People & Culture Assistant - CISabroad - EASTHAMPTON

Position:  People & Culture Assistant

Weekly Hours: Part Time (approximately 25-35 hours per week)

Location: Easthampton, MA

Anticipated Start Date: March/April 2025

ABOUT US: Who is CIS Abroad, and why do you want to work with us? 

At CIS Abroad, we believe that education abroad offers students the best chance to realize their potential and change their world. We’re a nationally recognized organization that offers transformative study, intern, short-term, and custom programs across the globe. Our shared values--Passion, Fun, Cultural Competence, Trust, Change & Growth--form the foundation for all we do, and we look for employees who embody these values in their personal and professional lives. We are innovative and fast-moving, and have a fantastic home office (complete with friendly office dogs!) located in a renovated mill building in Easthampton MA. We are proud members of The Forum on Education Abroad, NAFSA, Diversity Abroad and advocate members of The Global Leadership League. For more information about CIS Abroad, please visit our website at www.CISAbroad.com.

POSITION OVERVIEW

At CIS Abroad, we don’t have a Human Resources department.  Instead, we have a People & Culture (P&C) team who champions a positive and engaging work environment, fostering employee growth and well-being while aligning with our company's values and goals!  As a People & Culture Assistant, you will play a crucial role in supporting the P&C department with various administrative tasks, employee relations initiatives, training, and onboarding efforts. You will have the opportunity to collaborate with several teams of dedicated professionals for various administrative tasks including office management, sending and receiving mail, organizing office events, keeping the office organized and well stocked, processing student transcripts, sending marketing materials, deploying equipment for new employees and much more.  This position reports to the Vice President of People & Culture and will liaise with other team leaders.

SPECIFIC DUTIES 

People & Culture

• Assists with initiatives to promote a positive workplace culture, fostering an environment where all employees feel valued and supported.
• Recognizes staff anniversaries, peer-to-peer shout outs, and other fun culture value adds
• Processes and analyzes employee engagement surveys to understand where we excel and where we can do better
• Researches, sources, and/or creates basic training opportunities for staff
• Tests new P&C technology platforms and assists in creating training materials/onboarding 
• Creates new employee welcome packages
• Manages our internship program

Event Coordination

• Organizes office and obtain supplies for everyday use, events, and visitors
• Run point for scheduled office visitors - making sure they're welcomed with a tidy and ready office
• Coordinates transportation for office visitors from out of town
• Assists with coordination of logistics for company wide training including reserving hotel rooms, transportation, meals, events

Mailing Administration

• Receive and distribute incoming mail and faxes (yes, occasionally we still receive a fax)
• Prepares and sends out marketing materials in conjunction with our Marketing and Outreach & Advising Teams
• Assembles and ships new employee and Alumni Ambassador welcome packages 
• Alerts Marketing team of low inventory for marketing materials during busy recruitment season
• Sends thank you packages after site visits on behalf of the Partner Success team
• Processes incoming visa letters and foreign transcripts
• Assists with batch visa processing, by mail or possibly in person at UMASS Amherst, or the Boston Consulates, as needed
• Send transcripts to US universities as requested by the International Operations Team
• Sends visa letters by mail to students as directed by the International Operations team
• Records incoming checks and makes weekly check deposits

Office Organization

• Manages any office maintenance with outsourced handypeople, as needed
• Manage inventory of hardware and software assets, including procurement and disposal processes
• Keeps the office tidy, organized and well stocked, and our cleaning crew accountable
• Conducts outside errands as needed
• Miscellaneous tasks as needed - we never know what may pop up

SUCCESS TARGETS

• 95% of marketing materials are sent on time and in budget
• Office supplies are fully stocked 
• Foreign transcripts are processed within 48 hours 
• Employee’s office feedback survey provides a rating of at least 4 of 5 stars

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

• Part time, with a Monday-Friday schedule of 25-35 hours agreed upon with your team leader. Note a few times per year there may be increased hours
• $20-23 per hour
• Up to $1,000 of out-of-pocket expenses if you need to go out of state to obtain essential healthcare including travel expenses and necessary childcare to receive reproductive and gender-affirming care, and abortion 
• Parental leave - 8 paid weeks of time off for bonding after birth or adoption for all parents
• Company-matched 401(k) retirement plan after 1 year of service
• Travel Agent Certification through IATAN:  Provides discounts for travel, including accommodations and excursions, for company and personal use
• Celebrate our 25-year anniversary with the entire company in Barcelona Spain in early May - all expenses paid
• Global Leadership League membership
• Wellness bonus - $200 per year to spend on massage, gym membership, skiing, etc.
• Paid sick time: 1 hour earned per 30 hours worked
• Paid sabbatical time: 4 weeks after 10 years
• Paid bereavement time: for loved ones, including pets
• Employee Assistance Program
• DiSC personality assessment and training
• Company-provided laptop and accessories

CIS Abroad provides equal opportunity to all people regardless of age, race, religion, color, sex, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, or physical or mental disability. Equal opportunity applies to hiring, placement, promotion, salary determination, and all other conditions of employment. In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification document upon hire. By submitting your application materials to us you are also providing explicit consent for our People & Culture department to process that data within reasonable limitations under the scope of consideration for your employment. For details on how we handle sensitive data please view our Privacy Policy: https://www.CISAbroad.com/privacy-policy/

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS & SKILLS

• Bachelor’s Degree or 1-2 years of HR experience, PHR, or SHRM-CP certification, a plus
• Excellent computer skills.  Strong knowledge of Google Suite.  Hubspot and Salesforce, a plus 
• Aptitude to thrive without a routine or daily supervision
• Strong attention to detail, follow-through, alignment to procedures & policy, and sense of accountability
• Efficient working style
• Ethical practice
• Team player with a rockin’ sense of humor
• Ability to be flexible with excitement to change and grow in an innovative environment
• Proven ability to communicate (verbal and written) clearly
• Must have a positive attitude and enjoy the supportive nature of this role
• Outgoing, flexible, reliable, honest with an open mind
• Legal ability to work in the US without sponsorship
• Must be willing to undergo background check
• Reliable transportation for running errands
• Must be able to bend, maneuver, and lift up to 25 lbs.
• Must love, or at least tolerate, well-behaved dogs as we’re a dog-friendly office