Job Posting Title:

Senior Administrative Associate

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Hiring Department:

Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering

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Position Open To:

All Applicants

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Weekly Scheduled Hours:

40

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FLSA Status:

Non-Exempt

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Earliest Start Date:

Oct 02, 2023

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Position Duration:

Expected to Continue Until Sep 30, 2025

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Location:

UT MAIN CAMPUS

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Job Details:

General Notes

This is a fixed term grant-funded position, funded for two years with the possibility of renewal based upon performance and continuation of funding.

As a top-10 engineering school with the No. 1 program in Texas, the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin has been a global leader in technology innovation and engineering education for over a century. With 11 undergraduate and 13 graduate programs, over 20 research centers and a faculty community that boasts one of the highest numbers of National Academy of Engineering members among U.S. universities, Texas Engineering has launched some of the nation’s most accomplished leaders and pioneered world- changing solutions in virtually every industry, from space exploration to energy to health care. Situated in the heart of Austin — named “America’s Coolest City” by Expedia and “The Best Place to Live in the U.S.” by U.S. News and World Report — the Cockrell School embodies the city’s innovative spirit. Major companies with Austin campuses, such as Dell, National Instruments, Apple, IBM, Samsung, Google, and many others, continue to recruit Cockrell School students at a remarkable rate, launching thousands of successful careers and developing Texas Engineers into industry leaders.

The Cockrell School is committed to building an inclusive environment, free from all forms of hate, racism, and injustice, where students, faculty and staff feel safe and supported. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and welcome all qualified applicants regardless of race, ethnicity, physical ability, sexual orientation, gender, and gender expression, or socioeconomic background.

This job description may not be inclusive of all assigned duties, responsibilities, or aspects of the job described.

This position is eligible for a hybrid Flexible Work Arrangement (FWA) (on-campus and remote work). FWAs are subject to manager approval and may shift due to changes in business needs.

Purpose

Responsible for performing advanced program administration and managing the day-to-day operations of the Molten Salt Digital Twin Initiative funded by the State of Texas in the Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering. This includes facilitating effective communication and coordination across research faculty, staff, research vendors/partners, postdoctoral scholars, and graduate students at multiple universities and organizations, ensuring smooth project-wide operations.

Responsibilities

• Manages all aspects of accounting, purchasing, and budgeting for the Molten Salt Digital Twin Initiative.  Reconciles account monthly. Accurately tracks expenses; procuring supplies and equipment of varying costs in accordance with state law and university policy; processing payment vouchers, payroll vouchers, and travel vouchers; maintaining the Procurement Card, ensuring purchases are made and documented in accordance with university policy; maintaining accurate departmental records.

• Serve as the primary contact for faculty regarding grants/contracts process, including application preparation, budget preparation/revision, preparation of figures/tables, proposal formatting, and editorial and other deliverables. Serve as Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP) liaison regarding grants/budgets. Distribute information to faculty regarding new grant opportunities, calls for proposals, changes in contracts and grants policies for federal agencies, national organizations, and national foundations.

• Arranges travel and hotel reservations for PI’s, guests, and researchers associated with the grant. Processing payment and travel vouchers/reimbursements.

• Maintain PI’s schedules/calendars. Coordinate or schedule group meetings including room reservations and coordinating itineraries. Prepare or assist with committee report preparations. Prepare memoranda, prepare/proofread out-going correspondences.

• Serves as primary coordinator, initiates, and monitors human resources assignment transactions in Workday for the grant including job postings, and managing the interview and hiring process. Monitors and ensures timely completion of all timesheets and payroll transactions in Workday for the research staff and students. Coordinate annual performance evaluations, and coordinate title and compensation adjustments as needed. Processes tuition remission benefit and scholarship awards for students as needed.

• Facilitate effective coordination with departmental staff on regular communication, publication, and promotional efforts for the Molten Salt Digital Twin Initiative.

• Liaison to other staff of the department as needed. Coordinate work with other campus department or centers as needed.

• Other related functions as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and three years of administrative experience.

• Excellent communication skills, both written and oral.

• Excellent interpersonal skills and professional demeanor.

• Demonstrated ability to pay attention to detail and follow through.

• Demonstrated ability to work successfully under pressure of deadlines.

• Demonstrated ability with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).

Equivalent combination of relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Preferred Qualifications

• More than the required amount of experience.

• Experience with maintaining research grant accounts.

• Experience in the preparation and processing of research grant and/or contract proposals.

• Demonstrated ability with web-based data management systems.

• Familiarity with The University of Texas at Austin, in particular the University offices that oversee faculty research practices (including Office of Sponsored Projects and Office of Research Support and Compliance).

Salary Range

$55,000+ depending on qualifications

Working Conditions

• May work around standard office conditions.

• Repetitive use of a keyboard at a workstation.

• Use of manual dexterity.

• Climbing of stairs.

Required Materials

• Resume/CV

• 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor

• Letter of interest

Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded.  Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above.

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Employment Eligibility:

Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion/transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval.

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Retirement Plan Eligibility:

The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

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Background Checks:

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

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Equal Opportunity Employer:

The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer , complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

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Pay Transparency:

The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.

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Employment Eligibility Verification:

If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form.  You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States.  Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment.  Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.

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E-Verify:

The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university’s company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following:

• E-Verify Poster (English) [PDF]
• E-Verify Poster (Spanish) [PDF]
• Right To Work Poster (English) [PDF]
• Right To Work Poster (Spanish) [PDF]

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Compliance:

Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031 .

The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.