| Job Description: |
The Administrative Specialist III serves as the lead administrative position in the Department of Biology. The position coordinates day-to-day administrative operations, provides guidance on departmental and university processes, manages competing priorities, and supports the department’s teaching, research, and service missions.
Human Resources and Personnel Administration
- Coordinates departmental human resources processes in collaboration with CLAS HR, shared services, and central university offices.
- Supports recruitment, onboarding, offboarding, appointment changes, position updates, and personnel documentation for faculty, staff, OPS employees, student employees, graduate assistants, postdoctoral associates, visiting appointments, courtesy appointments, and other employee groups.
- Assists with position descriptions, recruitment requests, offer letter requests, appointment materials, job postings, and related personnel actions.
- Tracks deadlines and ensures personnel actions and supporting documentation are completed, routed, and maintained appropriately.
- Provides guidance to faculty and supervisors regarding HR processes, documentation requirements, routing expectations, and college procedures.
- Maintains personnel files, recruitment materials, and other confidential HR records.
- Supports leave, timekeeping, employment eligibility, payroll documentation, and related personnel administration processes.
- Coordinates departmental onboarding and offboarding activities, including access, workspace, training information, equipment, and required follow-up.
Office Leadership and Administrative Operations
- Coordinates the department’s day-to-day administrative operations and office workflows.
- Establishes priorities, monitors deadlines, distributes work, and follows up to ensure timely completion.
- Provides functional guidance and work direction to administrative staff, student assistants, OPS employees, and other support personnel.
- Serves as a primary departmental resource for office procedures, administrative workflows, and operational problem-solving.
- Reviews administrative processes and recommends improvements to increase consistency, efficiency, and service delivery.
- Interprets and applies university, college, and departmental policies and procedures.
- Coordinates office coverage, front office support, communications, scheduling, records, and general departmental support.
- Assists the Department Chair and departmental leadership with planning, documentation, coordination, and follow-up.
Academic, Faculty, and Departmental Support
- Coordinates administrative support for faculty affairs, teaching, graduate education, departmental governance, and college routing requirements.
- Supports faculty evaluations, promotion and tenure, sabbatical requests, awards, assignments, committee activities, and departmental reviews.
- Assists with academic scheduling, course-related administrative processes, and instructional support coordination.
- Provides administrative support for graduate program activities, student employment processes, seminars, events, and other academic functions.
- Coordinates communications, documentation, deadlines, and records associated with academic and faculty processes.
- Serves as a departmental resource for faculty and staff regarding academic administrative requirements.
Facilities, Space, Access, and Office Resources
- Coordinates departmental space, office assignments, keys, building access, and related records.
- Works with facilities, information technology, building management, and other university offices to address operational needs.
- Coordinates maintenance requests, equipment needs, office supplies, shared resources, and related follow-up.
- Supports departmental safety, security, emergency preparedness, and continuity-related administrative processes.
- Maintains records related to space, access, equipment, and departmental resources.
Reporting, Special Projects, and Process Improvement
- Prepares reports, summaries, spreadsheets, presentations, and other materials for departmental leadership.
- Tracks data and deadlines related to personnel actions, administrative operations, faculty processes, and departmental activities.
- Participates in special projects, process improvements, and college or university initiatives.
- Identifies administrative issues, recommends solutions, and assists with implementing improved workflows.
- Represents the department on administrative committees, workgroups, and cross-functional teams as appropriate.
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