Senior Administrative Assistant

Senior Administrative Assistant

Serves as the primary support to the Director and co-Director of the Trivedi Institute for Space & Global Biomedicine, as well as two Center Directors. Acts as the liaison for high-level and sensitive Institute operations spanning research, partnerships, donor relations, multi-institutional scientific collaborations, and executive communications. Manages workflow for a fast-paced, high-visibility research and innovation institute. Assists with strategic planning processes, program development, project tracking, and administrative goals and priorities. Prepares budgetary functions and plans.

Job Duties

• Serves as the primary administrative and operational support to the Institute Director, co-Director and leadership team.
• Acts as the Director's representative and principal liaison among internal and external stakeholders, including Pitt leadership, faculty, donors, partnering institutions (Carnegie Mellon, Cornell, NASA collaborators), scientific teams, students, trustees, and the public.
• Ensures confidentiality of high-level information related to donor activities, cross-institutional collaborations, scientific programs, strategic planning, and external partnerships.
• Manages office workflow for the Institute, including meetings, complex calendaring, travel arrangements, briefing materials, agendas, follow-up action tracking, and logistics.
• Supports planning and execution of strategic initiatives, including Institute build-out (facilities, labs, conference spaces), partnership development, program launches, seed-grant activities, and major research efforts.
• Coordinates communication and scheduling across multiple time zones for national and international collaborators.
• Prepares, drafts, and edits reports, scientific meeting summaries, presentations, donor briefings, website content, and high-level correspondence.
• Supports preparation and monitoring of budgets, expenditures, financial transactions, and internal operations documentation.
• Tracks deliverables, milestones, and timelines for major Institute programs, including research initiatives, conferences, workshops, and education programs.
• Plans, organizes, and executes special events including donor engagements, symposia, advisory board meetings, and public outreach events.
• Maintains organizational systems, databases, and project management tools to support efficient Institute operations.
• Oversees public relations activities, coordinates with University Communications, and supports publicity for major Institute achievements.
• Anticipates the needs of the Director and proactively identifies opportunities to streamline processes, improve workflow, and strengthen stakeholder engagement.
• Provides support for travel, reimbursement, compliance submissions, onboarding of new team members, and vendor coordination.
• Supports hiring activities, including interview scheduling, documentation, and onboarding in coordination with HR.
• Performs other duties as assigned to support the mission of the Institute.

Job Summary: Supports senior level roles in a wide variety of complex administrative and office functions as well as specialized technical support for academic or administrative departments.

Essential Functions: Ability to perform email triage, complex calendar management, travel arrangements, and executive support. Ability to follow prescribed procedures exercising independent judgment in coordinating complex activities. Ability to manage sensitive information and high stakes relationships requiring advanced problem solving skills.

Physical Effort: Little physical effort required. Duties are primarily sedentary. May be required to move objects up to 25 pounds occasionally.

The University of Pittsburgh is an equal opportunity employer / disability / veteran.

Assignment Category: Full-time regular

Job Classification: Staff. Administrative Assistant III

Job Family: Administrative Support

Job Sub-Family: Clerical

Campus: Pittsburgh

Minimum Education Level Required: Associate's Degree

Minimum Years of Experience Required: 5

Will this position accept substitution in lieu of education or experience? Combination of education and relevant experience will be considered in lieu of education and/ or experience requirement.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Work Arrangement: On-Campus: Teams that work on campus, in an office, or in a lab.

Hiring Range: $24.00 to $27.50 per hour

Relocation Offered: No

Visa Sponsorship Provided: Yes

Background Check: For position finalists, employment with the University will require successful completion of a background check

Child Protection Clearances: Not Applicable

Required Documents: Resume

Optional Documents: Cover Letter