Senior Administrative Specialist-Host Microbe Interactions

The Senior Administrative Specialist for Host-Microbe Interactions provides administrative support for tasks including office management, vendor coordination, report and document preparation, departmental visitation and recruitment, faculty support, and communication/telephone calls.
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The Department of Host-Microbe Interactions is seeking a highly organized, proactive, and service-oriented Senior Administrative Specialist to provide comprehensive administrative support in a dynamic and collaborative research environment.  This position serves as a key liaison for faculty, researchers, staff, students, and external stakeholders, ensuring the efficient coordination of departmental activities, scheduling, communications, financial processes, and special projects.  The role requires independent judgment, strong organizational skills, and the ability to manage multiple priorities.

Responsibilities include coordinating complex calendars and meetings, supporting recruitment and onboarding activities, managing travel and event logistics, processing financial and purchasing transactions, maintaining departmental records, and assisting with grant and research related administrative functions. The Senior Administrative Specialist also contributes to process improvement initiatives, monitors compliance with institutional policies, and provides high-level customer service to internal and external constituents.

Due to the collaborative and operational nature of this role, regular onsite presence is required to support departmental operations, facilitate in-person interactions, coordinate administrative activities, and ensure timely responsiveness to faculty, staff, and visitors.

Job Responsibilities:

- Provide day to day administrative support like responding to calls, managing/tracking office supplies, document formatting & editing, mails, tracking and maintaining vendor contracts, scheduling meetings etc., independently.
- Coordinate with external vendors to support event organization for own team/department.
- Manage standard communication with internal/ external members on routine matters.
- Create standard reports related to budget and variance, expenses etc., ensure documentation and data management while protecting confidentiality where needed.
- Support a faculty member or leader(s) with activities related to scheduling, communication, managing lab set up, grants etc. as appropriate within own scope of work.
- Support in recruitment process by developing & coordinating itineraries for departmental visitors or new recruits.
- Perform other duties as assigned to meet the goals and objectives of the department and institution.
- Maintains regular and predictable attendance.
- Consistently meet job expectations, adhere to policies, and deliver quality work while applying. St. Jude values and principles. Managers evaluate employee performance throughout the year—specifically through the spring and fall Check In milestones and the Annual Performance Review. All employees are encouraged to actively participate in these performance management processes.

Minimum Education and/or Training:

- High school diploma/GED required.
- Bachelor's degree preferred.

Minimum Experience:

- Minimum Requirement: 4+ years experience in administration or related areas.
- Experience Exception: Bachelor's degree with no experience required.
- Some experience with activities involving planning, organizing and coordinating is important.
- Experience with tasks that involve managing routine or repetitive activities, high attention to detail and clear communication are critical.
- Demonstrated experience working with office technologies including Microsoft Office (Word/ Excel/ Power point etc.).

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Compensation
In recognition of certain U.S. state and municipal pay transparency laws, St. Jude is including a reasonable estimate of the compensation range for this role. This is an estimate offered in good faith and a specific salary offer takes into account factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets, experience and training, licensure and certifications, and other business and organizational needs. It is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the salary range and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current salary range is $22.00 - $38.50 per hour for the role of Senior Administrative Specialist-Host Microbe Interactions.

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