Description

Administrative Specialist 

Plant Sciences Department, Institute of Agriculture, Knoxville TN

Description: The Plant Sciences Department is seeking an experienced Administrative Specialist to support our faculty and staff. This position reports to the Department Head and performs complex administrative duties in a fast-paced environment.

This position is the primary assistant to the Department Head in the Plant Sciences Department. They are responsible for all HR-related actions within the department. They provide general administrative support on a variety of items in order to promote smooth functioning of the unit.

Date: Applications will be reviewed starting on June 1, 2023 and will continue until a suitable candidate is found.

Qualifications

Duties include but are not limited to:

• Providing assistance to the Department Head by maintaining his calendar, scheduling meetings, assisting with annual evaluations of faculty and staff, preparing and submitting tenure and promotion documents each year, facilitating and taking minutes in the monthly faculty meetings, and various special projects as they arise
• Assisting new employees with hire paperwork. Maintaining accurate and up to date employee files. Ordering keys and arranging parking assignments for new employees
• Coordinating all faculty and staff position searches in the department. Staying up to date on search guidelines from HR and OED. Managing applications and communicating to the search chairs and committees. Support on advertising efforts for positions. Assisting with the coordination of interviews (scheduling, room reservations, travel)
• Assist employees with general HR questions such as: tuition fee waivers, insurance and retirement, annual leave and sick leave, family medical leave, and termination protocol
• Entering financial requests such as pay funding changes, additional pay, and recurring pay forms in IRIS
• Preparing materials to request J1 and H1B visas for international hires and visitors including providing assistance with completing forms, communicating effectively with international visitors and their sponsors, ensuring that all materials required are obtained and submitted to the Center for Global Engagement in a timely manner, assist with obtaining insurance coverage
• Verifying space allocations annually for facilities services
• Support to the business office as needed in FedEx shipping and label creation, answering office phone lines, mail pick up and distribution, timesheet entry

Qualifications and Required Experience:  High School Diploma and 3-4 years progressively responsible office experience. Experience providing excellent customer service in a fast-paced environment.

Preferred Qualifications: 5 years’ experience with at least 1 year in a large, diverse organization. Experience working in a higher education environment. Experience with international employment/visitor guidelines. Knowledge of UT policy and procedures. Basic knowledge of HR processes including FML and worker comp.

How to Apply: Applicants must complete an online application and submit a resume, letter of interest and contact information for 3 references to https://hr.utk.edu/

Job: Other Admin Asst/Secr/Clerical
Primary Location: US-Tennessee-knoxville
Organization: Plant Science - Res
Schedule: Full-time
Job Posting: May 25, 2023, 7:54:22 PM