This position has primary responsibility for management of the administrative office and critical business practices at Virginia Tech's Tidewater Agricultural Research and Extension Center (Tidewater AREC). Located in Suffolk, Virginia (village of Holland) Tidewater AREC is one of the largest off-campus units within the university's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences/ Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station. Tidewater AREC is currently home to nine resident faculty members, three postdoctoral associates, 14 full-time staff, numerous part-time wage and student employees, 11 graduate students; and has an annual research budget of approximately $2 million and personnel budget of $2.1 million.
In this role, the Office Manager will be expected to oversee day-to-day fiscal and human resources operations at Tidewater AREC. Some critical areas of responsibility include providing support for procurement and receiving shipments, fiscal auditing (monthly, annually, and multi-year), coordinating facilities repair and maintenance with internal offices (i.e., University Facilities) and external contractors, coordinating funds accounting/handling, inventory management, payroll projections and entry, human resources local tasks including onboarding and offboarding employees, serving as safety co-coordinator for the unit, providing scheduling and communications support for the Tidewater AREC Director and Assistant Director, troubleshooting fiscal and human resources issues, and development of guidelines and protocols that increase the efficiency of operations at the Tidewater AREC. The Office Manager will also manage a part-time (30 h/week) office assistant position that supports the activities listed above.
Administratively, the position reports to the Tidewater AREC Director with input from the Assistant Director, Tidewater AREC faculty, college fiscal / human resources leaders, and Tidewater AREC senior staff for annual evaluation purposes. Success in this position will be heavily dependent on the candidate being self-motivated, highly organized, an excellent problem-solver, and service-focused. Excellent communications and collaborative leadership abilities are critical given the size and scope of ongoing activities at Tidewater AREC. Resources, training and a strong peer support network will be provided to facilitate a successful transition to Virginia Tech’s unique fiscal, human resources, safety, and inventory management systems.
This is a 100% in-office position with office hours between 8AM and 4:30PM; remote work is not available for this position. Occasional in-state travel may be necessary for training purposes or critical meetings.