Description
POSITION OBJECTIVE
Working under general direction, provide administrative support to the BME department. This position serves as a central administrative and operational support role within the department, ensuring accuracy, efficiency, and effective coordination across a range of functions. The role supports faculty, staff, and departmental leadership by facilitating day-to-day operations, communication, and resource management in alignment with university policies and the department's goals. The primary objective of the position is to manage complex administrative tasks and departmental operations that enable smooth internal functioning and effective communication with external university offices. The position requires strong organizational skills, attention to detail, discretion, and the ability to handle multiple tasks with minimal supervision.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
Perform diverse duties of an administrative/clerical nature requiring accuracy. This includes preparing and editing reports, composing professional correspondence, and creating and formatting presentations. Schedule meetings, maintain room reservations, and ensure accurate documentation of departmental activities. Track procurement requests and monitor order statuses, ensuring that records are up to date and aligned with departmental needs. (25%)
Has overall responsibility for smooth functioning of the department. Assist with day-to-day facility management, address maintenance concerns promptly, and support both faculty and staff with their operational needs. Monitor departmental workflows, track key metrics to identify areas of improvement, and serve as backup support for HR-related tasks to maintain continuity in staffing and appointment. (15%)
Facilitate communications between department and the university. Act as a key liaison between the department and various university units such as HR, Procurement, and Facilities. Streamline communication by drafting and distributing email updates, and notices, ensuring that information is relayed accurately and in a timely manner. Represent the department in external inquiries and facilitate follow-ups to maintain consistent and professional interactions with other university stakeholders. (10%)
Maintain confidential records. Manage confidential information, relating to procurement, and personnel files. (10%)
May authorize routine department expenditures, prepare or assist in preparing budgets, reconcile monthly expense statements, budget analysis/forecasting and expense reports for the entire Biomedical Engineering OPR budget. (10%)
Involved with more complex/difficult matters. Handle more complex responsibilities that require critical thinking and independence. Manage special projects, support mid- and senior-level managers, and assist with challenging or time-sensitive issues. Analyze departmental operations and provide input on improvements, taking initiative to resolve issues that fall outside typical administrative duties. (10%)
Cover department telephone calls and manage reception area. Take appropriate action by contacting faculty/staff to fulfill the requests. Assist faculty with requests for room reservations, catering, printing, office supplies, regalia, and books. Assist as needed, with purchases and reimbursements. Provide logistical support for departmental events and activities, ensuring that everything runs smoothly and participants are well-informed. (8%)
Coordinate workflow between departments as needed. Collaborate with faculty and other administrative staff to manage cross-departmental tasks and projects. Facilitate scheduling, information sharing, and timely completion of shared deliverables. This includes coordinating event logistics, aligning timelines for shared initiatives, and serving as the main contact to ensure seamless execution between departments. (7%)
NONESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
Perform other duties as assigned. (5%)
CONTACTS
Department: Regular contact with faculty, administrative staff, and research staff to maintain workflow (50%)
University: Contact with other university departments such as Procurement, Accounts Payable, Printing, Events and Catering on an as needed basis to exchange information (20%)
External: Contact with vendors to exchange information. The nature of the contact could be via e-mail, phone or in person (15%)
Students: Contact with students at the graduate and undergraduate levels to exchange information (15%)
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY
This position has no direct supervision of staff employees.
QUALIFICATIONS
Experience: 5 years of related secretarial experience required.
Education: High school education required.
REQUIRED SKILLS
Excellent communication skills: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents. Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times. Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience. Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Ability to actively learn - understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Ability to operate copy and print machines to produce documents.
Demonstrated history of successful support, education, and advocacy for all students, aligned with the values, mission, and messaging of the university, while adhering to the staff policy on conflict of commitment and interest.
Ability to meet consistent attendance.
Ability to interact with colleagues, supervisors and customers face to face.
WORKING CONDITIONS
General office environment. Will need to attend to vendors outdoors, the employee will perform repetitive motion using computer mouse and keyboard to type.
Requirements
QUALIFICATIONS
Experience: 5 years of related secretarial experience required.
Education: High school education required.
