We seek a highly independent, fiercely discreet, and masterfully organized Administrative Specialist CL3 (Confidential) to serve as the high-level operational backbone for the Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs.
In this highly visible and trusted role, you will serve as a key resource within Academic Affairs, working closely with senior university leadership, faculty, staff, and external partners. This is a dynamic, position where you will be empowered to think on your feet, solve problems proactively, and serve as the definitive face and voice of executive academic leadership.
The rate of pay is $21.93 per hour for a new hire, and this is a 40-hour-a-week position. This is a non-represented (confidential) position that includes an employer contribution to the UMS retirement plan. Additional benefits include medical, dental, vision, and tuition waiver programs for employees and dependents.
Your Core Objectives (Responsibilities)
- Master of the Executive Calendar: Own the Provost's dynamic schedule - anticipating conflicts before they arise and ensuring meetings, committees, and travel plans run seamlessly.
- The Diplomatic Liaison: Handle a wide range of sensitive, non-routine communications with exceptional judgment and poise, whether defusing an escalated issue or drafting executive correspondence.
- Guardian of Academic Personnel: Manage the crucial behind-the-scenes logistics of academia, from tracking faculty re-appointments and tenure timelines to coordinating talent searches.
- Fiscal Co-Pilot: Keep our financial gears grinding smoothly by assisting with budget tracking, researching expenditures, and managing the purchasing card program.
- Chief Event Architect: Bring important campus traditions and initiatives to life by coordinating faculty assemblies, orientations, and high-visibility academic ceremonies.
- Team Leadership: Mentoring and delegating tasks to student workers and temporary staff,
- Data Researching, sorting and summarizing a variety of non-routine data for a broad range of applications and assignments, making decisions regarding the validity and quality of available data, preparing standard and non-standard summaries of relevant information and developing complex queries requiring connections between multiple tables/databases in response to non-routine issues.
Job Description
Your Superpowers (Competencies)
- Absolute Discretion: You treat sensitive employee, student, and institutional data with the security of a vault.
- Unshakable Autonomy: You don't need a roadmap. You excel at analyzing complex problems, mapping out workflow steps, and executing flawlessly under minimal supervision.
- Policy Fluency: You have a knack for reading between the lines of organizational rules and explaining them clearly to both internal faculty and external parties.
- Tech Sophistication: You don't just use software you command it. Running data queries, managing databases, and modifying websites are comfortable territory for you.
The Blueprint (Qualifications)
What You Bring:
- Education & Experience: 60+ credits of higher education (or equivalent work experience/training) AND at least three (3) years of high-level administrative support experience.
Bonus Points:
- Prior experience navigating the unique ecosystem of higher education or supporting executive-level academic leadership.
- Familiarity with Mainestreet, Smartsheets and other university administrative systems.
- We welcome applicants from a variety of professional backgrounds. Individuals with military administrative experience including Yeoman (YN), Personnel Specialist (PS), Administrative NCO, or 42A Human Resources Specialist roles, often bring the exact organizational, communication, and leadership skills that contribute to success in this position.
Application Requirements:
- Cover Letter
- Resume/Curriculum Vitae
- Contact information for three (3) professional references
Important items to know about the recruitment process:
- We are not able to consider applicants who require any visa sponsorship support
- Incomplete application materials cannot be considered. Materials received after the initial review date will be reviewed at the discretion of the University.
- For full consideration, materials must be submitted by 4:30 pm EST on Thursday, November 19, 2026
- The successful applicant is subject to appropriate background screening and post-offer physical as applicable.
Equal Opportunity Statement:
The University of Maine System (the System) is an equal opportunity institution committed to fostering a nondiscriminatory environment and complying with all applicable nondiscrimination laws. Consistent with State and Federal law, the System does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, transgender status, gender, gender identity or expression, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship status, familial status, ancestry, age, disability (physical or mental), genetic information, pregnancy, or veteran or military status in any aspect of its education, programs and activities, and employment. The System provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. If you believe you have experienced discrimination or harassment, you are encouraged to contact the System Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX Services at 5713 Chadbourne Hall, Room 412, Orono, ME 04469-5713, by calling 207.581.1226, or via TTY at 711 (Maine Relay System). For more information about Title IX or to file a complaint, please contact the UMS Title IX Coordinator at www.maine.edu/title-ix/.
The University of Maine at Farmington employees are Mandatory Reporters with the exception of UMF’s licensed, clinical medical providers (including athletic trainers), and mental health providers and their clinical interns when working in their capacity as providers.
Clery Act
The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, or Clery Act, mandates that all Title IV institutions, such as the University, prepare, publish, and distribute an Annual Security Report, (ASR) and provide notice of the availability of the ASR to all prospective employees. This report consists of two basic parts: disclosure of the University’s crime statistics for the past three calendar years; and disclosures regarding the University’s current campus security policies. You may view the University’s Annual Security Report. If you wish to have a paper copy of the ASR or you need to have a copy of the ASR in an accessible format, the University will provide such a copy upon request. Please contact: UMF Department of Public Safety / Campus Police, University of Maine at Farmington, 149 Quebec Street, Farmington, Maine 04938-1994, tel 207-778-7400.
The University of Maine at Farmington has earned a national reputation for excellence, gaining stature as one of the finest state-supported liberal arts colleges in the northeastern U.S. Additionally, UMF is rated 5th in U.S. News & World Report Top Regional Public College North for 2023 and has been rated one of America's Best Colleges by U.S. News 25 times since 1998.
The campus is in historic downtown Farmington, just a short walk away from coffee shops, funky stores, restaurants, banks, bookstores, a multi-screen movie theater and a whole lot more. Our perfect location combines the active outdoor lifestyle with the arts & smarts of a small college town. With enrollment at around 1,600 full-time students, UMF is about the same size as many of New England’s most selective private colleges and offers many of the same advantages, yet at a very affordable price - providing a tremendous college value in a spectacular natural setting. Established in 1864 as Maine’s first public institution of higher education, the University of Maine at Farmington is a founding member of The Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges (COPLAC) an exclusive national group of public colleges and universities committed to providing superior liberal arts and sciences education. About the University of Maine System
The University of Maine System (UMS), established in 1968, consists of seven universities and the University of Maine School of Law, spread across various locations in Maine. UMS provides system-wide services and governance from these locations, leveraging the distinct strengths and collaborations among its institutions to advance strategic priorities for UMS and the state of Maine.
Choosing UMS means opting for a high quality of life supported by excellent benefits such as tuition waivers, robust retirement contributions, and comprehensive insurance coverage including medical, dental, vision, life, and disability. Maine's diverse landscapes, from accessible wilderness and rugged coastline to urban centers and rural communities, offer numerous cultural activities, strong public schools, safe neighborhoods, and high-quality healthcare. Discover more about Maine's exemplary lifestyle on the Maine Office of Tourism website.