Senior Administrative Assistant, Office of Research Education

Requisition Id 14322 

Overview:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) delivers scientific discoveries and technical breakthroughs needed to provide solutions in energy and national security and drive economic benefits for the nation. Our partnerships with U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) laboratories, universities, and industry enable us to accelerate science and innovation. The Office of Research Education (ORE) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory seeks to hire a Senior Administrative Assistant to provide full-time, dedicated administrative and project support exclusively to the Director of the Office of Research Education.
 

Major Duties/Responsibilities:

• Primary Point-of-Contact (POC): Serve as the dedicated administrative contact for the ORE Director, anticipating needs and managing day-to-day administrative functions. Responsibilities include:

  • Maintaining effectiveness of the Director’s email inbox, including flagging high priority requests, and ensuring timely responses to requests for action.

  • Managing Director’s calendar, ensuring attendance to all required meetings and preparation materials are provided in advance.

  • Serve as the primary communication liaison with leadership offices and stakeholders for scheduling and coordinating meetings.

  • Scheduling and coordinating room reservations, visitor site access, and logistical arrangements.

  • Facilitating travel planning and processing related documentation.

• Event Coordination: Provide end-to-end support for all ORE events under the direction of the ORE Director, including managing communications, tracking timelines, mitigating risks, and fostering ORE’s professional reputation.

• Project Assistance: Undertake complex project tasks directly for the Director, planning, coordinating, and executing initiatives in alignment with the Director’s objectives.

• Operational Oversight: Provide a clear, cohesive summary of ongoing operations to the Director, enabling effective decision-making while keeping long-term priorities on track.

• Office Management: Maintain a professional office environment, ensure consistent on-site attendance, and reliable administrative support by:

  • Greeting and receiving visitors in a professional manner.

  • Handling sensitive or confidential matters with discretion.

  • Creating and maintaining filing systems and databases using tools like SharePoint. 

  • Ensure the Director reviews timesheets and approves payroll in a timely manner.

• Time-Sensitive Execution: Work efficiently across multiple tasks in a fast-paced environment, prioritizing activities and aligning them with the Director’s vision and goals.

• Procurement Support: Create requisitions and purchase orders as needed in adherence to ORNL guidelines.

• Professionalism and Accountability: Deliver ORNL’s mission and core values of Impact, Integrity, Teamwork, Safety, and Service by:

  • Maintaining a reliable work schedule during core hours to meet the Director’s needs.

  • Promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in all interactions.

Summary:
This role offers an opportunity to provide dedicated, full-time administrative and project support to the Director of the Office of Research Education, ensuring seamless execution of priorities and initiatives in a dynamic and fast-paced environment.

Basic Qualifications:

• A high school diploma with 7-10 years of relevant experience, or an associate degree and 5-7 years of relevant experience.

• Strong communications skills, with the ability to successfully interact with research staff and laboratory management.

• Intermediate use of Microsoft Excel and working knowledge of SAP or other financial software.

• Ability to work self-sufficiently with monitoring for project and task completion.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working with the Office of the Laboratory Director, high level leadership, engineers, and scientists.

• Understanding of financial budgeting, tracking, forecasting.

• Capable of advanced Excel and SAP queries.

• Training and/or certification in project management.

• Ability to learn new software skills effectively (PowerBI, RESolution).

Visa Sponsorship: Visa sponsorship is not available for this position. 
 
About ORNL:
As a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science national laboratory, ORNL has an extraordinary 80-year history of solving the nation’s biggest problems. We have a dedicated and creative staff of over 7,000 people! Our vision for diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) is to cultivate an environment and practices that foster diversity in ideas and in the people across the organization, as well as to ensure ORNL is recognized as a workplace of choice. These elements are critical for enabling the execution of ORNL’s broader mission to accelerate scientific discoveries and their translation into energy, environment, and security solutions for the nation.
 

ORNL offers competitive pay and benefits programs to attract and retain individuals who demonstrate exceptional work behaviors. The laboratory provides a range of employee benefits, including medical and retirement plans and flexible work hours, to support the well-being of you and your family. Employee amenities such as on-site fitness, banking, and cafeteria facilities are also available for added convenience.
 

Other benefits include the following: Prescription Drug Plan, Dental Plan, Vision Plan, 401(k) Retirement Plan, Contributory Pension Plan, Life Insurance, Disability Benefits, Generous Vacation and Holidays, Parental Leave, Legal Insurance with Identity Theft Protection, Employee Assistance Plan, Flexible Spending Accounts, Health Savings Accounts, Wellness Programs, Educational Assistance, Relocation Assistance, and Employee Discounts.
 

If you have difficulty using the online application system or need an accommodation to apply due to a disability, please email: ORNLRecruiting@ornl.gov.

This position will remain open for a minimum of 5 days after which it will close when a qualified candidate is identified and/or hired.

We accept Word (.doc, .docx), Adobe (unsecured .pdf), Rich Text Format (.rtf), and HTML (.htm, .html) up to 5MB in size. Resumes from third party vendors will not be accepted; these resumes will be deleted and the candidates submitted will not be considered for employment.

If you have trouble applying for a position, please email ORNLRecruiting@ornl.gov.

ORNL is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants, including individuals with disabilities and protected veterans, are encouraged to apply.  UT-Battelle is an E-Verify employer.