Administrative Associate - Office of Research, Innovation & Economic Development - UTK

The Administrative Associate II within the Division of Research Administration Support Services (DRASS) team in the Office of Research, Innovation, & Economic Development (ORIED), at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK), provides operational and financial administrative support for the work of the 80+ people within DRA, and coordinates closely with the rest of the team in support of ORIED personnel. DRASS takes a shared services approach to supporting the operational and financial needs of the division, and the team has the flexibility to refocus support to respond to current and emerging needs and priorities. This position also serves as the primary archivist for digitizing and managing SPA award information previously stored in physical folders.

Responsibilities

Invoicing and Audit Support

• Compile and organize supporting documentation required for invoicing and audits (e.g., purchase support, travel receipts/backup, service documentation). Ensure files are complete, clearly labeled and ordered in accordance with sponsor requirements, and provided within required timelines. Maintain proficiency with various DASH modules where source documents reside.

• Electronically submit invoices and financial reports to sponsors during peak periods and/or when the primary employee is absent to ensure deadlines are met and cash flow is optimized.

• Review all incoming audit requests with the Fiscal Assurance Manager to assign tasks and deadlines necessary for effective project management.

• Create and maintain a shared inventory of all audits, award details, findings, responses, corrective action, and key personnel involved.

• Coordinate with faculty, departmental financial personnel, and the SPA team to collect all required records set forth in the audit request. Create a shared digital site to compile and organize these documents.

• Coordinate with departments to ensure corrective action responses are received timely, reviewed by the Fiscal Assurance Officers for appropriateness, and submitted to the auditor by deadline.

• Assist Fiscal Assurance Officers with planning, organizing, and performing departmental reviews to support and encourage compliance in high-risk areas such as effort certification, subrecipient monitoring, and cost transfers.

• Prepare, modify, and maintain oversight of CANVAS, monitor quizzes and initiate the awarding of certificates when all modules are completed and passed.

• Maintain an inventory of internal control questionnaires and other relevant institutional records to streamline audit responses and promote consistency.

Data Integrity and Operational Support

• Generate and maintain data validation reports which include, but are not limited to, setup validation reports, labor distribution error reports, and task end date mismatch reports. These reports must be analyzed daily/weekly to monitor data quality across key functions. Coordinate with the award set-up team to ensure account errors are corrected in a timely manner. Departments will not be able to post expenses to awards otherwise.

• Assist with daily management of multiple central e-mail accounts: View email address on aiapply.co, spa View email address on aiapply.co, View email address on aiapply.co, View email address on aiapply.co, and View email address on aiapply.co to ensure incoming items are routed accurately and timely.

• Update PI information in DASH utilizing the TDX ticketing system in proper format to facilitate mass updates. • Update grant administrator information in DASH utilizing the TDX ticketing system in proper format to facilitate mass updates.

• Maintain master bookkeeper data to support automated account notification process.

• Administer sponsor portals to facilitate SPA user privileges.

• Coordinate with the Communications team to update the SPA website to ensure information is current.

• Prepare training materials (e.g., slide decks, quick guides, checklists, and process documentation) and manage Q&A during training sessions, ensuring participants receive clear guidance and follow up resources.

• Produce metrics and status reports (e.g., backlog volume, missing documentation trends, audit readiness checklists).

• Create and maintain standard operating procedures for validation processes to promote audit readiness.

• Manage digital records and document lifecycle processes, ensuring compliant organization, storage, archiving, retention, and secure disposition.

• Maintain and enforce recordkeeping systems and standards across SharePoint, Teams, and shared drives, including structure, metadata, version control, and data quality.

• Support users and operations through quality assurance, training materials, and guidance, and oversee sponsored project record archiving, including audit and retention requirements.

SUPPORT DRA STAFF AND OTHER ORIED UNITS

INCLUDING ON-SITE ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT All DRASS team members provide on-site administrative support for ORIED’s CM-based staff (not limited to DRA staff). This support includes, but is not limited to:

• Answers the door and welcomes guests to ORIED’s CM suite.

• Manages reservations for CM conference rooms and workspaces.

• Manages parking tag reservations.

• Interfaces with ORIED business staff and CM building manager on facilities concerns.

• Manages incoming and outgoing mail and package and service deliveries. All DRASS team members serve as backup for each other’s work functions to ensure continuity of support available to other DRA units in the event of a temporary leave or vacancy. This support includes, but is not limited to:

• Develops and updates written work process guides associated with the position’s assigned support functions.

• Performs regular cross-training on tasks assigned to other DRASS team members.

• Provides flexible coverage across functional areas as part of the shared services team.

OTHER DUTIES AS ASSIGNED

• Support human resources and operational processes, including coordinating staff searches, onboarding, and related documentation to ensure efficient hiring and integration of new employees.

• Contribute to process improvement and departmental initiatives by supporting procedure development, research, and implementation of best practices to enhance operations and customer service.

• Provide administrative and analytical support across functions, including committee participation, stakeholder coordination, and delivery of high-quality customer service to internal and external partners.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Education: High School diploma or GED
• Experience: One year of prior experience in an office environment
• Knowledge, Skills, Abilities: MS Office skills; ability to solve problems; ability to learn new software and processes; ability to improve processes through critical thinking; ability to effectively communicate with diverse faculty, staff, and sponsors; ability to multi-task, organize a high-volume of work, and pay strict attention to detail; ability to work independently with minimal supervision; ability to meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment; ability to be dependable, punctual, and a team player; exceptional customer service approach to all interactions with UT faculty, staff, administrators and external stakeholders; commitment to supporting the workload of the entire team in a positive, equitable, and flexible manner.

Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis without need now or in the future for sponsorship for employment-based visa status.

Preferred Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s Degree
• Experience : Archiving, accounting, or business experience
• Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: knowledge of OneDrive; knowledge of archiving processes; knowledge of DASH (Oracle), Cayuse, and Huron; knowledge of Uniform Guidance and Federal Acquisition Regulations

Work Location

• Location: Knoxville, TN
• Hybrid with occasional in-person requirements
• Applicant must live in Knoxville or within a commutable distance

Compensation and Benefits

UT market range: MR05

Anticipated hiring range:

• Find more information on the UT Market Range structure here
• Find more information on UT Benefits here

Application Instructions

To express interest, please submit an application with the noted below attachments.

• Resume
• Cover Letter

About The College/Department/Division

Here at the University of Tennessee, thousands of world-class faculty, staff, students and postdoctoral fellows are engaged in research, scholarship and creative work on a daily basis. With a shared commitment to creating a more just, prosperous, and sustainable world for the citizens of Tennessee and communities far beyond, the UT community is creating new knowledge and generating solutions to some of the most challenging issues of our time.

The Office of Research, Innovation & Economic Development is here to support you, our community of researchers, scholars and creatives, from ideation to impact. Our dedicated team is here to help you develop competitive proposals and sources of support for your work, seed investments in promising new areas, nurture new and established multidisciplinary communities of scholars and support and sustain a strong culture of research integrity.

The university’s strategic relationships with corporate, venture, community, non-profit and government partners help extend the impact of our community’s work across the state and around the world. In collaboration with these partners, we are working to establish Tennessee as a go-to destination for cutting-edge research, innovation and a skilled workforce.

We understand that a creative, productive, and empowered community of researchers, scholars, and creatives is critical to the university’s future as a world-renowned research institution.

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has shaped leaders, changemakers, and innovative thinkers since its founding in 1794. The university is home to more than 38,000 students and 10,000 statewide employees—the Volunteers—who uphold the university’s tradition of lighting the way for others through leadership and service.

UT Knoxville offers over 900 programs of study across 14 degree-granting colleges and schools. As Tennessee’s flagship land-grant university, its footprint spans the entire state. The university holds the highest Carnegie classification for research activity and has deep partnerships with industry leaders and the US Department of Energy’s largest multidisciplinary laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

The Knoxville campus serves and recruits for UT Knoxville, including the Institute of Agriculture and the Space Institute, as well as the UT Institute of Public Service.

UT Knoxville considers its employees its number one asset. With values that focus on work-life balance, compensation, and innovation leadership, all Vols are supported to advance professionally. Employees have access to career development and coaching, continued education, and an extensive list of development and training possibilities. The Volunteer employee experience implements structures and practices to attract and retain top-tier talent, fostering a strong staff community and supporting a culture of involvement and engagement for everyone.

The university holds a strong commitment to its land-grant mission of learning and engagement, with a tradition of service and leadership that carries that Volunteer spirit throughout the state and around the world. It has been ranked nationally as “Best Employer for New Graduates,” “One of America’s Best Large Employers,” and “Best Workplace for Women,” and has been designated as “Best Place for Working Parents” by Forbes Magazine.

Apply today and join the Tennessee Volunteer community!