Administrative Assistant II

Job Category University Staff Employment Type Regular Job Profile Administrative Assistant II Job Summary This position provides operational and administrative support for the Kaçar laboratory, with immediate responsibility for maintaining continuity on NASA ICAR MUSE and related laboratory operations. The Kaçar laboratory's area of research includes origins of life, astrobiology, early life and evolution, systems and synthetic biology, and molecular paleobiology. Core Responsibilities Coordinating administrative, budgetary, and communication needs across a high-volume research laboratory. Supporting pre-award grant preparation, proposal timelines, document routing, and submission coordination. Supporting post-award grant management, including budget tracking, award documentation, purchasing, expense reconciliation, and reporting. Serving as the administrative point of contact for NASA ICAR MUSE and other multi-institutional research teams, including scheduling, meeting logistics, communications, and follow‑up on action items. Coordinating scheduling, recruitment, hiring, payroll, onboarding, offboarding, travel, purchasing, and reimbursements for lab members and project participants. Providing direct PI support to project milestones, deadlines, budget oversight, and compliance‑related administrative processes. Key Job Responsibilities Sends, receives, copies, and distributes communications to the appropriate entities according to established policies and procedures under general supervision. Schedules logistics and secures resources for meetings, conferences, travel, and work unit operations. Maintains established methods and organizational systems directed at the maintenance of electronic/physical records related to work operations according to established policies and procedures. Serves as a first point of contact for individuals and groups, provides basic organizational information via phone, in person and through other communication mediums, and routes more complex inquiries to the appropriate entities. Collects, analyzes, and prepares various communication materials from established sources utilizing technology mediums. Department College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS), Department of Bacteriology, Kaçar Laboratory. Compensation The minimum pay for this position is $22 per hour. Final salary will depend on experience and qualifications. Employees can expect benefits such as generous vacation, holidays, paid time off, competitive insurances and savings accounts, and retirement benefits. Additional benefits information can be found at Required Qualifications Organizational and time‑management skills that include problem‑solving, multi‑tasking, prioritizing, and meeting deadlines. Knowledge of pre‑and post‑award grant scientific management, preferably with experience in large federal grants. Experience communicating and coordinating operational team logistics across teams or institutions. Prior experience with personnel administration support such as recruitment, hiring, onboarding, offboarding, travel, purchasing and reimbursements, and records management. Preferred Qualifications Knowledge of grant submission platforms, such as federal proposal submission systems. Prior experience working in a laboratory or research environment. Prior experience with administrative systems commonly used in higher education (e.g., Workday, Concur, purchasing card reconciliation, financial/travel platforms, etc.). Education H.S. Diploma preferred minimum. Time Type Full or part‑time, 50%-100% Work Schedule Normal hours are 7:45 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Headquarters Location Microbial Sciences Building, 1550 Linden Drive, Madison, WI Additional Requirements Criminal Background Check may be required. Probationary period may be required. Work Authorization Successful applicant must be eligible for employment in the United States by the start of the appointment. University sponsorship is not available for this position. Institutional Statement on Diversity Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW‑Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals. The University of Wisconsin‑Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background — people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world. Equal Opportunity Employer The University of Wisconsin‑Madison is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, including but not limited to, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, or status as a protected veteran and other bases as defined by federal regulations and UW System policies. We promote excellence by acknowledging skills and expertise from all backgrounds and encourage all qualified individuals to apply. For more information regarding applicant and employee rights and to view federal and state required postings, visit the Human Resources Workplace Poster website. To request a disability or pregnancy‑related accommodation for any step in the hiring process, please contact the Divisional Disability Representative in the division you are applying to. Employment may require a criminal background check. It may also require your references to answer questions regarding misconduct, including sexual violence and sexual harassment. The University of Wisconsin System will not reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing, except that the identity of the successful candidate will be released. The Annual Security and Fire Safety Report contains current campus safety and disciplinary policies, crime statistics for the previous three calendar years, and on‑campus student housing fire safety policies and fire statistics for the previous three calendar years. UW‑Madison will provide a paper copy upon request; please contact the University of Wisconsin Police Department. #J-18808-Ljbffr