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Career Opportunities at the Dietrich School

We’re Hiring!

The Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences welcomes qualified applicants for administrative positions throughout our school. Whether you’re a recent high school or college graduate looking for that all-important first “real” job, or an experienced professional interested in advancing or changing your career, we’d like to get to know you.

 

Benefits of Working at the Dietrich School

The University of Pittsburgh offers all employees generous healthcare, education, and paid time off benefits. In addition, Dietrich School staff members enjoy these other benefits:

  • Flexible Work Arrangements
    Most of the Dietrich School’s administrative offices are operating in a hybrid mode, allowing staff members to spend part of their week working from home and to reduce their commuting costs.  Use this link to learn more about our Flexible Work Arrangement Guidelines.
  • Professional Development Opportunities
    At the Dietrich School we encourage all our staff members to continue to grow as people and professionals. We offer regular programming on topics ranging from diversity, equity, and inclusion to data literacy.
  • Career Ladders
    The Dietrich School is committed to your success. And that means supporting you in your career advancement goals. Current employees receive monthly updates about new job openings within the school, and supervisors collaborate across our units to ensure that outstanding staff members can seamlessly transition into increasingly responsible positions.
  • Diverse Community of Colleagues
    Dietrich School staff members work in the areas of budget and finance, student services, communications, IT, payroll, and much more. Many of them are Pitt alumni and some are currently pursuing a graduate or undergraduate degree. A number of staff have spent their entire careers at the University and plenty of others come to us with experience in a vast array of other industries. All our staff members bring a broad range of life and professional experience to the table, and our community is richer as a result.

 

Want to Apply? We Make It Easy!

We want it to be as simple and stress-free as possible for you to find your new job at the Dietrich School. In 2021, the Dietrich School implemented a new streamlined hiring process. A central Hiring Committee—made up of staff members throughout the school—coordinates the review and screening of job applicants with the University’s HR team to ensure that your time is respected and that your materials are seen and evaluated with care and efficiency.

All final interviews are conducted via Zoom, and qualified applicants can meet with multiple hiring managers in a single interview, increasing the likelihood of a job offer and reducing the time candidates have to spend in meetings.

  • No Administrative Experience? No Worries.
    Many people assume that if they don’t have a college degree, they won’t qualify for administrative positions at Pitt. That isn’t true. At the Dietrich School we value all work experience and understand that skills are transferrable from one job to another. We also know that particular software programs and office procedures can be taught after someone is hired.  When we look at your resume, your years spent in the retail, food service, or hospitality industry translate into customer service and communication skills. And your work study or internship experience reflect organizational and time management skills. Be sure to use your cover letter to tell us how your personal and professional journey has prepared you for success on our team.
  • Many Opportunities for a Variety of Interests
    The Dietrich School is the largest school on the University’s Pittsburgh Campus. And our job opportunities reflect that breadth. Whether you’re looking for a position where you can work directly with undergraduate or graduate students, or a job that will involve close collaboration with other staff and faculty, we have a job available to meet your career goals.  Listed below are a few sample job descriptions to give you an idea of some of the positions that we’re looking to fill on an ongoing basis:

Department Coordinator (Administrator I - Entry-level position)

The Department Coordinator/Chair’s Assistant will Initiate, coordinate, implement and retain electronic documentation for all administrative actions related to the departmental(s) chair’s office within the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, Social Sciences Division. Serve as a liaison between the department(s) and the Social Sciences Division Business Office, the Dietrich School Dean’s Office, the Dietrich School Payroll and Sponsored Projects Teams, the Social Sciences Events Team, University Office of International Services and various University Business Offices. Also responsible for: processing travel expense reimbursements, advance settlements, purchases, professional service contract agreements, department website updates, as well as general office management and oversight of student worker duties. Provides comparable service and back-up to other Dietrich School departments as needed.

Business Coordinator (Administrator II)

The Humanities Division in the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences is seeking a Business Coordinator. This position will support the fiscal team in the various departments, centers, and programs within the Humanities. The Business Coordinator assists the Fiscal Director and Fiscal Managers in developing budgets, monitoring expenses, and managing spending. This position is responsible for the processing of event, travel and research expenses, and acts as a purchasing specialist. The Business Coordinator will assist in training staff on policies and procedures. Knowledge of accounting and business operations is desirable. Must be detail-oriented and highly organized. Associates degree with 4-5 years of experience or HS Diploma/GED with 8-9 years of experience may be substituted in place of Bachelor’s degree.


To explore our current open staff positions, please use this link. Current Pitt employees can use this link to search current Dietrich School job openings for staff.

 

Apply Today - Here’s How

Now that you have identified a position or positions you’re interested in, you can use the University’s central application portal, Talent Center, to submit your materials. You will be required to set up an account and login to do so.

All our jobs require applicants to submit a cover letter and resume. Why? Your resume provides us with a succinct overview of your experiences and your cover letter provides you with an opportunity to tell us why you are interested in this position. Together, this information allows us to assess your candidacy accurately and fairly.

Below are links to a few helpful articles about writing resumes and cover letters including samples. Remember, while there is no one absolutely correct way to create a resume or cover letter, there are some universal recommendations you should keep in mind:

  • Be reader friendly: avoid busy graphics, elaborate fonts, tiny type, etc.
  • Be clear and concise: bullet points can help when highlighting skills and experiences
  • Proofread: check for typos, confusing sentences, incomplete information

Pro Tip: If you are in the process of applying for multiple positions, we suggest that you take the time to customize your cover letter and resume for each to best reflect your interest and qualifications. Using the name of the particular position, including the name of the University and school, etc., make a much stronger positive impression that a generic letter referencing, “your organization” or “your company.”

How to Write a Resume (sample)

How to Write a Cover Letter (sample)

 

The Interview Process

The Dietrich School has a two-step interview process: a 30-minute phone interview followed by a 60- minute Zoom interview.

Once the school’s Hiring Committee reviews your resume and determines that you are a qualified candidate for one (or possibly more) of our open positions, one of the committee members will contact you to arrange a phone interview. Phone interviews typically take no longer than 30 minutes and will include at least two prepare-in-advance questions for you to respond to. The goal of the phone interview is to get to know you better and learn more about your experiences and your interest in the position.

If, at the conclusion of the phone interview process, we would like to proceed with your candidacy, we will contact you to schedule a Zoom interview. The Zoom interview will be attended by the Hiring Committee member who conducted your phone screen, the Hiring Manager and a departmental representative for the position for which you originally applied, and—with your permission—other Hiring Managers in the school who have open positions you may be interested in.

Behavioral-Based Interviewing

Both the phone interview and the Zoom interview will include behavioral-based interview (BBI) questions. As part of the BBI process, you will be asked to respond to questions using real-life knowledge and situations from your personal and professional experiences. Questions will be phrased to prompt these responses, such as, “Tell us about a time when you had to coordinate a team of people. How did you bring them together?” or “Give us an example of a situation where you had to remain calm under pressure. What did you do and how did things turn out?”

BBI questions may seem a bit awkward at first, but they are a great opportunity for you to share some examples of how your skills, experiences, and character have made, and will make you a wonderful employee. Learn more about responding to BBI questions and check out some sample questions.

 

Join Our Team

The Dietrich School is a diverse, dynamic place to start or continue your career. If you’re ready to make a job change and you’re looking for an employer where your unique skills, experiences, and goals will be supported and appreciated, join the staff of Pitt’s Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences. For more information, contact Stacey Williard, Hiring and Engagement Coordinator.