Senior Administrative Assistant

Requisition Id 14326 

Overview: 

The Computing and Computational Sciences Directorate (CCSD) is ORNL's premier source of basic and applied research in high-performance computing, applied mathematics, and intelligent systems.  Our mission includes addressing important national priorities with advanced computing systems, cooperating with U.S. industry to enable efficient, cost-competitive design, and enhancing science education and scientific awareness.

We seek a highly qualified Senior Administrative Assistant to support the National Center for Computational Sciences Division Director, the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility Program Director, and the division staff.  The successful candidate will assume significant responsibility for office management and take the initiative to perform a full range of administrative duties. This position resides in the CCSD at ORNL. 

Major Duties/Responsibilities: 

Under limited supervision, this position is responsible for the effective management and operation of the division office and for performing a wide variety of administrative functions, including:

• Schedule, update, and maintain the Director’s calendar of appointments and meetings. 

• Respond to incoming telephone calls, faxes, emails, walk-ins, and correspondence responsively and professionally; initiate calls to obtain, verify, and exchange information and disseminate information as appropriate or refer to others.

• Maintain a professional office atmosphere; greet and receive visitors (in person and over the phone) professionally and courteously.

• Provide analytical and specialized administrative support to relieve and assist the Director with administrative details and duties.  Track, coordinate, and follow actions/responses for the Director to ensure timely completion.  Create, implement, and maintain filing systems and databases as required, and keep filing current using tools such as Dropbox, SharePoint, and OneDrive.  Prepare and process electronic forms.

• Assist the Director in managing communications.  Prepare and review various written materials per company policy and guidelines.  Act as a control point for incoming and outgoing divisional correspondence; proofread all outgoing correspondence (including format, grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc.) and ensure proper routing of approvals.

• Make administrative decisions and judgments within the realm of responsibility and authority, using tact and discretion.

• Create requisitions and purchase orders based on appropriate ORNL guidelines.

• Work closely with the Business Manager to ensure expenditures and other office expenses are accurate.

• Take action as authorized during the Division Director’s absence to ensure requests for action/information are relayed to appropriate sources; interpret and prioritize requests; help implement actions; and ensure that correct information is furnished.

• Attend division planning and extended staff meetings as appropriate; document and track action items, disseminate meeting notes and assist in implementation.  Maintain and control business sensitive and confidential files.

• Plan a division-level calendar of upcoming lab-level events, significant milestone dates, and division-specific events.

• Assist in managing meetings, including establishing priorities and resolving the scheduling of personnel, conference rooms, vehicles, and other resources.

• Plan and coordinate workshops, conferences, informational meetings, proceedings, and seminars; schedule personnel, facilities, and related services and assist in communication with attendees; coordinate social activities, transportation, lodging, and meeting agendas as required; and plan and coordinate on-site and off-site meetings, workshops, conferences, and related services.

• Coordinate and prepare domestic and international travel requests, including reservations, conference registration, transportation, and expense settlement, according to ORNL guidelines.  Review and approve all division foreign travel requests.

• Assist in visits by external personnel, including visits by foreign nationals and classified visits.

• Provide strategic direction, coordinate goals and policies, and manage and allocate resources across the different group admins.  Schedule monthly meetings to discuss progress, challenges, and updates.  Assist in the onboarding process and training of new administrative staff.

• Provide strategic oversight and coordination with the division Field Work Proposal (FWP).  This includes setting schedules for staff responses, assembling contents, reviewing for correctness, and providing feedback to PIs when necessary. 

• Assist with special projects and assignments as needed.

• Assist the Director with the recruiting and hiring process, including coordinating interview schedules, site access, and onboarding.

• Exercise discretion with confidential matters.

• Maintain a strong commitment to the implementation and perpetuation of ORNL’s mission, values, and ethics.

Basic Qualifications:

• This position requires a high school diploma, a minimum of seven years in prior administrative support positions reporting to higher levels of management, as well as a high degree of expertise in office management and administration.

• Proficiency is required in office computer systems and software applications such as the Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Excel), including word processing, presentations (developing and editing), spreadsheets, databases, flow charts, general office procedures, grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

• Demonstrate a proven ability to function well in a fast-paced environment where priorities must be set to accomplish multiple tasks within deadlines and interact with other employees and visitors at all levels in the organization.  Must work well in a team environment and adapt to ever-changing needs.

• Incumbents must be able to maintain a consistent work schedule during core hours to meet the needs of staff and work after normal business hours to meet deadlines.

• Must possess excellent interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills and maintain professionalism in a demanding environment.

Preferred Qualifications:

• An associate degree in secretarial sciences, business administration, or a related field and/or applicable professional certification is desired, as is experience with or the ability to learn internal ORNL systems.

• Motivated self-starter who can work independently and participate creatively in collaborative teams across the laboratory. 

 
For more information about our benefits, working, and living here, visit the “About” tab at jobs.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.