Part-Time Grinding Room Assistant in Alfred, New York at Alfred University

The Grinding Room Assistant supports the daily operations of the Grinding Room and Mixing Room within the Division of Ceramic Art at Alfred University School of Art & Design. This position plays a critical role in maintaining safe, efficient, and accurate material processing, inventory management, customer service, and financial recordkeeping in support of instructional, research, and studio activities across the School of Art & Design and the broader university community.

The Grinding Room serves as a centralized material warehouse and clay processing facility supporting students, faculty, staff, and select interdisciplinary initiatives. The position assists in managing large-scale inventory and material distribution systems while supporting health and safety practices within specialized ceramic and raw material environments.

Rate: $16.00-$16.08, 20hrs/week

Primary Responsibilities:

• Support the safe and efficient operation of the Grinding Room and Mixing Room facilities.
• Assist with accurate recordkeeping, invoicing, and data entry related to student purchases and departmental account transfers.
• Process weekly deposits and maintain financial documentation in coordination with the Business Office.
• Monitor and help maintain inventory levels of raw materials, prepared clay bodies, plaster, and related supplies.
• Assist with hazardous waste collection monitoring and adherence to established health and safety procedures.
• Provide orientation, coaching, and operational support to student clerks and teaching assistants.
• Assist students, faculty, and staff with weighing materials, gathering supplies, and scheduling Mixing Room appointments.
• Support training sessions for safe use of raw materials and clay processing equipment.
• Maintain documentation including recipes, pricing lists, inventory records, and labeling systems.
• Communicate operational concerns, equipment issues, and safety needs to the Grinding Room Manager in a timely manner
• Assist in maintaining an organized, clean, and safe work environment.
• Other duties as assigned.

Operational Context:
The Grinding Room annually manages approximately 120,000-150,000 pounds of ceramic materials, prepared clay bodies, and related supplies supporting instructional and research activities across the Division of Ceramic Art and other university programs. The facility maintains approximately $125,000 in active inventory and processes more than $100,000 annually in student purchases and internal account transfers
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The Mixing Room supports extensive year-round use, with more than 250 scheduled student mixing appointments annually and approximately 60,000 pounds of raw materials processed each academic year. The Grinding Room Assistant helps ensure responsible equipment use, accurate material handling, and compliance with established health and safety standards.

This position contributes significantly to the operational efficiency, cost savings, instructional support, and safety culture of the School of Art & Design.

Required Qualifications:

• Ability to lift and move up to 50 pounds.
• Ability to properly wear and utilize a fit-tested P 100 respirator.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to work collaboratively with students, faculty, and staff in a fast-paced studio environment.
• Basic computer proficiency including spreadsheets, word processing, email, and data entry systems.
• Ability to follow and reinforce established health and safety procedures.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working in ceramics, studio arts, materials processing, inventory systems, or laboratory environments.
• Familiarity with ceramic raw materials, clay mixing processes, or shop/lab operations.
• Experience working in educational, arts, or technical support environments.

This is a part-time position averaging 20 hours per week. Typical work hours are between 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday.

Alfred University actively subscribes to a policy of equal employment opportunity, and will not discriminate against any employee, student or applicant because of race, age, sex, color, sexual orientation, gender identification or expression, physical or mental disability, religion, ancestry or national origin, marital status, genetic information, military or veteran status, domestic violence victim status, criminal conviction status, political affiliation or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.