Administrative Specialist, Mechanical Engineering

Pay Grade 29E

Context of Job:

Under the limited direction of the Mechanical Engineering Business Administrator, the Department Chair, and Senior Design Faculty, the Administrative Specialist is responsible for the administration of the Mechanical Engineering capstone MEEG401 and MEEG402 Senior Design courses and selected related events, the ME Alumni Committee and events, administration of the CBER NSF REU program, member of the Mechanical Engineering Publicity Committee, and support of varied Mechanical Engineering events.

The Administrative Specialist serves as the first line response for these programs providing quality customer service to a variety of stakeholders and ensuring general support using in-depth knowledge of University policies. The position interacts with faculty, students, College and University administrators, industry program sponsors, vendors, other educational institutions, alumni and government agencies as necessary to exchange information and/or solve problems and other issues. The Administrative Specialist uses initiative, independent judgment and decision-making skills in carrying out the essential functions of the position.

Major Responsibilities:

Program Management: Senior Design (MEEG401 & MEEG402)

• Manages and supports the Mechanical Engineering Senior Design program under the direction of the Mechanical Engineering Senior Design Faculty and Mechanical Engineering Business Administrator.
• Has a working relationship with the Associate Dean for Corporate Engagement with regards to the Mechanical Engineering team projects.
• Main contact for Mechanical Engineering Senior Design teams. Provides communications to Mechanical Engineering Department Senior Design student teams and their faculty advisors regarding purchasing, individual project/budget expenses, and general department correspondence.
• Coordinates and plans Mechanical Engineering Department Senior Design events including Practice Mid-Terms and Mid-Term Review. Responsible for those event’s logistics, websites, agendas, and invitations to department faculty, students, panelists, and review judges.
• Recruits and schedules Mechanical Engineering faculty, industry, and Mechanical Engineering alumni to serve as panelists and review judges for all Mechanical Engineering Department Senior Design team events.
• Creates Mechanical Engineering Senior Design Teams Sponsor list that include team number, project title, sponsor, faculty advisor, sponsor primary contact(s) name and sponsor email address.
• Creates list of Mechanical Engineering Department Senior Design Teams including team number, student’s first and last name, student email address, advisor, student UD ID number, and department of their major.
• Responsible for providing instructions for student teams needing to use UD Motor Pool vehicles to visit sponsors. Provides Motor Pool request forms and completes Motor Pool request webform to schedule Motor Pool vehicle for trips.
• Works with COE Procurement to register one student from each Mechanical Engineering Senior Design team to be the Purchasing Agent for their team in UD Exchange. Provides documentation and instructions for making purchases through UD Exchange and through the department for items that cannot be purchased in UD Exchange. The Purchasing Agent will access a Google form for making purchase outside of UD Exchange. This position is responsible for the yearly updated Google form for these purchases. This position will create the Purchasing Agent list each Senior Design year so department staff are aware of the Purchasing Agent information.
• Works directly with team Purchasing Agents to explain and review purchasing procedures with the students so they are on track with processes, approvals and budgets to make project purchases.
• Facilitates purchasing project materials with student teams and ME Administrative Assistant IV. Responsible to work with Mechanical Engineering staff to make purchases from the Google form for teams in a timely manner to ensure on-time project completion. Follows up with Department Business Administrator to be sure UD Exchange purchase requests are approved.
• Updates and monitors student team budgets to prevent overspending and ensure proper purchasing approvals..
• Handles returning project purchases and shipping costs through UD Campus Delivery. Also handles shipping completed projects to sponsor through UD Campus Delivery.
• Works with sponsors that wish to continue project with Mechanical Engineering team members into the Spring semester through Independent Study Courses. Responsible for continued project material purchases, Motor Pool travel to sponsor, and final shipping of project to sponsor.
• Responsible for FSAE team purchasing in conjunction with FSAE team Faculty Advisor.
• Creates folders on shared drive for each year’s Mechanical Engineering Senior Design program, team budgets, program documents, program lists and all other updated yearly documentation.
• Creates file folder for each team’s budget and purchasing invoices/documents for proper accounting. Files housed in department filing cabinets in the event that sponsor requests accounting documentation.
• Recruits and schedules UD faculty, industry, and alumni to serve as panelists and review judges for Mechanical Engineering Department Senior Design Practice Mid-Terms and Mid-Term events.

Program Management: CBER NSF REU

• Manage NSF REU program under PIs, Dr. Michael Hast and Dr. Lucas Lu.
• Maintain REU website, solicit applications from other universities, draft and send acceptance letters to applicants, and match students to faculty advisors in multiple UD Colleges and Departments.
• Responsibilities for 10-week program includes creating summer calendar, reserve rooms, order refreshments, communicate directly with 10 external REU students, set up room and board (when needed), set up access to UD facilities for REU students, and provide student IDs.
• Schedule events including lab tours, keynote lecture, REU training, REU student picnic, lab safety training, progress reports, industry tour, welcome and farewell receptions, and Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium.
• Collect data from student and faculty surveys to use in future funding requests from NSF.

Member of Mechanical Engineering Department Publicity Committee. Responsibilities include:

• Sourcing and ordering department promotional items from UD approved vendors.
• Update flash drive for SPL hallway monitors with new content.
• Work with University Printing on specific department projects.
• Acting liaison between this committee and the department chair.
• Work with department chair on department alumni communications.
• Provide any additional administrative support requested by committee.

Administrative Management: Mechanical Engineering Department

• Managing and maintaining MailChimp, Qualtrics, Google Docs/Sheets/Forms technology systems for event photos, surveys, registration pages, RSVP spreadsheets, and event and department marketing and advertising.
• Department contact for DAR regarding alumni relations, requests for alumni lists, DAR communications, etc.
• Event management for department events as assigned. May include but not limited to department anniversary events, faculty anniversaries, research symposiums, honors award recognition ceremony, center launch events, grand openings & ribbon cuttings, VIP receptions or luncheons, career celebration and senior appreciation day and promotion/tenure/retirement celebrations.
• Responsible for maintaining department website, updating current news, events, and department program information. promote and provide updates on the Department via various social media platforms (LinkedIn, Facebook, X, Instagram, etc.).
• Attend meetings/luncheons/open houses/Expos hosted by DAR, Catering, Conference Services, IT, Courtyard Marriott, Hyatt, and promotional item vendors.

Department Alumni Committee & Events

• Collaborates with various Committee Chairs in planning Department Alumni events. Attend meetings and take minutes (if requested).
• Plan scheduled events including managing event budget, secure location, order refreshments, hire photographer, provide UDaily material, solicit event vendors, marketing, advertising, and event registration. Arrange travel and hotel for out-of-town Department Alumni guests. Attend events.
• Alumni events include but are not limited to Fall Homecoming Event, Golf Outing at Deerfield Country Club, Gearhead Bike Ride during Alumni Weekend, Design Studio Open House, Distinguished Career Award and Early Career Alumni Award Recognition Event, VIP Reception for Department Alumni and Industry Donors.
• Perform other miscellaneous duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree and three years of relevant experience or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Demonstrated knowledge of and experience with administrative support practices and procedures.
• Demonstrated ability to handle information and documentation that are of a confidential and highly sensitive nature.
• Ability to assess opportunities for improvement in processes and workflow, make recommendations and implement approved changes.
• Proficiency and experience with Microsoft Office applications including Outlook, MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint or comparable software programs.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills, including proficiency with grammar, punctuation, spelling and composition.
• Strong interpersonal and collaborative skills, with the ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships.
• Ability to handle challenging situations with initiative, professionalism and diplomacy, prioritize and handle concurrent tasks in a timely manner, and use discretion regarding matters of a sensitive and confidential nature.
• Ability to verify accuracy of information, analyze and resolve discrepancies and follow-up on outstanding activities, often without guidance from leadership.
• Skills in budget preparation and management preferred.