Administrative Specialist, Kinesiology & Applied Physiology

PAY GRADE: 29E

CONTEXT OF THE JOB: 

Under the limited supervision of the Business Administrator II, the Administrative Specialist using initiative, judgment, and discretion assists with managing the administrative functions and the academic and fiscal affairs of the Department of Kinesiology & Applied Physiology. The Administrative Specialist is proactive, customer-service driven, demonstrates exceptional attention to detail, and utilizes effective organizational skills to meet concurrent deadlines in a results -driven environment.

The Department of Kinesiology & Applied Physiology is recognized as one of the nation’s top doctoral programs by the National Academy of Kinesiology. It encompasses three undergraduate programs and six graduate programs, enrolling approximately 750 undergraduate students and 120 graduate students. The Department is supported by 43 faculty and professional staff, including PhD faculty who lead independent research programs with a combined $2.5 million in annual research expenditures.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES: 

• Assists with all aspects of the department’s daily operations, ensuring compliance with university, state, and federal policies, laws, and regulations.
• Provides guidance/support to all levels of management on university policy, financial operations, and administrative matters.
• Develops, maintains, and enhances office management systems; implements new administrative strategies and procedures to optimize efficiency.
• Prepares high-level correspondence on behalf of the department, college, and university, frequently managing sensitive and confidential information on behalf of the Department Chair and Business Administrator II.
• Creates, organizes, and manages department data using Excel; generate summaries, tables, and reports to support department planning and decision making.
• Independently manages all procurement operations, including service contracts, affiliation agreements, purchase orders, non-PO payments (e.g. honoraria, awards, participant incentives), and software/technology requests. Serves as contract Manager in Contracts+.
• Serves as department specialist for UDX and Concur systems. Oversees all aspects of administration for both platforms and provides support and training for faculty, staff, and students in a research-intensive environment.
• Oversees departmental capital equipment and space management, including coordinating research lab capital equipment purchases and asset tagging; preparing annual space and equipment reports for Assets Management; managing space/equipment inventories, office and lab moves, renovations, and research space planning in collaboration with CHS and University Facilities.
• Leads departmental Concur purchasing activities, including policy compliance, training material development, in-person training for faculty, staff, and graduate students, and oversight of procurement and travel expenses. Exercises independent judgment to ensure adherence to university policy.
• Primary approver on grant transactions in Concur/UDX and independently approves transaction in accordance with sponsored grants team standards.
• Monitors and tracks faculty travel, graduate student travel, and student dissertation expenditures. Prepares complex reports for Business Administrator II and provides balance updates as needed.
• Independently manages reconciliation and processing of all CEP program payments in accordance with college and university standards.
• Assists with the maintenance and content updates of the departmental website following UD communications best practices and policies, and in coordination with the CHS communicationsteam.
• Serves as departmental archives/records retention specialist.
• Serves as a first point of contact for the Kinesiology & Applied Physiology (KAAP) office; fields calls from faculty, staff, students, parents, and the public and refers inquiries to staff and other departments as appropriate.
• Attends faculty/staff meetings, assists with meeting minutes, scheduling and planning events.
• Provides back-up support to other office administrative staff as needed.
• Performs special projects and other job-related duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s Degree with three years of relevant experience with increasing responsibility, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Higher education experience preferred.
• Extensive knowledge of office practices and procedures.
• Ability to make independent decisions and judgments in keeping with the level of the position.
• Ability to plan, prioritize, balance, and review a variety of projects that must be completed simultaneously and on time.
• Ability to communicate and interact with people of all ages and diverse backgrounds, and to maintain a positive and collaborative work environment.
• Ability to use advanced techniques in word processing, spreadsheet, database, webpage and presentation software.
• Ability to gather data using a variety of data sources and generate accurate reports.
• Knowledge of University systems, policies and procedures preferred.