Administrative Specialist, Office of the Provost

Pay Grade: 29E

Context of Job:

Under the limited supervision of the Senior Business Administrator, the Administrative Specialist using initiative, judgment, and discretion, assists with managing the administrative, academic, and fiscal affairs of the Honors College and Undergraduate Education Programs [University Studies program (UST), the Academic Coaching and Tutoring Center (ACT), the First Year Experience initiative (FYE), UD Scholars, the Undergraduate Research Program (UGRP), and the Office of National Fellowship (ONF)] (UEP). The Administrative Specialist is proactive, customer-service driven, demonstrates exceptional attention to detail, and utilizes effective organizational skills to meet concurrent deadlines. Responsibilities include managing student awards processes, grant management and reporting, executing academic course schedules, budget reporting, correspondence, and providing HR assistance.

Ensures compliance with internal and external administrative policies and procedures, as well as prioritizes and resolves administrative issues. A high level of independent judgment, initiative, and problem-solving skills, and the ability to demonstrate a high degree of confidentiality and discretion are required.

Major Responsibilities

• Assist with all aspects of the daily administrative operations of Honors and UEP, ensuring compliance with university, state, and federal policies, laws, and regulations.
• Provide guidance/support to Senior Business Administrator on university policy and administrative matters.
• Develops, maintains, and enhances office management systems; implements new administrative strategies and procedures to optimize efficiency; develop and/or initiate new office forms and procedures.
• Serve as the back-up/additional HR Liaison for UEP and the Honors College, especially during peak times and position vacancies. Responsibilities include posting and managing positions in TalentLink, processing new hires and all related onboarding forms and web forms, processing supplemental pay forms, UD Workforce, and implementing and monitoring unit compliance with administrative and related policies.
• Provide assistance to new hires; assist with individual I9 appointments and appropriate web forms (JEDs) for any hires or employee changes for the Honors College and UEP.
• Recruit, train, and supervise work-study students.
• Assist with the registration of all incoming Honors first-year students into the UDExchange system.
• Manage course scheduling for FYE, summer research credits, academic year senior thesis credits, and other Honors or UEP courses/programs, currently via CLSS; provide information to Registrar’s Office and initiates requests for rooms for special sections and class meetings.
• Prepare high-level correspondence on behalf of the Honors college, and UEP, frequently managing sensitive and confidential information on behalf of the Dean and Senior Business Administrator.
• Develop and implement streamlined processes for enrichment awards and faculty add-on payments for the Honors College.
• Assist McNair Director with McNair Scholars Program expenditures and grant management and compliance, including Effort reporting.
• Create, organize, and manage department data using Excel; generate summaries, tables, and reports to support department planning and decision making.
• Create, design and maintain multiple complex databases and forms for student employees, faculty, credit-card maintenance, hiring data, payroll, etc. Generate reports as needed for the Senior Business Administrator.
• Manage all procurement operations, including service contracts, affiliation agreements, purchase orders, non-PO payments (e.g. honoraria, awards, participant incentives), and software/technology requests. Serves as contract Manager in Contracts+.
• Serve as department specialist for UDX and Concur systems. Oversee all aspects of administration for both platforms and provide support and training for faculty, staff, and students.
• Lead Honors and UEP Concur purchasing activities, including policy compliance, training material development, in-person training/assistance for faculty, staff, and students, and oversight of procurement and travel expenses. Exercise independent judgment to ensure adherence to university policy, collaborating with Procurement Services as needed.
• Work closely with the UEP and Honors Directors and Coordinators to provide information necessary before award decisions can be made.
• Develop and maintain donor database and prepare donor thank you letters on a regular basis.
• Perform other job-related duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree with three years of relevant experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Knowledge of the principles and practices of office management and university programs, systems, policies, and procedures.
• Ability to grasp, retain, and disseminate an extensive and varied body of information.
• Ability to work independently, take initiative, handle multiple assignments, meet deadlines, and make decisions and judgments consistent with the position level.
• Effective oral and written communication skills with the ability to communicate and interact well with people of all ages and diverse backgrounds.
• Ability to handle sensitive information with discretion and maintain confidentiality.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships.
• Accounting and financial analysis experience preferred. Operational knowledge of HR and Financial PeopleSoft Systems as well as familiarity with UDSIS preferred.
• Knowledge of Concur, UDExchange, and other UD systems preferred.
• Effective time management and organizational skills with a strong attention to detail.
• Excellent computer skills. Ability to apply basic and advanced tools in word processing, spreadsheet, and database applications. Ability to learn new programs and systems quickly. Extensive experience with Microsoft Office is preferred, especially Excel.
• Ability to supervise and provide guidance to student workers.