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Desk Clerk-40 hours

University of Chicago

Chicago, ILOnsitePosted 5 days ago$17.26 - $17.79/hour
Full TimeEntry LevelOperations & Supply ChainAcademic
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Summary

A Desk Clerk performs clerical duties during the academic year and is responsible for building security, access control, equipment management and mail processing. A Desk Clerk must be able to handle high and low levels of activity while providing excellent customer service to our internal and external partners. The Desk Clerk position has a 9-month schedule with multiple temporary seasonal shutdown periods during the winter and summer. This is a 40-hour position. Desk Clerks work in a 24-hour operations. Multiple shifts are available primarily during evenings, overnights, and weekends.

Job description

Job Summary

A Desk Clerk performs clerical duties during the academic year and is responsible for building security, access control, equipment management and mail processing. A Desk Clerk must be able to handle high and low levels of activity while providing excellent customer service to our internal and external partners. The Desk Clerk position has a 9-month schedule with multiple temporary seasonal shutdown periods during the winter and summer. This is a 40-hour position. Desk Clerks work in a 24-hour operations. Multiple shifts are available primarily during evenings, overnights, and weekends.

Responsibilities

  • Perform clerical duties in accordance with HRL policy and expectations, including answering phone calls, checking email regularly throughout their shift, communicating information between shifts to their colleagues and supervisor, and processing resident room changes.
  • Provide exceptional customer service to residents, staff, and visitors. Cheerfully greet residents, staff and visitors in person or by phone.
  • Engage residents, staff and visitors as they utilize the amenities of the residence hall, including services of the front desk.
  • Thoughtfully provide information about campus, and residence hall policies and procedures.
  • Receive, record, and distribute U.S. mail, as well as, U.P.S., Fed Ex and other packages. Enter packages into online package distribution system.
  • Carry, lift and move loads of supplies, materials and mail up to 49 lbs. regularly and managing heavier loads with the assistance of other building staff members as needed.
  • Maintain vigilant awareness of security doors and lobby entryway; check resident, staff, and guest I.D.s as they enter the building; maintain resident, guest, and visitor sign-in/out records.
  • Encode and invalidate campus cards for building room access.
  • Check out and follow up for return of borrowed cleaning and recreational equipment and keys by accurately maintaining appropriate forms and records.
  • Request front desk office supplies via online system; stock as supplies are received.
  • Adheres to directives and policies outlined by leadership during trainings, via email and in the Desk Clerk manual; provide routine orientation to new employees in coordination with Assistant Directors of Operations, and Associate Director, Desk and Mail Operations and HRL.
  • Responsible for accessing the automated on-call system in order to schedule replacement of staff.
  • Knowledgeable in emergency protocols and evacuation systems, such as fire alarm procedures, keep alert to unusual circumstances and situations; take appropriate action and efficiently report critical issues to their supervisor and Facilities Services by phone and complete an on-line incident report for tracking purposes.
  • Report building maintenance issues via phone or by submitting a service request through Facilities Services.
  • Perform other tasks as requested by Assistant Director of Operations and Associate Director, Desk and Mail Operations and building management.

Competencies

  • Effective oral and written communication.
  • Work with some independence, multitask, and work with frequent interruptions.
  • Aware of, in control of and professionally express one’s emotions.
  • Manage peer to peer and supervisor interactions with courtesy, tact, and diplomacy.
  • Identify priorities in order to recognize and resolve or refer problems.

Education, Experience or Certifications

Education: High school diploma from an accredited institution or a GED certificate required.

Experience: Previous customer service experience required. One year of general office or clerical experience required. One year experience in a customer service role in a college or university preferred.

Technical Knowledge or Skills: Knowledge of general office procedures and practices. Keep records; assemble and organize data, and prepare and submit reports in acceptable formats. Working knowledge of Microsoft word, excel, outlook, and ability to navigate web-based systems. Learn a range of position-related software applications required.

Working Conditions and Physical Requirements

  • Bend, crouch, or stoop.
  • Carry or lift loads up to 49 lbs.
  • Sit for 8 hours or more.
  • Use computers extensively for 4 hours or more.
  • Stand for 4 to 8 hours.
  • Flexibility to work in alternative areas during peak periods or building maintenance.

Requirements

  • High school diploma from an accredited institution or GED certificate required
  • Previous customer service experience required
  • One year of general office or clerical experience required
  • Knowledge of general office procedures and practices
  • Working knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook
  • Ability to navigate web-based systems
  • Ability to learn position-related software applications
  • Ability to lift and carry loads up to 49 lbs
  • Effective oral and written communication
  • Ability to multitask and work with frequent interruptions
  • Ability to manage peer-to-peer and supervisor interactions with courtesy, tact, and diplomacy
  • Ability to identify priorities and resolve or refer problems

Benefits

  • Health Insurance
  • Retirement Plan
  • Paid Time Off

Company overview

The University of Chicago is a world-renowned private research university founded in 1890 and located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. As a premier academic institution, it operates one of the most comprehensive biomedical research enterprises in the United States through its Biological Sciences Division, which includes over 1,100 faculty members across 10 basic science and 14 clinical departments. The university manages extensive research infrastructure including the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center, multiple specialized research institutes, and maintains affiliations with Argonne National Laboratory and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. With research funding exceeding $450 million annually and more than 3,300 patents filed since 1987, the institution is a global leader in scientific discovery and innovation. The Biological Sciences Division alone supports over 500 research-active faculty who secure an average of $588,000 in NIH funding per principal investigator, focusing on areas including cancer biology, immunology, microbiology, molecular metabolism, neuroscience, and evolutionary biology. The university's commitment to interdisciplinary research and its unique position as manager of national laboratories creates unparalleled opportunities for translational research and scientific advancement.

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