Operations and Administrative Specialist

Operations And Administrative Specialist

The Operations and Administrative Specialist provides comprehensive administrative and operational support to the Office of the Vice President for Research at the University of Chicago, playing a key role in advancing the office's research mission. This role undergirds all aspects of the office's work from managing a senior executive leader's calendar and correspondence, to coordinating the full lifecycle of internal events, to supporting office-wide projects and initiatives. The ideal candidate is a highly organized, adaptable, and proactive professional who exercises sound judgment and discretion, thrives in a fast-paced academic environment, and brings a genuine passion for research infrastructure, operations, and policy.

Responsibilities include:

• Provide comprehensive calendar management for a senior executive leader, including scheduling, prioritization, and conflict resolution, exercising considerable discretion regarding priorities and effective use of their time.
• Prepare meeting agendas, briefing materials, and background documents to support leadership's daily work.
• Stay informed of office programs and initiatives, apprising leaders of relevant issues and communications as needed; initiate correspondence and other written materials under own signature or for signature of leaders, and triage emails and calls for action to resolve routine and complex inquiries.
• Manage general office administration functions, including supply ordering, vendor coordination, and document filing systems.
• Assist with travel requests and prepare travel itineraries and briefing materials for leaders as needed.
• Track and process expense reports, reimbursements, and invoices in accordance with university policies.
• Serve as a welcoming and professional first point of contact for office visitors, guests, and incoming inquiries, routing requests to appropriate staff in a timely manner.
• Handle time-off approvals and corrections in Workday in partnership with HR.
• Provide occasional support for HR-related activities, including coordinating interview schedules, assisting with logistics for the hiring process, and supporting onboarding for new staff, affiliates, or visiting scholars as needed.
• Coordinate and support office-wide projects and initiatives including special projects as directed by leadership from initiation through completion, maintaining work plans, schedules, and status reports.
• Assist with planning and preparing presentations, conduct literature searches and synthesis, and support policy review and development in service of office initiatives.
• Serve as a point of contact for internal project logistics and communications; track deliverables, timelines, and action items across concurrent office projects, flagging issues and keeping stakeholders aligned and informed of progress.
• Develop and execute processes for consistent internal reporting on office programs and projects.
• Lead end-to-end planning and execution of office events including team gatherings, working lunches, workshops, panels, and receptions partnering with leadership to align format and logistics with event objectives.
• Manage all logistical components, including venue and room booking, catering, audiovisual setup, and facilities coordination.
• Handle attendee communications end-to-end, including RSVPs, save-the-dates, pre-event reminders, and day-of support; serve as the on-site point of contact to ensure smooth execution.
• Maintain an office events calendar, track logistics deadlines across concurrent events, and compile post-event summaries for leadership.
• Prepare special reports and summaries, assists in managing daily operation of the office, and may assist in developing administrative goals and policies. Maintains the leader's calendar, exercising considerable discretion and judgment as to priorities and effective use of the leader's time.
• Coordinates special projects as directed by the leader. Prepares write ups for recommendations for operational and administrative problems. May manage a portion of the leader's budget, monitoring and reconciling accounts. Prepares financial and/or administrative reports.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications include vocational training, apprenticeships or the equivalent experience in a related field (not typically required to have a four-year degree) and 7+ years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Preferred Qualifications include a university or college degree with research exposure, professional experience in executive support, office or lab administration, HR or talent management, or a related role.

Preferred Competencies include genuine interest in or passion for research infrastructure, operations, and policy; excellent written and verbal communication skills, with strong attention to detail; demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment; proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint) and project management software; comfort with AI tools to support operational and administrative efficiency and related tasks; experience with event logistics, including venue booking, catering coordination, and on-site management; familiarity with university systems such as Workday; strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work collaboratively across departments and with senior leadership; proven discretion and sound judgment in handling sensitive or confidential information; experience supporting a senior leader or executive in a complex organization; and experience working in a university, research, or academic setting.

Working Conditions include a hybrid work schedule, which includes in-office presence multiple days a week; use computers extensively throughout the workday, 4 hours or more; stand for 2 to 4 hours; sit for 4 hours or more; use standard office equipment and troubleshoot IT equipment in a remote/hybrid environment; and some evening and weekend work.