Assistant to the Chair at School of Visual Arts

JOB POSTED: 01/30/2025

JOB TITLE: Assistant to the Chair

DEPARTMENT: BFA Film

REPORTS TO: Department Chair

SALARY: $60,000 / year

LOCATION: 209 East 23rd Street, New York, NY 10011

SCHEDULE: Monday - Friday, 9:00 - 5:00 pm

POSITION SUMMARY:

Reporting to the Department Chair, the Assistant to the Chair of the BFA Film Department plays a pivotal role in ensuring the seamless execution of departmental operations, policies, and events, and the management of student workers. This position requires exceptional organizational, communication, and management skills to support the department’s students, faculty, and staff.

ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT:

The BFA Film Department at the School of Visual Arts is a vibrant and innovative program designed to cultivate the next generation of filmmakers, storytellers, and visual artists. Our mission is to provide students with a comprehensive education that blends artistic exploration, technical expertise, and hands-on experience, ensuring they are well-prepared to thrive in the ever-evolving film industry.

Students engage in a dynamic curriculum that covers all facets of filmmaking, including directing, cinematography, screenwriting, and editing. The program emphasizes collaboration and creative problem-solving, encouraging students to develop their unique voices while mastering the tools and techniques essential to their craft.

Located in the heart of New York City, the program leverages its proximity to one of the world’s leading cultural and production hubs, offering unparalleled access to industry professionals, state-of-the-art facilities, and internship opportunities. Students benefit from mentorship by a distinguished faculty of accomplished filmmakers and artists, as well as a robust network of alumni who are shaping the future of film and media.

Through workshops, screenings, and a rigorous production schedule, students graduate with a diverse portfolio of projects that demonstrate their artistic and technical capabilities. The program prepares students not only to excel in traditional film and television roles but also to explore emerging media such as virtual production, VR/AR, and digital content creation.

For more information about the BFA Film Department at the School of Visual Arts, please visit our website at film.sva.edu.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Policy and Oversight

• Collaborate with the Chair and Director of Operations to ensure departmental policies, initiatives, deadlines, and responsibilities are successfully executed.
• Provide daily updates to the Chair on student, staff, and faculty matters, addressing and resolving issues as they arise.
• Manage the editing, proofreading, and on-time submission of BFA Film Undergraduate and CE courses and curriculum for Fall, Spring, and Summer terms.

Administrative, Operational, and Financial Management

• Maintain the orderly function of the Chair’s office by ensuring a clean, welcoming, and professional environment for students, faculty, and visitors.
• Act as the primary point of contact for the Film Chair’s office, managing phone inquiries, messages, and notifications.
• Coordinate with HR and security for guest entries, onboarding new faculty, and clarifying school policies.
• Manage the department correspondence, including supervising student workers monitoring the general email account (film[@]sva.edu), and sending informational E-Blasts.
• Track prompt payment of outside vendors, departmental awards, travel reimbursements, and expense reports, and direct any payment inquiries to the appropriate offices.
• Submit and track maintenance, cleaning, and IT requests to ensure facilities and equipment are functional.
• Oversee document organization and digitization, and manage procurement of office supplies and materials.
• Perform other job-related duties as assigned.

Event Planning and Screening Room Coordination

• Manage special events in collaboration with department staff and student workers, including the annual four-day BFA Film end-of-year screenings at SVA Theatre, Thesis Events, and New York Film Festival sponsorship opportunities. Responsibilities include coordinating logistics, ticketing, promotional efforts, and guest engagement.
• Oversee 502 Screening Room bookings and events, ensuring protocol adherence, organizing screenings with the Production Office, and managing logistics such as ticketing and guest arrangements.
• Manage department event ticketing platforms (e.g., Eventbrite, TicketTailor).

Student Support

• Oversee the hiring, scheduling, and placement of student workers with faculty and staff, draft employment application letters for international students seeking work permission, and ensure continuous office coverage by student workers.
• Coordinate weekly and bi-weekly timesheets for all student workers, including Federal Work Study payroll submissions.
• Manage student requests for location insurance in compliance with SVA’s insurance company and city requirements.
• Assist students in developing festival strategies for their films and oversee student work submissions via the department’s Film Freeway account.
• Oversee the department’s Vimeo account and manage the storage of student work.
• Triage academic or other student concerns to the Film Chair and Director of Operations.

Faculty Support

• Update necessary forms and guide incoming faculty through onboarding documentation, ensuring compliance with HR and registrar processes.
• Assist faculty with navigating MyID for document submissions and other tasks.
• Assist faculty with contract and payment inquiries, directing them to appropriate offices.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• A Bachelor’s degree and 2-5 years of relevant experience in film or film education, or a combination of education and relevant experience.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience in the film industry is strongly preferred.
• Experience with Google Suite (Docs, Gmail, Sheets), Microsoft Office (Excel), Adobe Acrobat, or other business software is strongly preferred.
• Experience in event production and coordination for online and live events preferred.
  
  

SUPERVISION

• Department Student Workers
  

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Knowledge of assigned practices and procedures.
• Knowledge of assigned department (BFA Film).
• Skill in handling multiple tasks and prioritizing.
• Skill in training, managing, and delegating tasks to others.
• Clear and professional verbal, written, and email communication skills.
• Ability to communicate effectively across diverse personalities.
• Ability to establish and maintain good working relationships with students, staff, faculty, and industry contacts.
• Ability to learn new technology and workflows in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to lead cross-functional and departmental project teams.
• Ability to work with frequent interruptions and changes in priorities.
• Ability to maintain professionalism, empathy, and confidentiality.
• Ability to resolve problems or situations requiring the exercise of good judgment.
• Ability to interact with all levels of administrative staff, faculty, students, visitors, and prospective students.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS OR WORKING CONDITIONS

• BFA Film Department’s normal business hours are:
  • Monday - Friday, 9:00 - 5:00 PM ET
• This is an onsite position with occasional remote work-from-home days per the supervisor’s approval.
• Work occasional evening and weekend hours as necessary
• Ability to sit for extended periods while working at a desk or computer.
• Proficiency in typing, using a mouse, and handling office equipment.
• Ability to carry and lift objects up to 10-20 lbs. such as files or office equipment

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

To be considered for this position, candidates must submit the following:

• Resume
• Cover Letter
• (Optional) We welcome any additional information that highlights your academic and professional experiences.

WORKING AT SVA

School of Visual Arts has been a leader in the education of artists, designers, and creative professionals for more than seven decades. With a faculty of distinguished working professionals, a dynamic curriculum, and an emphasis on critical thinking, SVA is a catalyst for innovation and social responsibility. Comprising over 7,000 students at its Manhattan campus and over 41,000 alumni from 128 countries, SVA also represents one of the most influential artistic communities in the world. For more information about the College's 31 undergraduate and graduate degree programs and Continuing Education division, visit sva.edu.

Learn more about working at SVA.

The School of Visual Arts is an equal-opportunity employer. Diversity and inclusion is a core principle of the College. SVA enjoys a community that represents a significant number of historically underrepresented communities, ethnic and religious backgrounds, gender identities, diverse abilities, and foreign countries, and all are encouraged to apply.