni demographics.
  • Recommend and execute policies and procedures for CSPR program adherence to PCSAS and APA Standards of Accreditation, including tracking student competencies and auditing student portfolios for cumulative progress.
  • Serve as the primary program point of contact for APA and PCSAS Accreditation. Review, draft, and disseminate correspondence/narrative between the clinical program, APA, and PCSAS.
  • Manage, update, and post…