Administrative Assistant
About NYU Abu Dhabi
NYU Abu Dhabi is pioneering a new model of higher education for a global world, dedicated to excellence in teaching and research and to advancing cooperation and progress on humanity’s shared challenges. Drawing on the strengths of the NYU global network, it offers an outstanding liberal arts and sciences education to students from the United Arab Emirates, the United States, and around the world, with a distinctive focus on intercultural understanding and leadership. It supports innovative research and graduate education programs that push forward the frontiers of knowledge and respond in powerful and interdisciplinary ways to vital global and local challenges.
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 an Administrative Assistant reporting to the Campaign Manager | Institutional Advancement.
The Administrative Assistant serves as a pivotal member of the Institutional Advancement (IA) team, providing critical administrative and operational support across a range of development activities, including fundraising, stewardship, alumni relations, and events.
Working closely with the Campaign Manager, Office Manager and front-line fundraisers, the role helps ensure efficient office operations, accurate donor records, successful engagement activities, and exceptional service to alumni, donors, volunteers, and university stakeholders.
Job responsibilities:
Logistics coordination
Manage event bookings, RSVP tracking, room setup, preparing agendas, taking meeting minutes, scheduling meetings, and catering requests for alumni and donor stewardship/cultivation events.
Operational support
Provide on-site logistical support before, during, and after events, including registration, guest reception, room setup, vendor coordination, and issue resolution.
Assist with event management, including welcoming visitors and directing constituents. Provide general administrative oversight for the events programme.
Gift processing and records
Support the Office Manager when required, with ensuring that all donations are accurately recorded in the relational database (BBCRM) in a timely manner.
Process gifts, pledges, and donor-related transactions, including linking gifts to appropriate proposals.
Office management
Maintain inventory of office supplies.
Oversee filing systems and ensure the successful execution of daily administrative tasks.
Database management
From time to time, provide front-line fundraisers to update donor records with contact reports and prospect plans.
Donor acknowledgment
Support the Stewardship Co-ordinator to prepare and distribute formal acknowledgment letters, and bespoke stewardship materials.
Volunteer engagement
Support board and volunteer engagement activities, including the preparation and distribution of meeting materials and follow-up communications.
Team member support
Support the team in proactively maintaining electronic calendars and coordinating travel and administrative logistics.
Financial coordination
Process invoices, expense reimbursements (via Concur), and purchase requisitions.
Required education
Bachelor's degree or equivalent.
Required experience
1+ years of administrative experience, preferably in a fast-paced environment, working with events and general administrative functions.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint) and Google Apps (Gmail, Calendar, Drive).
Intermediate Microsoft Excel skills.
Experience navigating and managing databases.
Excellent attention to detail and demonstrated accuracy in data entry and document preparation, and proficiency with word processing functions.
Preferred education
Monday.com.
Familiarity with CRM databases.
Proficient in Microsoft Office and Google Docs (Word, Excel and PowerPoint).
Experience with using design tools such as Canva.
Familiarity with AI tools such as Notebook LLM, Gemini and/or ChatGPT to seek efficiencies in the work that we do.
Preferred knowledge, skills and abilities
Strong verbal and written communication skills with the ability to draft professional correspondence.
High level of discretion and judgment when handling confidential donor information and sensitive financial data.
Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet firm deadlines in a collaborative team environment.
Strong organisational skills with exceptional attention to detail.
Adaptable and resourceful, with the ability to respond effectively to changing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
General administrative support.
Experience with management of events and meetings.
Experience in managing complex projects from start to finish.
Willingness to work evenings and weekends in support of the wider department as required.
Other 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.